If you are a huge football fan like I am, you would probably agree that there is no better video game out there than Madden – and that it is a must-get each and every year.

There is no question whether or not we are going to buy Madden 23, but the real question is which edition should you purchase. This year, much like previous years, there are two editions to choose from.

There is a standard edition and there is a significantly more expensive ‘All-Madden’ edition. The question on everyone’s mind is: is the All Madden edition of Madden 23 worth it?

I am going to break down the price points for both editions, as well as the features that the All-Madden edition adds, and finally I am going to make a decision on whether I believe the Madden 23 All-Madden edition is worth it.

Price

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Standard Edition

PS5: $69.99 / £69.99

Xbox Series X/S: $69.99 / £69.99

PC: $59.99 / £59.99

PS4: $59.99 / £59.99

Xbox One: $59.99 / £59.99

All-Madden edition

PS5: $99.99 / £89.99

Xbox Series X/S: $99.99 / £89.99

PC: $99.99 / £89.99

PS4: $99.99 / £89.99

Xbox One: $99.99 / £89.99

Features

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Dual Entitlement

The strangest and perhaps most controversial of the features that the All-Madden edition has is called ‘dual entitlement’, which is fancy phrasing for ‘backwards and forwards compatibility’.

If you don’t know what backwards and forwards comparability means, it just means that if you buy it on the PS5 you can play it on PS4 and if you buy it on the PS4 you can play it on PS5, if you so choose. The same goes for the Xbox one X/S and the Xbox One.

This is most relevant for people that are buying the game early but are expecting to upgrade to a next-gen console in the near future.

The reason that this is controversial isn’t because the All-Madden has the feature, but rather it’s because the standard edition doesn’t.

It’s been the norm for the last few years or so, since the new generation of consoles came out, that all games came with forward and backward compatibility, but Madden has decided that shouldn’t be the case anymore – and you should pay for the privilege.

It’s a feature that certainly has value.

If you have both the new and past generation of consoles, and you switch off from one to the other, it saves you from having to buy it for $60 again. Or if you have the old generation now, and want to get a new generation this holiday season, it saves you from having to buy it again for $70. 

3 Days of Early Access

While this might not affect you (if you read this after the regular scheduled release), it is still important to note, as this will likely be the model going forward for future editions of Madden. 

When you buy the All-Madden edition, you get to access the game 3 days before anybody else. That is an exciting prospect for die hard fans, but I wonder how big of a deal that is to casual Madden players.

The only people who should be considering this as an impactful selling point of this edition are people who like me that clamor for the taste of the newest Madden content, that lay awake at night dreaming of the best rookie players in MUT.

Exclusive Early Access Challenges in MUT

This is an interesting feature. Exclusive content is always a mixed bag, is it extensive playable content, or is it just a cosmetic item or badge?

In Madden, this exclusive content seems to be both extensive and playable.

There are a number of Madden Ultimate Team challenges all centered around the number 23, it gives players even more opportunities to earn coins in MUT, and is also just an enjoyable time.

These challenges are still available on the standard edition of the game, you just get earlier access with All Madden.

4600 Madden Points

This is the big selling point that the marketers at EA have been really trying to push.

If you go on the PlayStation or Xbox store, you will likely see the first feature listed under the All-Madden edition saying how this is $40 worth of points. This is a statement that is technically true, but doesn’t tell the whole story.

Madden Points are so overvalued by EA it’s not even funny. Madden Points can only buy packs in Madden Ultimate Team; packs are another word for ‘loot boxes’ which are banned in numerous countries due to gambling legislation.

More and more people are slowly realizing how bad of a deal packs are in MUT, especially when purchased with ‘cash’ (or Madden Points). You can go to the auction house and pick whichever elite card you want with very few exceptions and spend less than the cost of an elite pack. 

The value of the 4600 Madden points may technically be $40, but it really isn’t, especially when you consider that there is almost always a sale on Madden Points throughout the season. The true value is probably closer to $20.

Free Elite Players for Ultimate Team

Another perk that’s exclusive to Ultimate Team, All-Madden Edition users will get the choice of 2 free Elite players – one offensive and one defensive.

This will help your team a little bit, but where are the perks for non-MUT gamers?

The Verdict

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The main takeaway from this is that, whether or not the All-Madden edition is worth the price to you, we should all agree on the fact that the features are a bit of a letdown, and they should have included more. With that being said, I think there are people who absolutely believe it’s worth it.

Consider a gamer who is a huge Madden fan, and has been waiting for this games since February.

Now let’s assume he has a PS4, but is thinking about buying a PS5 for himself for Christmas. Let’s also assume that his favorite game mode is Madden Ultimate Team, but he never has the time to sit down and grind for coins, so he naturally relies on Madden Points in order to buy packs to get players for his team.

This hypothetical person absolutely loves this edition, he only spends $100 on what he would have spent $170 on, plus he gets to play the game a whole 3 days before any of his friends. That sounds like it’s worth it to me.

For most people however, I think this edition doesn’t quite go far enough to entice people to buy it. I don’t think the Madden 23 All-Madden edition is worth it for most people, and if you don’t play Ultimate Team then it’s essentially pointless.

But at the end of the day, it’s a personal decision. What are your thoughts?