Do Madden NFL 26 Player Ratings Really Impact Your Team Building?

Madden NFL 26 is coming soon, with a release date of August 14, 2025. Pre-ordering Deluxe Edition grants three days of early access. However, it’s still unclear which players will receive the highest ratings in the game.

In the past, when a new sports game was about to be released, besides the much-discussed cover star, the most anticipated aspect was the release of the player ratings.

MUT 26 is no exception, and fans and players are eager to see how their favorite players will perform in-game.

However, based on past experience and insider information, most player ratings in Madden 26 will not change significantly compared to its predecessor, Madden 25.

This raises the question: Do these ratings truly influence players’ in-game experience and decision-making?

Do Player Ratings Really Matter?

In reality, MUT 26 player ratings are merely a reference, not a key factor in determining the overall gaming experience.

While these ratings can provide a quick understanding of a player’s skill level within the game settings and help determine which player to invest their Madden NFL 26 coins in for optimal performance, in actual gameplay, the outcome of a match is influenced by numerous complex factors, including strategic planning and individual player performance. Therefore, the influence of player ratings seems less pronounced.

Now that Madden NFL 26’s team ratings have been released, teams like Kansas Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers, despite failing to win another Super Bowl, both received a 92-point tie for the highest team rating.

However, neither team ratings nor individual player ratings hold much practical significance for gamers.

In-game, everyone knows which Quarterbacks are the most popular, such as Josh Allen, Patrick Mahomes, and Lemar Jackson.

Even if there are slight differences in ratings, they won’t significantly impact a player’s in-game performance, nor will they influence the player’s choice of player or team.

Furthermore, the game offers customization features. If you’re dissatisfied with the official player ratings, you can modify the individual stats of superstars to your liking.

Ratings Don’t Affect Player Choices

Furthermore, regardless of player ratings, most players will choose their favorite NFL team when playing Madden NFL 26.

For example, as a British football fan, I’ve always supported the Indianapolis Colts since Peyton Manning’s heyday. Regardless of the high or low ratings on their roster, I always choose them in every Madden game. I believe most players, like me, will simply choose their favorite team.

In Ultimate Team mode, players may use player ratings to assemble players for different positions. But when it comes to choosing a team, these ratings don’t really matter much.

Furthermore, most players spend the majority of their time playing the game in Franchise Mode, eager to lead their beloved team to glory.

While Franchise Mode still has some flaws, whether players are rooting for the Kansas City Chiefs or New York Jets, everyone’s single-minded pursuit is to lead their team to victory in the Superbowl.

As Madden NFL 26’s release draws near, players are eagerly anticipating the upcoming player ratings system, which is certainly worth watching. But honestly, for most players planning to pick up the game this year, player ratings won’t impact their gameplay choices or experience.

What they truly seek is to fully enjoy the excitement and passion for football, leading their team to victory through hard work and strategy, something that can’t be achieved solely through player ratings.