The NFL preseason has kicked off an its officially Madden season! Although Madden 26 doesn't technically release until August 14th, Early Access to this year's game begins tomorrow, Thursday, August 7th.
As was the case with EA Sports College Football 26, you'll need to purchase the Deluxe Edition of Madden 26 or the MVP Bundle in order to hit the gridiron early. The Deluxe Edition costs $99.99, but includes all of the following bonuses:
- 4600 MUT points
- Early Access Solo Challenges
- MUT Cover Athlete Elite Player Item
- Franchise Coach Ability Points
- Super Star Legendary XP Boost
- Player Card Exclusive Item
Alternatively, if you're a true football diehard, you can go with the MVP Bundle. For $149.99, this includes the Deluxe Editions of both Madden NFL 26 and EA Sports College Football 26, representing a savings of $50. It includes all of the Deluxe Edition bonuses for both games as well as seven days of early access to Madden 26.
When does Madden NFL 26 Early Access unlock?
According to EA's pre-order page, Madden 26 early access will unlock at 12:00 PM EDT. Here are the global release times, depending on your time zone:
- L.A. (PDT) - August 7th at 9:00 a.m. PDT
- Denver (MDT) - August 7th at 10:00 a.m. MDT
- Chicago (CDT) - August 7th at 11:00 a.m. CDT
- New York (EDT) - August 7th at 12:00 p.m. EDT
- Sao Paulo (BRT) - August 7th at 1:00 p.m. BRT
- London (BST) - August 7th at 5:00 p.m. BST
- Paris/Berlin (CEST) - August 7th at 6:00 p.m. CEST
- Tokyo (JST) - August 8th at 2:00 a.m. JST
- Sydney (AEST) - August 8 at 3:00 a.m. AEST
Madden NFL 26 is looking to push authenticity to new heights with an AI-powered gameplay system trained on nearly 10 years of real NFL play calls and scenarios. EA Sports is referring to the development of Madden 26 as “Built from Sundays,” with the aim of making every snap feel more dynamic and true to life. From smarter decision-making to explosive plays, the goal with this year's game is to replicate the unpredictability and intensity of real NFL action.
Some notable new features include QB DNA and Coach DNA, which bring the personalities and strategies of real players and coaches into the game. Quarterbacks now throw, scramble, and read defenses like their real-life counterparts, while coaches call plays based on their actual philosophies.
Built From Sundays. Madden NFL 26 brings a new AI-powered machine learning system trained by real play calls and game situations over nearly a decade to deliver more explosive gameplay—with new coach and player-specific traits, authentic play styles, and more.
Of course, we'll be able to find out for ourselves just how authentic Madden 26 is to the real life product on the field when it launches in early acess on Thursday, August 7th. For those who are waiting, Madden 26 will officially release on August 14, 2025. This year's game will be playable on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, PC, and Nintendo Switch 2, marking an official shift from last-gen consoles.