Video Games

There are some big upgrades coming to the Madden NFL video game series, and it won't be long before the next edition arrives. Madden 23 is set to be released Friday, while those who preordered the All Madden edition will get access on Tuesday.

It's always an exciting time of the year when a new Madden game is released, especially because that means another NFL season is almost here. This year's edition is the third to be released on the newest generation of consoles (PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X), and it looks to be an improvement from recent years.

While there are quite a few changes coming in Madden 23, let's start with Face of the Franchise mode. The story-driven career mode has changed numerous times in recent editions of the game, but never quite like it has this year.

The Madden 23 version of the mode is titled "Face of the Franchise: The League," and you'll notice drastic changes immediately. That's because your player isn't entering the NFL as a rookie. There will be no high school or college games, and there won't be a scouting combine.

Instead, your player—who can be either a quarterback, running back, wide receiver, linebacker or cornerback—has just completed his rookie contract and is entering his fifth NFL season. That means you're just now hitting free agency, and the mode will begin with you deciding where your player is going to sign.

From there, it doesn't take long to get into the on-field action. That was by design, as EA Sports noted it heard from feedback that players want the game mode to have "impactful progression, feeling of achievement in your career, and most importantly, getting you into the action on the field much faster."

Big updates coming to Face of the Franchise: The League

👁️ Focusing Purpose
💵 Contracts & Quick Starts
🏈 Improved Player-Locked Gameplay
📈 Position-Focused Progression
🏟️ Refreshed League Hub
🏋️ Side Activities Overhaul

More info https://t.co/OPOkdNvfAP #Madden23 pic.twitter.com/9pcIx7w1bg

— Madden NFL 25 (@EAMaddenNFL) August 8, 2022

The other notable changes to Face of the Franchise come with player-locked gameplay, position-focused progression, an overhauled hub and new side activities. And then, there's FieldSENSE, at least for the PS5 and Xbox Series X versions.

FieldSENSE isn't exclusive to this game mode. It's a mechanic that is being introduced to all gameplay in every mode. And it should make Madden 23 the most realistic virtual football experience yet.

There are four major components shared by EA Sports that are coming to gameplay via FieldSENSE: the "Hit Everything" defensive mechanic, a skill-based passing system, 360-degree player cuts and improved wide receiver vs. defensive back battles.

The past versions of Madden on PS5 and Xbox Series X didn't take advantage of the improved technology nearly as much as Madden 23 will. FieldSENSE is going to take the gameplay to the next level, and that's an exciting thing for football gamers.

Of course, every year Madden players want to know what improvements are coming to franchise mode, which has always been one of the most popular features. And there are some noticeable upgrades in this year's game.

The Madden 23 franchise mode will feature an improved free-agency system, which will feature player goals and tags that affect who signs with which teams, as well as improved scouting, better trade and draft logic and more.

So it seems like Madden 23 will be a step forward from last year. However, it's impossible to know for sure until we get our hands on the game. And that's going to be happening soon enough.

For weeks (and for some, maybe much longer), the anticipation has been building for Madden 23, the newest edition in the popular football video game series. Now, the release date is rapidly approaching.

Madden 23 is set to come out Friday, though those who preorder the All Madden edition can begin playing the game on Tuesday. So that means gamers will be hitting the virtual gridiron in less than 48 hours.

This year's entry in the series appears to be taking a big step forward on its versions for the newest generation of consoles. On PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X, an updated gameplay mechanic called FieldSENSE is expected to take things to the next level.

The Face of the Franchise career mode has a whole new storyline different from any before it, as players won't be entering the league as rookies but rather taking over at the start of their fifth NFL season. Meanwhile, there have been some improvements made to franchise mode (particularly for free agency) that should make it more enjoyable this year.

With the arrival of Madden 23 nearly upon us, here's a look at the top-rated players in this year's edition, along with an early preview of the achievements/trophies to collect in the game.

