How to preload Madden NFL 25

Franchise mode? Ultimate Team? Superstar? Online head-to-head? In Madden NFL 25, the choice is yours what you want to play.

But before you can play Madden when it launches in early access on Aug. 12 (and for all players on Aug. 16), you have to download the game. And for those who bought the game digitally, it can be preloaded ahead of time so you can kick off the second the servers go live.

The days of lining up at game stores for a midnight release are long over. Now, especially with early access and free trials, you can play right at launch or even days ahead of launch. Preloading truly is a beautiful thing.

Here’s what you need to do to preload Madden NFL 25.

How to preload Madden 25

Football player celebrating Madden 25 — Let’s ball. Image via EA Sports

The process of preloading Madden NFL 25 depends on what platform you play the game on. Since Madden is available on all platforms, follow our instructions below to preload the game no matter if you play on console or PC.

How to preload Madden 25 on Xbox

Pre-order the game digitally.
Find Madden NFL 25 in your game library, select it, and download.
Open up the Microsoft Store.
Search for Madden NFL 25.
Select the game and begin downloading.

Many players on Xbox are having issues downloading their preloads, however, with most people reporting that the game icon says you don’t own the title. This is likely an error and may not be fixed until after the game’s early access is available on Aug. 12 at 3pm CT.