Madden NFL 26 is here, and while the newest game in the series treads familiar ground, there are just enough tweaks to gameplay mechanics to keep this fresh for its long-standing player base. Which is why players, both new and old, stand to benefit from some little known strategies and settings for this year’s entry in the series.
This Madden NFL 26 guide has a small selection of the best tips and tricks players can use to get an edge both online and offline.
Player Transfer From College Football 26
If you’ve played College Football 26, you can transfer your custom player over into Madden NFL 26 and continue his journey to even greater heights. After finishing your college run, the process is simple: run Madden NFL 26, go to Superstar Mode and choose the transferred position. Confirm the various statistics and proceed to any further cosmetic customization you would like to apply to your player.
Perform well in the drills and your player will have a higher chance of being selected sooner in the draft.
Bonus XP From College Ultimate Team 26
Under Sets, there is a College Ultimate Team 26 to Madden Ultimate Team 26 Crossover Set with a single use opportunity and a year-long expiry. You may even be able to accomplish this without actually owning College Football 26, by simply playing the free trial of that game for a short while via EA Play. The effort is worth 125K XP, which is significant enough to be worth the effort.
Reticle Speed Settings
For best effect, set your Reticle Speed under Passing Mechanics in the Settings to about halfway, to give you plenty of time to successfully make accurate passes.
Skip Touchdown Showboating
In games versus with the CPU, you can skip the too-long, automatic showboat cutscenes after scoring touchdowns. This can save you a great deal of time, especially when you are focused on grinding for dailies and coins. All you have to do is veer towards the middle of the endzone, and when one or two steps from the line, perform a manual showboat to get a truncated celebration.
Quick End Challenges
Another time-saving mechanic can be used in Challenges that require you to win or play out the game entirely. If you are already clearly winning with roughly two minutes left, simply QB Kneel via Formation > Special Teams, to run out the clock.
Casual Online Matchmaking
When playing online, bear in mind that the greater majority of players are in the continental United States, specifically on the east coast. Therefore, the largest potential pool of casual opponents on weekdays will come online sometime after the end of school or working hours, and will go offline around bedtime. Outside of those hours you will almost consistently be matched up with tryhards and hardcore players.
Practicing Field Goals
There has been an apparent increase to the difficulty in kicking field goals, so if you would like to practice them without the pressure of a live match, you can use some specific settings in Practice mode to do so. Under Practice Settings change Practice Type to Offense only, with Difficulty and Game Style at your discretion. On the field, select the Formation tab, and then Special Teams to begin practicing field goals.
Timing Field Goals
When kicking field goals, your best bet is to pick a direction of travel for the gauge that you are most comfortable with, be it left to right, or right to left. Next, count down from when the arrow hits the far edge of the gauge and begins travelling in your preferred direction, then kick during the count. As you mash the kick button on a given number, make note where the arrow lands on the gauge. Depending on how fast you count, a perfect kick could be one-two-kick, or one-two-three-kick. With enough practice you will get a good rhythm down eventually.
Viewing And Buying Strategy Items
Strategy Item cards are available for every position in your team. Use the Catalog tab and the Type – Strategy filter to view every single one of the 98 Strategy card items available. This interface also makes it easy enough to access the Auction House directly for any given card that may catch your interest.
Upgrading Items
Upgrade your items, including season pass players and pack items for maximum value. Simply go to My Items, then select the item, and tab over to Upgrade in the top left. The upgrade path may require Upgrade Tokens, Training, or Coins, based on the item, all of which are acquired through gameplay. Once added, you can also opt to Refund it, if you change your mind.
Those are some tips and tricks to make things easier for you in Madden NFL 26.
