Madden 18 Not Installing? Here’s How to Fix It

For those players that pre-ordered, EA’s latest title in the Madden franchise has already been out for a few days. And while many of those players have been tearing up the field and the competition, some haven’t been able to jump right in. Go to any forum and you’ll see reports of players not being able to install Madden 18. And since the issue is platform agnostic, there’s a chance you could (or already have) run into this problem. 

Let’s look at a few strategies that might fix it. 

How Madden 18 Installs

An important thing to know before going forward is this: Madden 18 downloads and installs in sections. And this means two different things for two sets of people. 

If you have the disc-based version of Madden 18, the game will first install the Super Bowl rematch between the New England Patriots and the Atlanta Falcons. You’ll be able to play through this mode, but once you’re done, you won’t be able to access any of the game’s other content because it will still be installing — a process which should take about an hour. 

However, if you’re downloading Madden 18 from PSN or the Xbox Games Store, you’ll have to wait for the game to download and install. Madden 18 will still prioritize the Super Bowl rematch, meaning that you’ll play that introductory section before anything else — but it also means that the game’s other 35GBs will have to download before it installs. Of course, this will take longer depending on your download speeds.  

But if you’ve already waited about an hour for the disc-based version to install (or overnight for the game to download/install) and you’re still not done, here are a few things to look at.

If Your Madden 18 Download Stalls

In some cases, your Madden 18 download will stop. This could be from a slow internet connection or many other factors regarding your internat connection. However, if it does not resume, you’ll want to pause and reinitiate the download. Wait about 45 seconds or so between pausing the download and reinitiating it. 

Madden 18 Not Installing on Xbox One

If you’re playing Madden 18 on the Xbox One, then you’ll need to backup your save files to an external hard drive, USB, or the Xbox Live cloud. The reason you’ll want to do so is because you’ll be wiping all the local save data from your console. Sure, it’s a drastic (and aggravating) move, but playing Madden is worth it. 

To clear the local saved data from your Xbox One, follow these steps: 

1. Go to the Xbox One’s “Settings” option
2. From there, choose “All Settings”
3. Then choose “System”
4. Then “Storage”
5. And then “Clear All Saved Games”

Once you’ve done that, you still have one more step before you hard restart your Xbox One. Next, go back into your network settings and disconnect from the internet. 

Now, restart and reinstall Madden 18. Keep in mind that only the Super Bowl rematch between the Patriots and Falcons is playable at first, with all of the game’s other modes installing afterward. 

Madden 18 Not Installing on PlayStation 4 (PS4)

If you’re playing Madden 18 on the PS4, fixing this issue is a bit easier than the Xbox One method. Rather than clearing your saved data, you’ll instead need to clear your PlayStation 4’s cache. You can easily do this by first completely uninstalling Madden 18, turning your PS4 off, and then unplugging it for 60 solid seconds.

Plug your PS4 back in, turn it on, and reinstall Madden 18. If you’re still having issues installing the game after that, disconnect from the internet and repeat the process of clearing your PS4’s cache.

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Hopefully, these tips and strategies will get you off the sidelines and beating the competition in Madden 18 faster. If it looks like one of these methods didn’t work — don’t fret. Sometimes it takes a few minutes after installing for Madden 18‘s other modes to unlock (thanks to the comments section for the tip). 

If you have any other tips and strategies to installing Madden 18, let us know in the comments below! And be sure to check out our other Madden 18 guides!