Madden 21: How to upgrade to PS5 and Xbox Series X for free

The next-gen version of Madden 21 launches this week and those who already own the game on PS4 or Xbox One are eligible for Dual Entitlement on PS5 and Xbox Series X.

The next generation of football video gaming is here as Madden 21 officially launches on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X this week. Technically, the next-gen version of Madden 21 releases on December 4, but with Dual Entitlement, you can actually get it a bit early. As mentioned a while back, those of you who already own the PS4 or Xbox One version of the game are eligible for a free upgrade to the PS5 or Xbox Series X|S version. Here’s how it works.

Upgrading a digital copy of Madden 21

If you purchased a digital copy of Madden 21 on PS4 or Xbox One, you can simply download a digital copy of the game on PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X|S from the PlayStation Store or Microsoft Store. The upgrade is completely free with no additional cost.

Upgrading a physical copy of Madden 21

If you bought a physical copy for PS4 or Xbox One and purchased an Xbox Series X or PlayStation 5 with a disc drive, simply pop in the disc and you’ll download a digital copy of the next-gen version.

It gets a little trickier if you bought a physical copy of the game and an Xbox Series S or PS5 Digital Edition. Since there’s no disc drive in these consoles, you’ll have to contact EA support to validate your purchase using your account information.

The next-gen upgrade only works within the same console family, so if you own the PS4 version, you can only upgrade to the PS5. For Xbox One, it’s the Xbox Series S and X version.

As of this writing, Madden 21 is playable on Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5 offline only. The servers for online gameplay will likely go live on launch day, December 4.

Arriving alongside the next-gen version of Madden 21 is the December Title Update and Connected Franchise Mode improvements. There’s a second Franchise Mode update also planned for January.