How To Do an RPO in Madden NFL 25

An RPO (run/pass option) can be one of the most rewarding plays to run in Madden NFL 25, but it comes with a certain set of challenges. One of those challenges is ensuring that you give the ball to the right player and run the play correctly.

How To Run an RPO in Madden 25

There are several different kinds of RPO plays in any Madden 25 offensive playbook. However, the most common ones see a running back take a route, with or without the ball, and a receiver or two do some kind of slant or fade. The rest of the offense is focused on blocking.

As the quarterback, your choice is to decide to hand the ball off the running back or quickly throw the ball to one of your receivers who has a dedicated route. There are also RPO plays called “Read Options,” where the quarterback has the choice to run with the ball instead of passing it. Read Options are less common to see but usually involve the quarterback and running back taking opposite routes or going the same way. In the latter situation, the quarterback can pitch the ball to the running back depending on how the defense is set up.

Below, you can see exactly how to run a basic RPO and how to run the RPO Read Option in Madden 25:

Running an RPO

• Hike the ball and quickly decide what you want to do
• If you want to throw the ball to a receiver, press and hold that receiver’s button soon after you hike the ball
• If you want to hand the ball off to the running back, don’t press any buttons, as the default option is a running play
• An RPO depends on what defense the opposition is running, so that will usually determine what decision you make

Related: All Madden 25 Commentators & How To Change Them

Running the Read Option

• Hike the ball and see how the defense reacts
• If you’re running a Read Option where the QB and RB are running opposite routes, decide which route will yield the better yardage. To keep the ball as the QB, press and hold the hike button. To hand the ball to the RB, don’t press any buttons
• If you’re running a Read Option with a pitch, roll out with your QB and decide if you want to keep the ball or pitch it to the RB. To pitch the ball to the RB, press L1/LB and your QB will immediately get rid of the ball.

And that wraps up everything you need to know about the various RPO plays in Madden 25. Running these types of plays can be risky, but they can also yield some of the best results if you catch a defense off guard. Fortunately, you can easily stop the RPO with our best defensive playbook in Madden 25.

EA Sports Madden NFL 25 will be available on August 16 for Xbox, PlayStation, and PC.