With Madden NFL 26's release coming soon and the start of the NFL preseason right around the corner, EA may be gearing up for its annual Madden Ratings Week. For those unfamiliar, Madden Ratings Week is a collaboration between EA and ESPN that encompasses coverage of the latest Madden NFL video game across various ESPN platforms, with the focus of conversation primarily on the player ratings.
EA has yet to announce the return of Madden Ratings Week, but the event typically takes place during the last week of July, and usually coincides with the start of the NFL preseason. Last year, Madden 25's Ratings Week ran from Monday, July 29th, to Saturday, August 3rd, with EA announcing its return a week before on Wednesday, July 24th.
Applying that same timeline to this year, then Madden 26's Ratings Week should take place from Monday, July 28th, and run through Saturday, August 2nd. This aligns with the start of the 2026 NFL Preseason, which will kick off with the Hall of Fame Game on Thursday, July 31st. If EA follows a similar timeline, then the publisher could make some sort of announcement regarding Madden Ratings Week as early as Wednesday, July 23rd.
Madden NFL 26 is scheduled to launch on August 14th with early access beginning on August 11th for those who purchase the Deluxe or MVP Edition. With the release less than three weeks away, the timing for Ratings Week does seem to align perfectly.
EA has spent the past couple of weeks offering Deep Dives into Madden 26's gameplay, which includes "a new AI-powered machine learning system trained by real play calls and game situations over nearly a decade to deliver more explosive gameplay across modes."
This year's three core gameplay principles focus on "signature identity," "community requests," and "foundational football." These key pillars will impact all aspects of the game as EA's goal for Madden 26 is "to make each Sunday feel different, and each game feel rewarding."
With gameplay improvements now out of the way, the community focus is on player ratings, which is always a divisive but engaging topic. If ESPN does host another Madden Ratings Week, each day should focus on a specific position group. Of course, one of the most intriguing aspects of the week is seeing how the latest rookies stack up.
The 2025 NFL Draft had some big names at the top of the board, including Miami quarterback Cam Ward, Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders, and wide receiver/defensive back Travis Hunter. Rookies aren't typically rated very high to begin their Madden careers, but there have been some exceptions in the past. It will be interesting to see how EA handles Hunter, the two-way superstar from Colorado. Beyond rookies, expect conversations to dwell on the top players at each position, with the quarterback list always generating explosive debate.
Madden NFL 26 will be available on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, PC, and Nintendo Switch 2. This marks the first year that the annual football game will not be released on PS4 and Xbox One.