Madden 26 features 40 X-Factors, which are premium abilities reserved for only the very best players in the league. Overall, these X-Factor Abilities match an athlete’s play style while giving them a major boost on the field. But not everybody knows about these X-Factors, or how to activate them. Therefore, we created a guide on all X-Factors in Madden 26 and how they work.
All Madden 26 X-Factors
Overall, there are 23 total X-Factors in Madden 26:
Ankle Breaker – Increased fakeout rates on spin/juke/hurdles after the catch
Avalanche – Successful Hit-Stick while running towards line of scrimmage results in a fumble
Bazooka – Increases maximum throw distance
Blitz – Wipes out resistance bars for all opposing blockers
Blitz Radar – Highlights all opposing DBs and LBs for the QB
Bottleneck – Increased likeliness to dominantly win any man press counter
Brick Wall – QBs with this ability are more likely to break the first sack attempt
Colossus – Increases a player’s win rate and block shed speed even vs. double team blocks
Dots – All passes are thrown with perfect accuracy
Double Me – Increases a receiver’s success rate on aggressive catches against single coverage
Dual Threat – Increased chance of defeating pass blocks & knocking catches loose
Escape Artist – Increases QB scramble speed
Fearmonger – Pass rushers can apply significant pressure on QBs even while engaged with blockers
First One Free – Increases HB’s fakeout rate on next juke, spin, or hurdle
Freight Train – Increases player’s chance to break the next tackle
Gambit – QBs can’t be intercepted (by AI defenders) and have increased throwing speed
Grab & Smash – Receivers have increased success chance on stiff arm and truck attempts following the catch
Max Security – Increases receiver’s success rate (and decreases knockout chance) on possession catches
Mind Reader – Lets defender see offensive play art via coach cam
Momentum Shift – All on-field opponents are knocked out of the zone or lose their progress towards entering it
Mossed – Increased success on aggressive catches of 55+ yards regardless of coverage
Omaha – QBs have full vision of secondary’s defensive coverage pre-snap
Phenom – Increased chance of winning first interaction against defender
Pro Reads – Highlights first open receiver and ignores defensive pressure
RAC’ Em Up – Increases success rate on RAC catches
Reinforcement – Increases chance of defeating run blocks and disrupting catches with tackles
Relentless – Frees Rush Move attempts
Route Artist – TBA
Run & Gun – Perfect accuracy when throwing on the run
Run Stuffer – Increases their win rate and block shed speed against one-on-one run blocks
Satellite – Increases success rate on possession and RAC catches against single coverage
Selfless – All on-field teammates enter the zone as well
Shutdown – Makes DB coverage tighter. Furthermore, interceptions are more frequent on contested catches
Truzz – Player cannot fumble once activated
Universal Coverage – Guaranteed knockouts on nearly every play
Unstoppable Force – Increases win rate and block shed speed against one-on-one pass blocks
Vanguard – Nearly guaranteed dominant impact block wins
Wrecking Ball – Increases success rate on trucks and stiff arms
YAC’ em Up – Nearly guaranteed to break every first post-catch tackle
Zone Hawk – Increases rate of interceptions while in zone coverage
Overall, that includes all 40 X-Factors in Madden 26
How to Activate X-Factors in Madden 26
To activate an X-Factor in Madden 26, you must enter the zone. Overall, these are minor objectives you need to complete in order to activate your X-Factor. They may require you to complete a certain number of passes consecutively. Others may require you to break tackles, gain a certain amount of yards, or something else.
Overall, to know your X-Factor’s activation requirement, just hold R2/RT and look at the bottom left corner of the screen. There, you’ll see all eligible players with an X-Factor, and how you can activate it.
To know if a player’s X-Factor is activated, simply look under their player model to see a giant red X. Essentially, this X indicates that your X-Factor is currently activated.
However, while you enjoy your X-Factors, keep in mind that your enemy has them, too. Therefore, you need to prevent your opponents from activating their X-Factors, if possible. Meanwhile, it’s important you also keep in mind the various Superstar abilities in the game, too.
Overall, the main difference between Superstar Abilities and X-Factors is that the latter are more powerful, and more rare to come across.
Overall, that wraps up our guide on all X-Factors in Madden 26, and how to activate them. Keep in mind that not all X-Factors have a player assigned to them. But depending on your Superstar build, you may see others thrown in the mix.
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