No, Madden 23 Does Not Come Free with PlayStation Plus

As a hardcore football gamer and industry analyst, I get this question a lot – does the latest annual Madden NFL release come included with a PlayStation Plus membership?

With the upcoming launch of Madden NFL 23 on August 19th, 2022, I can definitively say that Madden 23 is not free on PS Plus. You‘ll need to purchase the game separately if you want to play.

But should you buy it? And what exactly do you get from a PS Plus sub? Let me break it all down for you…

Madden 23 Price and Platforms – Expensive Upfront Cost

Madden NFL 23 is launching August 19th across current and next-gen PlayStation and Xbox consoles, plus Windows PC.

The standard edition comes at the typical $59.99 USD base price point on PS4, Xbox One, and PC. Meanwhile the PS5 and Xbox Series X/S versions cost $10 more at $69.99.

As a multiplatform release, EA Sports did not hold back pricing even as we enter a possible recession.

Upgrading from PS4 or Xbox One to the optimized newer console editions post-purchase runs another $10 fee.

Overall, no matter what system you game on, you‘re looking at a premium upfront investment:

And that‘s before factoring in microtransactions…but I‘ll get to that.

What‘s Included in PlayStation Plus?

A PlayStation Plus subscription runs $59.99 annually. This gives you a range of member benefits including:

• Online multiplayer access for PS4 and PS5 games
• Two free monthly games
• Exclusive discounts on PSN store content
• 100GB of cloud storage
• Share play functionality

Notice anything missing? Full games are not included with a standard PS Plus membership.

The free monthly games offered are usually smaller indie titles or older AAA catalogue releases. So brand new titles like Madden 23 are never free day one for Plus members.

You only get access to online features like playing against others online. And for sports gaming especially, that multiplayer competition is essential.

Can EA Play Subscription Get You Madden 23?

EA Play and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate give subscribers a 10 hour trial for new releases like Madden through the Play First Early Access program.

You‘ll get about 10 hours starting August 16th to preview the latest Madden entry before deciding on buying the full $70 game.

10 hours may seem decent for a trial run. But accounting for downloading, installing, menu navigation and settings configurations – that leaves maybe 8 hours tops actually on the gridiron.

Which goes fast when you want to test different game modes, teams, and difficulty levels to see what feels right.

So is 10 hours enough to experience everything Madden 23 has to offer? Let‘s discuss…

Just How Much is in Madden 23 Anyway?

As an annualized sports franchise, fan skepticism comes with every new Madden release promising groundbreaking additions.

But the early verdict is extremely positive for Madden NFL 23 this year, with some outlets already calling it a true next-gen leap.

So what exactly are you getting for the $70 entry cost that demands so much of your time?

FieldSENSE Gameplay Changes the Game

This year‘s marquee upgrade is the FieldSENSE gameplay system introducing skills and mechanics like never before.

Pro-level moves for ball carriers allow for branching jukes, hurdles, stutter steps on the fly using the right stick. This unscripted freedom mimics the unpredictability that makes NFL stars like Derrick Henry shine.

Visually it translates into the most fluid, true-to-life runs where it looks like real world movements brought into the game.

On defense, Hit Everything tackles dynamically alter interactions based on factors like hit angle, momentum, weight differentials. No longer will smaller DBs have canned useless tackle animations on bigger ball carriers. Their hits carry real impact that can stand up bruising rushers.

360 Cut moves for receivers and corners let you pull off sharp multi-directional cuts out of breaks. Perfect for losing man coverage to gain separation. Only the elite receivers like Cooper Kupp or route technicians like Stephon Gilmore consistently showcase this fast footwork.

All together these gameplay leaps combine at the nexus of animation and physics systems to enable full control with real NFL moves at your fingertips.

Player Personalities Change Behaviors and Tendencies

Expanding on the gameplay mechanics, virtual NFL stars now each carry their own unique playstyle personality powered by machine learning AI.

This means Patrick Mahomes scrambles more aggressively to extend plays with his legs compared to pocket passers like Tom Brady. Route running technicians like Davante Adams leverage more convincing separation skills than less agile receivers.

Similar principles apply on defense where lurkers, big hitters, shutdown corners all showcase more realistic technique preferences.

This evolves gameplay through personalized players going beyond just ratings by representing actual behaviors and decision making tendencies at a granular level.

Franchise Mode Ups the Longevity

Madden 23‘s expanded Franchise mode introduces several key niceties for those invested in multi-season team management simulation:

• Weekly game strategy with risk/reward playcalling modifiers
• Staff positions and decision trees to hire coordinators, scouts, trainers
• New scenario engine with dynamic mid-season cutscenes
• Improved trade logic system

Building your organization over multiple years feels notably smoother. And the enhanced realism through ongoing developments happening in your world week-to-week keeps things spicy when the on-field action grows stale.

