Madden 26 Release Date And Pre-Order Info
Was it a Madden 26 or EA College Football 26 announcement? It was both, and it happened on Thursday when EA revealed the release dates, MVP pre-order bundles and trailer for both games.
I talked a bit about College Football 26, which releases on July 20 (July 7 for early access) here, but let's talk more about Madden NFL 26. The NFL game drops on August 14 and on August 11 for early access.
The trailer, which was tagged "The Call," clearly connects the two football games in a way that suggests there will be even more cohesion between the titles than it was in 2024 when EA brought the college game back.
In any case, here is a look at the trailer, what you'll receive in the MVP Bundle and more.
Here is a look at the trailer:
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Here's what you will receive if you pre-order the MVP Bundle for $149.99:
For now, the MVP Bundle seems like the way to go—especially for those planning to play both titles. Early access to both games and exclusive in-game content make it a compelling option.
Having the ability to import draft classes from College Football 26 is the one feature that I'm hoping returns. Back in the days of the NCAA Football series, that feature brought more life to franchise and dynasty mode than anything else. It wasn't a part of the package in 2024, but the early signs are making me optimistic that we'll see it return.
I bug the EA devs every year about injury presentation in Madden. It's a small thing, but I love the immersion of a season in franchise mode. Thus again this year, it is one thing that I hope has been addressed.
There is another particularly interesting tidbit I'm hoping to see revealed with Madden 26, and that's the specifics of the game's utilization of Scott Hanson, the voice of NFL RedZone.
I wrote about Hanson reportedly joining the Madden team earlier this month. I can't wait to see if my dreams of a weekly wrap-up highlight show from around the NFL has been added to the game.
The use of Hanson adds another layer of intrigue. If he's more than just a voice in the menus and actually drives a RedZone-style experience within Franchise, that would be a game-changing leap in immersion. It's the type of presentation layer fans have been begging for: weekly highlights, real-time injury updates, and context-driven league-wide storylines. Combine that with a return to draft class imports and expanded customization, and Madden 26 could deliver a major way.
We should begin to see information rolling out about the games in June. the first wave will be heavier on College Football because it drops in July with Madden taking the handoff after its little brother is released.
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