EA Sports has released Madden NFL 25 for iOS, the newest iteration in its popular sports franchise. The release marks the first time the game is free to play, along with offering in-app purchases for use with Madden’s Ultimate Team feature which allows the user to collect player cards and use them in game. The game also features all 32 NFL teams and solo challenges, as well as new touch controls that allow for easier gestures.

madden251

An experience 25 years in the making! EA SPORTS delivers the most authentic NFL football experience to date on iPhone® and iPad® with MADDEN NFL 25. Build your Ultimate Team of NFL stars and run the show on offense and defense with new and improved touch controls, game modes and much more!

madden252
Madden NFL 25 can be downloaded from the App Store for free. [Direct Link]

Top Rated Comments

sethlution Avatar
158 months ago
I miss the time when we could pay 10$ or less upfront and get a great quality game. But for the usual game these days, it's either play it for free at a ridiculous difficulty or pay 99$ for gem/gold/coins to play it at a super easy mode. It takes all the fun out of the game.

A good game should offer the game for free so that players can try it first for the first few levels/part, and then offer a one-time full game unlock for a finite amount of money and that's it. No more power up/heart/live... But then again, we don't live in a perfect world :(
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
musika Avatar
158 months ago
Ah, the ever-increasing difference between "free" and "free-to-play".
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
springsup Avatar
158 months ago
Ah, the ever-increasing difference between "free" and "free-to-play".

The longer this goes on the harder it will be to stop/reverse.

Yes, it's a business model which can gets the developer more money, but so is racketeering and gambling and all kinds of user-unfriendly models.

Apple need to pull their finger out. They're responsible for a lot of this trend.

First they refused to allow trials/demos. The idea was that the App description would be all-important - but Apple didn't do enough in that area, either. No embedded videos mean that users don't get a good enough idea of how an App works.

This is where in-app purchases came from. Once the business model changed, the games had to change to fit the business model. By most accounts, these games are much less fun because they revolve around power-ups and constantly nag you for money. That's not to mention games that are totally abusive and change the rules of the game in-flight to tempt you to buy add-ons.

The AppStore is not good enough. It's been six years now, and we still have no clear paid upgrade mechanism or trial/demo system. What we have instead is a bunch of "games" that are basically disguised slot-machines.

Apple need to step up their game. Unfortunately developers have no choice of distribution on iOS, so we can't use competition to force them on. If you're unhappy with Apple's statuesque pace of progress on the AppStore your only choice is to ditch the entire platform.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
bbeagle Avatar
158 months ago
It's free to play as the Buffalo Bills, or other high school teams, but for real NFL teams you have to pay money.

:D
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Risco Avatar
158 months ago
This does not bode well for Fifa 14…..
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
HarryWarden Avatar
158 months ago
I used to really enjoy playing games on iOS but because of the prevalence of this style of game, I pretty much have stopped gaming on the platform because it makes it so unattractive. Paying for certain plays? LOL, you've gotta be kidding. I'd rather pay more upfront and have the complete game than this crap.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iOS 26 Feature

iOS 26.1 to iOS 26.4 Will Add These New Features to Your iPhone

Wednesday October 1, 2025 1:26 pm PDT by
iOS 26 was released last month, but the software train never stops, and iOS 26.1 beta testing is already underway. So far, iOS 26.1 makes both Apple Intelligence and Live Translation on compatible AirPods available in additional languages, and it includes some other minor changes across Apple Music, Calendar, Photos, and Safari. More features and changes will follow in future versions,...
john ternus on stage

Gurman: Major Apple Leadership Shakeup Impending With John Ternus as Next CEO

Monday October 6, 2025 6:21 am PDT by
Apple is entering its most significant leadership transition in more than a decade as multiple senior executives prepare to depart and CEO Tim Cook begins to shape the company's next generation of leaders, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. In the latest edition of his "Power On" newsletter, Gurman explained that Jeff Williams, who was viewed as Cook's potential successor for several...
ios 26 1 slide to stop

