I’m someone that has been a fan of EA Sports Madden franchise for almost two decades but I haven’t played the game’s last few entries. Things have felt rather stale for a few years, especially as a big franchise mode player. Can EA Sports Madden 26 bring me back to the gridiron? I’ve spent the last few days catching up on all the Madden 26 news to find out, and I have to say it looks promising.
So, if like me you’ve been a bit out of the loop, here’s everything we know so far about EA Sports Madden 26!
Saquon Barkley Is The Cover Star Of EA Sports Madden 26
That’s right, back in June EA SPORTS revealed that Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley will grace the cover of EA SPORTS Madden NFL 26, the first Eagle to do so in 20 years. Barkley appears on two unique covers with one memorializing his spectacular reverse hurdle from last season.
This is a weird but wonderful thing for me, not only am I a fan of the Eagles, but the first ever EA Sports Madden I played was Madden 06. The game which coincidentally was the last time a Philadelphia Eagles player made the cover, on that occasion it was quarterback Donovan McNabb who graced the cover. So, it would be fitting if EA Sports Madden 26 is the game to bring me fully back into the franchise after a few years away.
Fans can pre-order the Madden NFL 26 Deluxe Edition now to unlock a host of benefits, including 3-day early access, 4600 Madden Points, and a range of amazing extras.
how is gameplay different in EA Sports Madden 26?
If you missed it, last month EA released a deep-dive into the gameplay of Madden 26. The deep-dive highlighted several big changes, including real weather that actually impacts games from moment to moment, new coach tendencies and more.
I’d recommend checking it out for yourself in the video below:
One thing that stood out to me, is the clear focus on making this years’ game more authentic than ever. With new signature throwing styles for Quarterbacks across the game, and new player traits driven by real-world data, players will feel more like there real-life counterparts than ever before. At least that is what EA is saying, will it be true? time will tell but I personally like the look of what I’m seeing so far.
Franchise Mode Getting Its biggest update in a Decade
EA recently release a deep-dive into Madden 26’s franchise mode, and they are calling it the biggest update in over a decade for this beloved mode. What exactly have they added?
Firstly, we have the addition of new coach archetypes which will influence your stats and progression pathways. Speaking of coaches, you will have hundreds of new option to customise the look and style of your coach.
Next up, franchise mode adds a new weekly strategy system, allowing you more control to tweak things on a game by game basis as you go through each season. From switching you gameplans, to utilising different staff abilities, in Madden 26 franchise mode you should have more control than ever.
If you haven’t watched the video above please do, there are so many more changes coming to franchise mode in EA Sports Madden 26. I would be here till the game releases if I had to speak about them all in full detail, and seeing is believing after all.
EA Sports Madden 26 will launch worldwide on August 14th 2025 for Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC via EA app for Windows, Steam, and Epic Games Store.