HyperMotion 2 Animation Volume

While next-gen consoles got these gameplay perks last year already, EA Sports pushed capture quantity even further with HyperMotion 2.

• 14 NFL teams, over 100 players participated this year
• Over 3600 new animations
• Play calling AI logic enhanced further

That volume of motion matching machine learning translates into the largest animation library and most intelligent AI play decisioning yet for the deepest on-field realism.

And these are just the very top upgrades I‘ve highlighted. There‘s a ton more refinements across presentation, modes, quality-of-life tweaks under the hood that fans will appreciate.

Does the Value Add Up for Madden 23‘s Cost?

We‘ve established Madden 23‘s hefty $70 asking price across PlayStation and Xbox consoles continuing from the next-gen launch last year. Add in another $10 to upgrade your PS4 or Xbox One copy.

As billed as the biggest leap yet powered by breakthrough tech like FieldSENSE, there‘s clearly immense ambition in the design here. Early reviews corroborate these lofty goals delivering as promised for the most tactile and true-to-form Madden yet.

Considering yearly sports title contemporaries like FIFA 23 and NBA 2K23 are arriving at the same $70 ceiling, Madden is rightly charging premium dollar.

Whether that baseline software value feels personally worth the investment comes down to your dedication level with the Madden series specifically.

Casual fans on older consoles may prefer playing Madden 22 with updated rosters instead of 23 lacking next-gen features. You‘ll miss immersion perks without haptic feedback controllers or 60 FPS+ frame rates.

But committed NFL diehards, Madden faithful will find plenty to love. Especially tackle football gamers jonesing for realistic gridiron action only fixable by the exclusive NFL license EA owns. This may be the most align with that authentic pro replication yet thanks to considerable mechanical improvements.

Just don‘t expect ultimate team content longevity without spending…

Beware MUT‘s Aggressive Monetization

Let‘s address the elephant on the field. Ultimate Team modes in modern sports gaming are designed deliberately to drive engagement metrics and incentive spending.

Like any card-collecting ecosystem, maintaining competitive rosters means constantly obtaining the next hot top-rated player item week-to-week, promo-to-promo.

Dribbling singleplayer coins earned through modes like Solo Challenges alone rarely suffices for the most elite deck construction.

Not when overpowered meta teams get built fast by dropping cash on Premium MUT Pack bundles handing out the rarest tier of icons, legends and fearsome rookie standouts.

Sorry, but your chances pulling 99 OVR fan favorites remains slim-to-none grinding seul:

No pack randomly awards you a guaranteed Justin Jefferson or Micah Parsons type top athlete. And good luck landing iconic greats like Randy Moss unless you buy bundles with escalating pity timer odds.

Point is – enjoyment longevity becomes limited once competitive viability plateaus while your contract-less Free Agent squad remains middling.

Slot corner and linebacker corps full of no-names unsigned to any NFL team don‘t exactly inspire continuing the grind.

Spending easies the monotony offsetting wasted weeks chasing fools gold player items barely startable on your actual Ultimate Team. Just be warned entry costs stack rapidly for satisfied squad building.

Do budget carefully if pursuing this avenue.

Should You Buy Madden 23 or Wait for Sale?

Given Madden 23‘s premium pricing, when‘s the soonest it might discount for more tempting value?

Standard editions tend to first hit sale around Black Friday in November, roughly 3 months post launch. That takes you into December holiday season offers as well.

We could see first price cuts around 30% for the base game. So maybe $40 instead of $60 on older consoles.

The question becomes – are you okay waiting half a year for savings as major as 50% by next Spring?

Knowing it forgoes playing immediately with updated rosters in authentic real 2022 season matchups. And missing much of MUT‘s initial offerings during peak engagement at release. Not to mention the general FOMO atmosphere anytime a big title drops.

For fans who‘ve bought at launch annually, I imagine most cannot wait months. Better immediacy pays off connecting with friends for that three month head start to build up your Franchise league or MUT collections.

Whereas more selective gamers comfortable playing older Maddens may better off exhibit patience for deals. Casual crowd should especially ponder backlogging.

So in conclusion – Madden 23 is not free with PlayStation Plus. If you want it day one, prepare to pay premium dollar between base game and Ultimate Team content costs. Otherwise wait on sales for better value after the new car smell wears off. Either way, it‘s an exciting leap forward this year for football gamers.

Let me know your thoughts in the comments! And subscribe for more Madden info year-round.