Apple Fixes Alarms in iOS 26.1

Monday October 6, 2025 11:56 am PDT by
With the second beta of iOS 26.1, Apple updated the design of alarms set on the iPhone, making them harder to dismiss than before. Stopping an alarm in iOS 26.1 beta 2 requires a new Slide to Stop gesture rather than a simple tap. You can continue to tap to snooze an alarm, but if you want to turn it off entirely, you need to use a swipe. Transitioning from a tap to a slide gesture to...
iOS 26 Feature

iOS 26 Adds These 200 New Features and Changes to Your iPhone

Saturday October 4, 2025 8:19 am PDT by
Apple's website offers a list of nearly 200 new features and changes (PDF file) included in the software update, released last month. Apple also shared equivalent lists for iPadOS 26 and macOS Tahoe. iOS 26 is compatible with the iPhone 11 and newer. To install the update, open the Settings app on your iPhone, tap on General, and tap on Software Update. Below, we have highlighted eight ...
ipad mini 7 feature blue

iPad Mini 8 on the Way: Expected Features and Release Timeline

Monday October 6, 2025 5:05 am PDT by
A new iPad mini is "absolutely" on the way, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. So what should we expect from the successor to the iPad mini 7 that Apple released a year ago? Processor and Performance Apple is working on a next-generation version of the iPad mini (codename J510/J511) that features the A19 Pro chip, according to information found in code that Apple mistakenly shared in...
iCloud iPhone 17 Pro

Apple Highlights Five Perks for iPhone Users Who Pay for iCloud Storage

Monday October 6, 2025 6:29 am PDT by
After launching new iPhones last month, Apple is promoting iCloud+ with a prominent banner on its home page, in a bid to boost its services revenue. In addition to more storage, all iCloud+ plans include five perks for iPhone users. As a refresher, iCloud includes 5GB of storage for free. If you want extra storage, you need to subscribe to an iCloud+ plan. In the United States, prices range...
iOS 26

Everything New in iOS 26.1 Beta 2

Monday October 6, 2025 3:54 pm PDT by
Apple released the second beta of iOS 26.1 and iPadOS 26.1, introducing useful changes to alarms, multitasking on the iPad, and more. There are also subtle tweaks to some of the Liquid Glass design elements as Apple continues to refine iOS 26. Alarms and Timers Alarms set using the Clock app now have a slide to stop button rather than a tap to stop button on the Lock Screen. To snooze an...
AirPods Pro Firmware Feature

Apple Releases New Firmware for AirPods Pro 3, AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4

Tuesday October 7, 2025 11:27 am PDT by
Apple today released new firmware designed for the AirPods Pro 3, prior-generation AirPods Pro 2, and the AirPods 4 models. The firmware has a build number of 8A358, up from 8A356. There's no word on what's include in the updated firmware, but the prior 8A356 update added iOS 26 features to the AirPods Pro 2, AirPods Pro 3, and AirPods 4 with ANC. The software introduced better audio quality ...
CarPlay Liquid Glass Light

Rivian CEO Doubles Down on Decision to Not Offer Apple CarPlay

Monday October 6, 2025 7:45 am PDT by
On the latest episode of The Verge's Decoder podcast, Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe told guest host Joanna Stern why the EV maker continues to pass on Apple's CarPlay — both the standard version and the more advanced CarPlay Ultra. Echoing his previous comments on the matter, Scaringe said Rivian is focused on offering a "seamless digital experience," where customers do not need to switch between...
ipad pro 2024

Next iPad Pro to Have Two Key Features, But One Rumor Still Uncertain

Sunday October 5, 2025 7:00 am PDT by
The next iPad Pro models are rumored to feature two key upgrades, including Apple's M5 chip, and an increased minimum of 12GB of RAM. Last week, apparent unboxing videos for the next-generation 13-inch iPad Pro were uploaded to YouTube by Russian channels Wylsacom and Romancev768. The same YouTube channels leaked the 14-inch MacBook Pro with the M4 chip before it was announced by Apple...