Madden 23 won’t let you upgrade to PS5 and Xbox Series X without a hefty fee
Paying twice ain’t so nice
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
Heads up Madden fans – the standard edition of Madden NFL 23 won’t include a free PS5 or Xbox Series X|S upgrade.
If you pick up the standard version of Madden 23 onPS4orXbox One, you won’t be able to upgrade to itsPS5orXbox Series X|S version later. According to an EAblog post, you’ll instead need to purchase the game a second time to get your hands on its next-gen version.
Only those who buy the Madden NFL 23 All Madden Edition will qualify for a free next-gen upgrade, as part of EA’sDual Entitlementprogram. But that special edition is priced at a hefty $99.99 / £89.99 / AU$149.95. That’s a big chunk over the standard version’s $59.99 / £59.99 / AU$99.95 price tag on PS4 and Xbox One.
Keep up the pace
Madden 23’s pricing structure matches what we saw last year with the release ofFIFA 22. Those who bought the standard edition of EA’s flagship sports game weren’t able to upgrade to next-gen consoles, and instead had to rely on the pricey FIFA 22 Ultimate Edition to play across both generations of hardware.
It’s far from the norm among video game publishers. Plenty of next-gen upgrades are given away for free or sold at a small fee. Few publishers make players buy an entirely fresh copy of a game they already own, just to move between console generations.
Ubisoftreleased free next-gen upgradesforAssassin’s Creed Valhalla,Far Cry 6, andWatch Dogs: Legionwhen the new consoles launched in 2020. Activision offers a cross-gen version ofCall of Duty: Vanguardat $10 / £10 / AU$10 extra, andElden Ringalso includes a free upgrade. When the native PS5 and Xbox Series X|S versions ofCyberpunk 2077released earlier this year, the upgrade was given away to all players in a free, automatic update.
It’s not unknown for EA to offer free next-gen upgrades, however.FIFA 21includeda free PS5 and Xbox Series Xupdate right out of the box. Similarly, the next-gen upgrade forBattlefield 2042was initially only offered to those who bought the Gold Edition of the game. But a free upgrade was later given to everyone who owned a standard digital edition of the shooter.
Get the best Black Friday deals direct to your inbox, plus news, reviews, and more.
Sign up to be the first to know about unmissable Black Friday deals on top tech, plus get all your favorite TechRadar content.
Don’t expect a similar story with Madden 23, though. As one of EA’s mainline sports games, it will continue to draw in players despite the high upgrade costs. At least we can look forward to itsbone-crunching pile-ups, although we’re still waiting for a final word on theMadden 23 cross-platformsituation.
Callum is TechRadar Gaming’s News Writer. You’ll find him whipping up stories about all the latest happenings in the gaming world, as well as penning the odd feature and review. Before coming to TechRadar, he wrote freelance for various sites, including Clash, The Telegraph, and Gamesindustry.biz, and worked as a Staff Writer at Wargamer. Strategy games and RPGs are his bread and butter, but he’ll eat anything that spins a captivating narrative. He also loves tabletop games, and will happily chew your ear off about TTRPGs and board games.
Best Dragon Age games in 2024 - every series entry ranked
I reviewed the PS5 Pro and recommend these 7 enhanced games to try first
Quordle today – hints and answers for Friday, November 8 (game #1019)
