Madden NFL 09 is the nineteenth installment in the long-running American football series. It was released for all major platform at the time except for Windows, which had annual releases since Madden NFL 97.

As with the previous version, the essential gameplay elements are intact with various tweaks and enhancements. The Franchise mode has been altered to allow for team management for 60 years. In the Superstar mode a rookie player can be created, or imported from NCAA Football 09, with the aim to better the skills and become one of the best players. There is an option to retry certain sections and an analysis tools provides deep inspection of the tactics and mistakes. For new players, three accessibility options are included: one-button gameplay, handicapping options and adaptive skill levels to replace the regular difficulty levels. Using Super Sim the match can be forwarded to the next change of possession and there are different celebration routines to choose from.

As with the previous editions, there is an updated, fully licensed player roster, graphical enhancements and updates to the gameplay. A few features from earlier versions make a return (Grudge Match, Slide Protection, ...) A Virtual Trainer is introduced where twelve drills can be done in a holographic environment. Based on the results, a "Madden IQ" is awarded. Match commentary is provided by Cris Collinsworth and Tom Hammond.