EA College Football 26 and Madden 26 have been officially announced. EA College Football will be released on July 10 for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series S/X. That’s right, no PC version again this year.
Pre-orders are open for College and Madden individually, but you cannot beat the MVP Bundle price of $149.99 that gets you both games.
Pre-ordering the MVP Bundle also gets you three-days early access beginning on July 7 for College Football and August 11 for Madden. The trailer, which is dubbed “The Call,” is one of the best non-gameplay trailers you’ll see for a sports video game.
The two games appear to be as linked as ever been this year, which raises hopes for a few features that were omitted when College Football made its way back to the video game scene in 2024.
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EA Sports confirmed the dual-title strategy with a teaser showing both logos and pre-order prompts.
Here’s what you will receive if you pre-order the MVP Bundle:
- Deluxe edition of EA Sports College Football 26 and Madden 26
- Three-day early access
- 4600 Madden points
- Madden Ultimate Team and College Ultimate Team elite item
- Dynasty skill points
- Road to Glory skill points
The strong connection between the two titles has me hoping that we are allowed to export draft classes from College Football 26 to Madden 26 this year. That was one of the biggest features from the old NCAA Football series.
However, as EA navigated uncharted waters around the NIL situation, they wisely chose to tread lightly. Perhaps with a year under their belt and armed with more information, they will loosen the reins a bit more in Year 2.
Fans will also be watching to see if they’re able to edit more on the NIL players in the game. I’m guessing that won’t be the case, but perhaps EA will provide a bit more freedom with Team Builder that gives users more of the sandbox functionality they once enjoyed.
It also sounds as if there will be a new orchestrated single-player story mode that spans from EA College Football 26 into Madden 26. That could be fun if they build on what was established in last year’s games.
EA College Football 25 was one of the biggest hits across all genres of video games in 2024, and Madden 25 was one of the strongest versions of the series in years.
While each game has its own dedicated community, this year’s synchronized rollout signals that EA may be delivering on a more seamless ecosystem between college and pro football modes. For longtime players, that sparks cautious optimism for features that were once standard.
The buzz is already building around the idea of a MyCareer-style mode that spans both games. If EA nails the execution, it could be the beginning of a true cross-title career journey that lets players guide an athlete from high school through the college ranks and all the way into the NFL.
Combined with the long-requested return of features like draft class exporting, improved customization, and team-building tools, there’s a chance 2025 could be an even bigger year for the two brands.
The one sticking point continues to be PC players getting left out of the College Football drop for a second straight year. While that may change in the future, console remains the priority in 2025.
For now, players will have to decide if the MVP Bundle’s early access, extras, and dual-title access justify the $149.99 tag. Judging by reactions on social media, many are already on board.
We should begin to see information rolling out about the games in June.
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