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Top Player Ratings

99 overall rating

Aaron Donald, RE, Los Angeles Rams

Davante Adams, WR, Las Vegas Raiders

Myles Garrett, RE, Cleveland Browns

Trent Williams, LT, San Francisco 49ers

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98 overall rating

Cooper Kupp, WR, Los Angeles Rams

Jalen Ramsey, CB, Los Angeles Rams

Travis Kelce, TE, Kansas City Chiefs

Zack Martin, RG, Dallas Cowboys

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97 overall rating

Derrick Henry, RB, Tennessee Titans

George Kittle, TE, San Francisco 49ers

Tom Brady, QB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tyreek Hill, WR, Miami Dolphins

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96 overall rating

Aaron Rodgers, QB, Green Bay Packers

Christian McCaffrey, RB, Carolina Panthers

DeAndre Hopkins, WR, Arizona Cardinals

Nick Chubb, RB, Cleveland Browns

T.J. Watt, LOLB, Pittsburgh Steelers

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95 overall rating

Jonathan Taylor, RB, Indianapolis Colts

Patrick Mahomes, QB, Kansas City Chiefs

Quenton Nelson, LG, Indianapolis Colts

Stefon Diggs, WR, Buffalo Bills

Tyron Smith, LT, Dallas Cowboys

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Other Notable Ratings

When Madden players dive into the ratings for a new game, they're not just curious about overalls. They want to know who's the fastest, who has the best arm, who are the best rookies and more. So, let's look at some of these notable ratings for Madden 23.

There's only one player with a 99 speed rating this year: Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill. However, there are three players with 98 speed: Detroit Lions rookie wide receiver Jameson Williams, Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Quez Watkins and Carolina Panthers rookie cornerback Kalon Barnes.

Now, let's turn our attention to the quarterbacks. The Buffalo Bills' Josh Allen is the only player with 99 throw power, and he also has 89 speed, which makes him a great QB to utilize. The Kansas City Chiefs' Patrick Mahomes has the second-best throw power with a 97 rating.

Of course, Madden players always want to know who the fastest QBs are because it's fun to scramble. This year, there are four quarterbacks with 90-plus speed ratings: the Baltimore Ravens' Lamar Jackson (96), the Arizona Cardinals' Kyler Murray (92), Tennessee Titans rookie Malik Willis (92) and the Chicago Bears' Justin Fields (90).

As for rookies, the highest-rated first-year players in Madden 23 are Williams, Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle Jordan Davis and New York Jets cornerback Sauce Gardner, each of whom has a 78 overall rating. There are four rookies with a 77 overall rating: Detroit Lions linebacker Aidan Hutchinson, Houston Texans cornerback Derek Stingley Jr., New York Giants offensive tackle Evan Neal and Seattle Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker III.

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Achievements/Trophies

While EA Sports hasn't officially announced the achievements (Xbox consoles) and trophies (PlayStation consoles) for Madden 23, several outlets have reported them. And they seem fairly similar to the ones in recent editions of the game, as expected.

Rowan Fisher-Shotton of Gamer Journalist recently shared the game's achievements/trophies list. There are 24 to be collected in Madden 23.

Some of them have to do with the new FieldSENSE mechanics, such as skill-based passing, the "Hit Everything" system and wide receiver vs. defensive back battles. So you'll have to get familiar with those features on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X in order to complete all the achievements/trophies.

Still, it shouldn't be too difficult to reach 100-percent completion again this year. Many of these will be achieved just while playing through the different features of Madden 23.

Enjoy The Last Dance?

Well, NBA 2K23 has a new playing mode just for you.

The video game franchise announced a new Jordan Challenge mode that will allow gamers to relive 15 of the most famous moments from Michael Jordan's legendary career.

From hitting the game-winning shot of the 1982 NCAA championship game to battling the Bad Boy Detroit Pistons to stunning the Utah Jazz with his final shot in a Chicago Bulls uniform during the 1998 NBA Finals, gamers will have the chance to play out some of these iconic moments all while NBA 2K23 recreates the television broadcast style of the given era.

Erick Boenisch, who is the vice president of NBA development at Visual Concepts, reflected on the new mode in the announcement:

"The Jordan Challenge is an immersive experience unlike anything NBA 2K fans have seen, completely rebuilding the challenges from 2K11 and adding five new moments. Our team took everything into consideration when constructing this game mode; the arenas, the players, the uniforms, the broadcast, and the play style of the era have been accounted for in an effort to give fans a truly authentic and unique playable Jordan experience."

