While some fans will certainly choose to play just the single-player offerings found inMaddenNFL 21, many others will want to experience its various multiplayer modes. For those players that wish to try out these multiplayer modes online, questions about the possibility for cross-play inMadden NFL 21may arise, and indeed Electronic Arts has been very clear on if the title will support this feature.
More specifically, an EA Community Manager confirmed last month thatMadden NFL 21does not have cross-play functionality. This means that PS4, Xbox One, andPC playerswill not be able to compete against one another online, and they will instead need to find games with others that are playing on their chosen platform.
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Additionally, it has been indicated thatMadden NFL 21will not support cross-play withnext gen consoleseither. As such, PS4 players should not expect to be hitting the field with those on PS5, nor should Xbox One players plan on squaring off against those with the Xbox Series X. This is perhaps the more surprising part ofMadden 21’s cross-play support, or lack thereof, though it is exactly in line with what EA is doing with another of its upcoming sports titles.
That title isFIFA 21, and indeed it is now confirmed that it will also not support cross-play or cross-generational play. It seems then that players can expect this to be the standard for EA sports games through the releases of Sony and Microsoft’s new consoles, though perhaps things will change further into the lifespans of the PS5 and Xbox Series X.
One final thing that players may be interested to know aboutMadden NFL 21is that its Smart Delivery is somewhat restricted. For the uninitiated, Smart Delivery will allow players that own certain titles on Xbox One to upgrade those games to the Xbox Series X versions free of charge.Assassin’s Creed Valhalla,Cyberpunk 2077, andHalo: Infiniteare all among thegames confirmed for Smart Deliveryat the time of writing, and fans that are planning to upgrade their consoles can thus purchase those titles for Xbox One without much concern.
Things are slightly different withMadden NFL 21, though, as it will not be eligible for a Smart Delivery upgrade afterMadden NFL 22release next year. While this is unlikely to affect a great number of players, since many will transition to the newest entry in the series at that point, it is something thatMaddenfansmay still want to take into consideration.
Madden NFL 21releases on July 12, 2025 on PC, PS4, and Xbox One with future releases planned for the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X.
