Even before the official release and before Early Access, EA Play subscribers can try EA FC 26 starting today. The trial starts at 2:00 PM, giving you 10 hours of gameplay. We will show you how it works.
What exactly is starting today? Starting today (September 18, 2025) at 2:00 PM, the EA Play trial for EA FC 26 is available.
EA Play subscribers can therefore test the latest installment of the football simulation for 10 hours, whether on PC, PlayStation, or Xbox. This allows you to get started even faster than with the Early Access of the Ultimate Edition.
How does EA Play work? This is a paid subscription service from EA. With the subscription, you can access older EA games for free at any time. You can also try trials for new games and thus get a limited early access. This also applies to FC 26.
To play the trial, you do not need to have purchased the full version. After the 10 hours of gameplay, you can still decide whether you want to buy the full version. You also keep the progress from the trial version for the full version.
How much does EA Play cost? With EA Play, you have the option to take out a monthly subscription or an annual subscription directly through the site. Xbox customers receive EA Play as part of Game Pass Ultimate:
- 1 month EA Play for €5.99 (monthly)
- 12 months EA Play for €39.99 (every 12 months)
- 1 month Xbox Game Pass Ultimate with EA Play for €17.99 (monthly)
The subscription runs for 1 month from the date of your booking. You can cancel the subscriptions at any time, but you will not receive a refund for any payments already made.
Play FC 26 with EA Play Trial at 2:00 PM – Here’s how it works
How do I find the EA FC 26 Trial via EA Play? Once you have completed the subscription, you can access the EA Play catalog on your console or PC. A post from the EA Forum explains how to find the trial version on your console or PC:
- For Xbox: Search for EA FC 26 in the Xbox Store and select the trial version there.
- Alternatively, you can find it under My Games & Apps > Full Library > EA Play and download it directly.
- For PlayStation: Search for EA FC 26 in the PlayStation Store (or go through the Subscription tab). Select the trial version there and download it directly to the console.
- For PC (EA App, Origin, Steam):
- EA App: Search for the game and click on Download.
- Origin: Search for the game and click on “Download the Game”.
- Steam: Search for the game and click on “Add to Library”.
For pre-order customers of the Ultimate Edition, the preload for FC 26 has been available since September 17, 2025, allowing you to download the game completely now. For the PS5 version, you should plan for just over 58 GB, for example.
If you have already done the preload for FC 26, you should be able to start right at 2:00 PM.
Things you should also consider: The EA Play trial counts every minute and hour you spend in the game. We therefore recommend that you use the time for games, especially if you are in Ultimate Team. You can take care of everything else via the web app in FC 26. EA FC 26: Web app is now live – Everything about start, login, and content
With the EA Play trial, you can therefore play 10 hours earlier than with the Early Access of the Ultimate Edition. This starts on the night from Thursday (September 18, 2025) to Friday (September 19, 2025) at 12:00 AM. You can also find all other important dates on MeinMMO: Ultimate Team in FC 26 starts this week for the expensive edition and EA Play – all important dates for the start