Part of that experience will feature pregame interviews with key figures from the moments and changes in gameplay to more accurately reflect the playing style of the NBA in the 1980s and 1990s as compared to today's game.

That means all those debates about the physicality of past decades compared to the outside shooting of 2022 can play out as defenders hand-check Jordan and look to cut off driving lanes instead of worrying as much about the three-point line.

His Airness won six championships, six NBA Finals MVPs, five league MVPs, 10 scoring titles and a Defensive Player of the Year during his Hall of Fame career, so the bar will be set plenty high for those attempting the new mode.

It's only right because nobody in NBA history was more up for a challenge than Jordan himself, who seemed to always take things personally and respond accordingly.

Gamers can try their skills with the GOAT in the new challenge mode when NBA 2K23 is released on Sept. 9 for PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and PC platforms.

The NFL season may not kick off until September, but there's another significant football-related event that takes place each August: the release of a new Madden NFL video game.

This year's edition, Madden 23, is set to be released August 19. However, if you aren't willing to wait that long, there are a couple of ways to play the game three days earlier. So you could be hitting the virtual gridiron as soon as Tuesday.

Those who preorder the All Madden edition will get access to the game August 16. Another way to play Madden 23 then is to have an EA Play membership, as that will give people a 10-hour trial for this year's game that can also begin Tuesday.

So, it won't be long before gamers are tackling Madden 23. And for those who will be playing on either the PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X, this year's game is taking things to another level.

This is the third year that Madden is being released on this newest generation of consoles, but there are some substantial gameplay improvements that have been made this time around.

EA Sports is introducing its new FieldSENSE technology that should make this the most realistic football video game yet:

🎮 Gameplay Trailer👇

FieldSENSE delivers more control at every position on every play in #Madden23

Preorder today: https://t.co/WUKtuZuvEY pic.twitter.com/NoYNVyymUz

— Madden NFL 25 (@EAMaddenNFL) June 6, 2022

As seen in the trailer, there are five major ways FieldSENSE is improving gameplay.

The "Hit Everything" mechanic will change how tackling works and give users the ability to hit players in the air on passing plays. It will give you the ability to make a greater impact on defense all over the field.

A skill-based passing system will allow users to better put the ball exactly where they want to on throws. So quarterback play is going to be much more advanced than it's been before.

Players will make 360-degree cuts, so it will be possible to better hit gaps with running backs and to be more precise with your running lanes. This should make the rushing game much more effective, like you see in real life.

Battles between wide receivers and defensive backs have been upgraded. When gamers use one of these players and engage in a one-on-one matchup, there are improved mechanics that will allow you to make better moves to try to win down the field.

According to EA Sports, there are more than 3,500 new animations that have been captured. So the gameplay should feel unique from past years, too.

The FieldSENSE mechanics will be applied in all game modes, from franchise to Face of the Franchise to Madden Ultimate Team. That means there's going to be more realistic gameplay across all areas of Madden 23.

In all, this should make the actual time spent on the virtual field in Madden more fun and enjoyable than it's been in the recent past. And that's an encouraging step forward for the new-generation versions of this series.

There was never much uncertainty regarding who would be on the cover of this year's Madden NFL video game. John Madden needed to appear on the front of Madden 23.

Madden, a former NFL coach and broadcaster, died last December at the age of 85. His name became synonymous with virtual football over the years, as the Madden NFL series has been releasing games since 1988. Madden endorsed the EA Sports series early and made sure it would feature 11-on-11 football.

So when Madden 23 comes out Aug. 19 (and three days earlier for those who preorder the All Madden edition of the game), it will feature the legendary Madden on the cover:

The #Madden23 cover… Coach‼️

Full reveal June 2nd: https://t.co/M3Il0XW40c pic.twitter.com/DTI9FqA5bL

— Madden NFL 25 (@EAMaddenNFL) June 1, 2022

It will be the first time that Madden has been on the cover of the game since Madden 2000, as a player was featured every year from 2001-22. Madden had previously been on the cover in 1988, as well as every year from 1991-2000.

This has the potential to be an exciting edition of the game, as this marks the third year that it will be released on the newest generation of consoles (PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X). But things appear to be taking a big step forward this year with the FieldSENSE gameplay technology that will be featured in those versions of the game.

