Overview
Review the Event Terms & Conditions.
Qualifier & Bracket Rounds: Best-of-1 (Bo1) matches
Finals: Best-of-3 (Bo3) match
Join the lobby and Ready Up at match time.
Teams will have a 15-minute grace period should any tech issues arise.
Communicate with your opponents via Lobby Chat.
Home Teams will create private matches and send invitations.
If there are any issues, finish the current game, then notify PlayVS Support for further assistance.
Joining the Match Queue
Go to your Schedule page.
Open the lobby of the match that states Team Name vs. Join the Match Queue!
Click the Join Queue button on the match lobby page.
You will be taken to the Find a Match queue screen and added to the pool of teams seeking a matchup.
At the end of the countdown, teams will either:
Receive an opponent and be redirected to their match lobby page.
Not receive an opponent, and receive a bye (recorded as a win) for the match.
Remain in the queue until your team receives a match or a bye. Leaving the Match Queue page early will result in a forfeit for the match and your team’s participation will not be recorded.
Setting Up the Match
Accessing the Match Lobby
Log into your PlayVS Stadium account.
Locate your matchup in the Schedule, and click Open Match.
Say hi to your opponent in PlayVS Lobby Chat!
If the lobby is already created and the opponent invited, continue to Match Protocol (All Players).
Add Players with EA Connect
Madden NFL 25 is available for cross-play. To compete in matches, all players must add their opponents using the in-game EA Connect feature. To connect:
Press in the Right Stick (R3) to open EA Connect (or Tab on PC).
Navigate to the Player search tab.
Enter your opponents EA ID.
The EA ID is shown in the upper-right of the EA Connect page.
Select Add Friend to send an invite.
Accept the invitation through the pop-up, or under the Friend Requests tab.
Create the Custom Game (Home Team)
Open Madden NFL 25.
Select Quick Play.
Select Online Head 2 Head.
Select H2H Play a Friend.
Confirm that the game settings are correct:
Fatigue: On
Game Skill: All-Madden
Quarter Length: 5 Mins
Accelerated Clock: Off
Injuries: Off
Game Style: Competitive
Select your opponent’s in-game name to send an invite.
Let your opponent know in Lobby Chat that an invite has been sent.
Once your opponent has joined, proceed to the Match Protocol.
Join the Custom Game (Away Team)
Open Madden NFL 25.
Accept the game invitation from the pop-up.
If the invite does not pop up, open EA Connect to view the Game invites tab and join the lobby.
Once joined, proceed to the Match Protocol.
Match Protocol (All Players)
Both players confirm playbooks, advance settings, and uniforms.
Players can use rulebooks from separate teams as long as they are not custom playbooks.
Lobby Owners will ensure that the Weather is set to Clear.
Once confirmed, both players will click Ready and begin the game.
If a disconnection occurs, refer to the Player Disconnect Protocol section below.
Pauses are bound to the features & limitations of Madden NFL. Excessive pausing is not allowed.
If a rule violation occurs, pause the game, notify PlayVS Support, and head to the Match Lobby Chat to communicate further.
Once the game is complete, both teams will confirm the results using the PlayVS Match Assistant.
Repeat the previous custom game & match protocol steps and complete the match.
Record the result in the Match Lobby at the end of each game to ensure results are reported accurately.
Player Disconnect Protocol
The game will automatically close if a player disconnects from the online match. The connected player must capture the score & time remaining in the match when the disconnection occurred.
Once the player can reconnect, the online match must be recreated. Players will subtract the time completed in the previous match and then complete the remaining time of the original game with the newly created online match. Once the remaining time has lapsed, players will add the total scores of the two games to determine the winner.
For example:
Player A disconnects in the 2nd quarter of game 1, with 1 minute remaining. Player B confirms the score of 20-13, with player B in the lead.
There are still 11 minutes of in-game time left in the match, so the game is recreated with the same teams as in game 1, and the players complete the first and second quarter of the recreated game 1 (10 minutes of in-game time). After a minute has passed in the third quarter, the game is stopped, and the score of 21-17 with player A in the lead is logged.
The players combine the scores of both games for an overall score of 37-34, with player B having the overall higher score. player B has won game 1, and the match continues to game 2.
Reset Assistant Protocol
To reset the assistant protocol, click Game Settings > Reset Current Game.
Confirmation from both sides is needed to reset the Match Assistant.
Post-Match Process
After both teams agree to the final game's result using the PlayVS Match Assistant, the match will be complete, and results will be recorded.
Take in-game screenshots at the end of each game for your records.
If a team is not present for the match within the 15-minute grace period, then the present team may submit a no-show forfeit as the result.
Matches without results will be quarantined and risk a match loss for both teams by default.
If the results are inaccurate, contact PlayVS Support for further assistance.
By default, rulebooks overrule match instructions. Please reach out to PlayVS Support if you find conflicting information.