After some bumps and hiccups and a widespread community reaction from EA College Football fans, the EA football season is off to a strong start. With the college game standing on solid ground, the groundwork has been laid for Madden NFL season.

The kickoff is just around the corner and in case you missed any of the hype, let's look at release date, pre-order info and the different editions that are available. Let's talk video games.

  • Release date: Thursday, Aug. 13, 2026, worldwide
  • Early access: Aug. 6 for MVP+ members, Aug. 10 for Deluxe and MVP Bundle
  • Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and S, Nintendo Switch 2, PC
  • Cover athlete: Caleb Williams, Chicago Bears
  • Editions: Standard, Deluxe at $99.99, MVP Bundle at $149.99, MVP+ Membership
  • Arcade Edition: Aug. 6 on Apple Arcade

When Does Madden NFL 27 Come Out?

Madden NFL 27 launches worldwide on Thursday, Aug. 13, 2026, on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and S, Nintendo Switch 2 and PC through the EA app, Steam and the Epic Games Store.

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Two early access doors sit in front of that date and they open at different times. MVP+ members get seven days early, which puts them in on Aug. 6. Deluxe and MVP Bundle buyers get three days early, landing Aug. 10. Your edition decides which door you use, the same structure College Football 27 ran this summer . A separate Arcade Edition arrives Aug. 6 on Apple Arcade, built for the service rather than ported down.

What Are The Madden NFL 27 Editions?

There are four ways to grab Madden 27. Standard Edition is the base game with pre-order content attached.

Deluxe Edition runs $99.99 and carries three-day early access, 4,600 Madden Points, early access challenges, a Cover Athlete Elite player item and 300 Franchise Points.

The MVP Bundle costs $149.99 and packages Madden NFL 27 Deluxe together with College Football 27 Deluxe, adding 4,600 College Football Points, an upgradeable player item, an Ultimate Team Evo item, an 83 OVR Cornerstones player and a Season 1 player item. Obviously, you might be a little late on that one. EA Play members pay $134.99 in the first year.

What Do You Get For Pre-Ordering Madden NFL 27?

Standard Edition pre-orders receive a Cover Athlete Elite Ultimate Team player item, 300 Franchise Points and one Superstar Legendary XP boost.

MVP Bundle pre-orders stack considerably deeper, adding a Team Building pack with a choice of one of 32, an 83 OVR Cornerstones player with a choice of one of four, an 81 OVR Cover Athlete item with a choice of one of three, plus 100 Dynasty Coach Points and 250 Road to Glory skill points on the College Football side. One deadline has closed already: the limited-time Deluxe pre-order offer expired July 24. Full tiers are on EA's buy page and the PlayStation Store listing .

Should You Buy The MVP+ Membership?

MVP+ is the subscription tier, and it carries every Deluxe and MVP Bundle benefit plus the seven-day early access, monthly members-only Ultimate Team content, beta access and four Superstar skill points.

The case for it rests on Franchise. The Persona Engine is what EA calls its biggest change ever to player behavior, negotiations, weekly management, news and free agency, with every athlete carrying a personality that drives motivations and reactions.

It's a shame EA College Football ran into the issues it did with monetization creeping its way into Dynasty — at least in the form of progression. I would have been fine if we could buy legendary players, stadiums, old uniforms and that sort of content. Paying for progression in Dynasty mode is pretty silly.

That complaint landed. EA removed paid progression from Dynasty and Road to Glory on July 10, a day after that game launched. My full College Football 27 review covers where the rest of it settled.

As for Madden, I doubt we’ll see it run into similar issues post launch. I’ll have a full review on this one and I’m legit excited for it.