With the gameplay being more advanced, Madden 23 should look and feel like the most realistic version of virtual football yet.

One mode that gamers are sure to spend plenty of time with again this year is Madden Ultimate Team. It's always one of the most popular parts of the game, as users acquire cards via packs and the auction house to try to build the best possible team of players.

In addition to completing challenges, you can then take your teams online to battle other users. It can take hours to assemble one of the best teams (or a good bit of money put into the game, if you're trying to buy packs and cards), so it takes a lot of dedication.

This year, MUT should be similar to recent versions of the game mode. So if you've enjoyed it in past versions, you likely will again in Madden 23.

If you preorder the game now, you'll get two elite MUT cards (one offense and one defense) to help get your team started. And if you preorder the All Madden edition by Aug. 18, you'll also get an elite Headliners player.

EA Sports has already revealed the base elite cards that will be available when the game comes out. Here are the 10 highest-rated players among that set:

Which Top 10 players are making your squad? #Madden23 pic.twitter.com/ExhNmr3uX7

— Madden Ultimate Team (@EASPORTS_MUT) August 5, 2022

The four MUT Team Captain cards will feature Keyshawn Johnson, Eric Allen, Larry Csonka and Sam Adams. They will start with an 85 rating but can get upgraded to 88.

There will also be MUT Headliners cards featuring Joe Mixon and L'Jarius Sneed (both with 89 overall ratings), as well as MUT Heroes cards featuring Carson Wentz, Kwity Paye, Gabriel Davis, Divine Deablo and Donald Parham Jr. (all with an 86 overall rating).

Of course, there will be tons of cards, packs and bundles released over the next year, and they will only become better deeper into the game's cycle. So if you want the best possible MUT team, you'll have to keep working at it, even after the 2022 NFL season is over.

When gamers dive into Madden NFL 23 on Aug. 19 (or four days earlier, if they preordered the All Madden edition), there will be some notable changes from past years. That includes to the Face of the Franchise career mode.

In recent editions of the popular series, Face of the Franchise has undergone several overhauls. Over the past few years, the story-driven mode allowed users to take a player from college through the draft process and eventually into the NFL.

That's no longer the case for the Madden 23 version of the mode, which is titled "Face of the Franchise: The League." This time, players are going to get into the NFL action much quicker.

This year's Face of the Franchise story moves past all the leadup. Your player is already in his fifth NFL season and will be "seeking a fresh start as you negotiate a one-year deal with a new team and strive for a legendary career," per EA.com.

The decision to change the story in such drastic fashion came following feedback to recent versions of Face of the Franchise mode, according to Clint Oldenburg, a Madden gameplay producer for EA Sports.

“It was like, ‘I want to go play in the NFL; get me there,'" he said, per Owen S. Good of Polygon. "And, this is a big headline, ‘The narrative feels aimless and pointless and lacking context,’ something like that. That was in one of the reviews.”

It's a unique approach for a career mode in a sports video game, because it's become typical for players to begin as rookies (or perhaps not even in the pros yet). So it's quite different to jump in at the end of a rookie contract and immediately have an opportunity to be a free agent.

It also seems this year's Face of the Franchise mode won't have interactive cutscenes, but there will still be moments to complement the gameplay.

"You’re gonna see a lot less longer, drawn-out scenarios that are lacking some context into what you’ve been doing in your career," Oldenburg said. "What we’re going to do is get you into the weekly loop of preparing for your game, playing your game, getting your feedback and rewards from the game."

That also means the cinematic moments will occur after your player's performances, rather than leading up to the games throughout their career.

As for the customization of your player, there is more positional flexibility. You can now choose between five positions for your player: quarterback, running back, wide receiver, linebacker and cornerback. The first four were options last year, but cornerback is a new choice.

It's also worth noting that the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X versions of Madden 23 are introducing the new FieldSENSE technology that will greatly improve the gameplay. That includes the game action that takes place during Face of the Franchise mode.

Madden 23 should provide a fresh take on Face of the Franchise mode. And for those who miss seeing the college uniforms and getting to play a couple of College Football Playoff games, EA Sports is expected to relaunch the college football series in 2023.