Will Madden 21 be a free upgrade on the Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5? With the next generation consoles from Microsoft and Sony set to launch this holiday season, many football fans are wondering whether they should pick up Madden 21 on launch for Xbox One or PS4, or just wait until the next-gen systems release.
Thankfully, that decision will be an easy one.
Madden 21 Smart Delivery
Unlike past generations where you would have to buy the game twice if you wanted to play it on the newest console at launch, Madden 21 won’t make gamers choose. No matter which system you pick up — Xbox Series X or PS5 — players of Madden 21 on current-gen platforms will be able to upgrade to the next-gen version of the game absolutely free.
To get the game as a free upgrade on the Xbox Series X or PS5, there will be one tiny “catch”. You will have to have owned the game on either the Xbox One or PS4, and you can only upgrade it to the next console iteration of the system you originally had it on. That means if you owned it on PS4, you only get the free upgrade on PS5; you can’t upgrade from a PS4 version of the game to a next-gen Xbox for free. If that’s what you plan on doing, you’ll have to double dip.
Another thing to note is that the free Madden 21 upgrade is not available to players of the physical version of the game should they get a disc-less next-gen system. If you own Madden 21 on disc, you’ll need a next-gen console that takes discs in order to get the newest version of the game.
Lastly, the free upgrade offer will last from the time the next-gen systems launch through the release of Madden 22 in the summer of 2021.
As far as you PC players are concerned, you aren’t going to be so lucky. The PC version of the game will be the current-gen version no matter when you buy it. So, if you want that next-gen Madden 21 experience, you’ll need to be playing on console.