Madden NFL 1996 shipped in summer 1995 for the 1995 NFL season. Launch ratings are set before the season is played, so they reflect the previous year’s performance - a player’s breakout shows up in the next year’s game.
Madden NFL 96 released in 1995 with John Madden on the cover, by now the established standard for football games as the genre's competitors faded.
Dallas won Super Bowl XXX, 27-17 over Pittsburgh, cornerback Larry Brown named game MVP off two interceptions. Brett Favre won the first of three straight regular-season MVPs with 38 touchdown passes, Emmitt Smith ran for 1,773 yards and a career-best 25 touchdowns, Jerry Rice set a receiving-yards record with 1,848, and Bryce Paup won Defensive Player of the Year with 17.5 sacks.
The Cowboys claimed their third title in four years behind the Smith, Aikman, and Irvin core. Rice's record receiving line and Smith's touchdown haul sat at the very top of the ratings, the two most dominant skill players of the decade in their primes.