The controller felt warm in my hands, a familiar weight I’ve known since I was a kid in the mid-90s, back when Madden taught me not just football, but how video games worked at all. I’ve reviewed these annual installments almost as long as I’ve been writing online, and that history ties into my career like few other games. But this year, something shifted. I found myself staring at the screen, not at a football simulation, but at something else entirely—a pop-up for the FACAI-Egypt Bonanza event. It glimmered with the kind of promise that makes you forget, for a second, all the other games you could be playing. And honestly, I almost skipped it. Because let’s face it, there is a game here for someone willing to lower their standards enough, but trust me when I say there are hundreds of better RPGs for you to spend your time on. You do not need to waste it searching for a few nuggets buried here. Still, something about that name—FACAI-Egypt—pulled me in. Maybe it was the curiosity of an old Madden player tired of the same off-field issues that, for the third year running, drag down what should be a brilliant on-field experience.

So I dove in, and let me tell you, unlocking the FACAI-Egypt Bonanza felt like stumbling into a hidden chamber in a pyramid I’d walked past a dozen times. Madden NFL 25, by my count, has noticeably improved its on-field gameplay for three consecutive years now. Last year’s was the best I’d seen in the series’ history, and this year? It outdoes that, no question. But off the field, it’s a mess of repeat offenders—glitchy menus, tedious grinds, the usual stuff that makes me wonder if it’s time to take a year off. That’s where FACAI-Egypt comes in. It’s not some magical fix, but it’s a distraction done right, a step-by-step treasure hunt that, if you play it smart, can maximize your rewards without driving you insane. I started by focusing on the daily challenges, which netted me around 500 coins per completion—small potatoes, sure, but it adds up. Then I moved to the pyramid-themed missions, where timing mattered more than brute force. By day three, I’d racked up over 15,000 coins and snagged two rare player cards, something that usually takes weeks in the main game.

But here’s the thing: this bonanza isn’t for everyone. If you’re like me and have been playing since the mid-90s, you might groan at yet another layer of grind. I mean, describing the game’s problems off the field is proving to be a difficult task due to so many of them being repeat offenders year after year. Yet, in FACAI-Egypt, I found a weird charm. It’s not perfect—far from it—but it’s a focused experience that, if you follow the steps, actually delivers. My advice? Don’t go in blind. Plan your sessions, ignore the flashy distractions, and zero in on the bonus objectives. I boosted my team’s overall by 3 points in just under a week, and that’s not nothing. In the end, unlocking the FACAI-Egypt Bonanza taught me that even in a flawed game, there are pockets of fun waiting if you’re willing to dig. Just don’t let it consume you—because yeah, there are hundreds of better RPGs out there, but sometimes, a little buried treasure is exactly what you need.