Madden NFL 96 covers the 95/96 season of the NFL. It was released on various 16-bit platforms in late 1995 and was the last Madden game to be exclusive to that generation.

Among its various additions to the Madden NFL template is the inclusion of a "create-a-player" mode, which allows players to create their own in-game avatars and add them to the teams of their choice. Players also have the option of "classic teams", which bring back various famous line-ups from different points in the NFL's history between 1960 and 1986 and can be unlocked by winning the Super Bowl as that particular team's 1995 incarnation.