Football season is well under way, and EA Sports FC 25 is achingly close to launch as well – and for anyone looking to get a jumpstart on the latest iteration, the Ultimate Edition of the video game lets you access it a full week ahead of its global release.

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So, not only can you take advantage of carryover rewards to prepare your new team, but you can also get seven days' worth of experience in Career Mode and Ultimate Team.

Furthermore, now that player ratings are coming out thick and fast, you can get ahead of the transfer market and hopefully grab some top-rated players for less.

Haaland. Bellingham. Palmer. Whoever you're looking to add to your team, early access provides the best way to get them in your squad.

So, how does it all work? And when can you jump in? We have all the details and more.

When does FC 25 early access start?

Heung-min Son in EA FC 25 running away from Emre Can with the football
FC 25. EA

EA Sports FC 25 early access begins on 20th September 2024. The game will go live at midnight local time on consoles wherever you are based, and at 5am BST on PC.

Early access acts as the perfect opportunity for players to get ahead of the game and begin earning coins in Ultimate Team to build the strongest squad imaginable ahead of the first weekend of FUT Champions action.

It's also a great way for football fans to see what else EA Sports has in store. For the first time, the game features the option to commit professional fouls, which is bound to cause tension in online matches.

How to get FC 25 early access

There are two ways players can access FC 25 early, but both of them involve spending some money.

The first way is to pre-order the Ultimate Edition of FC 25, which costs £99.99. The high cost does come with a number of bonuses and the ability to play a week before the standard edition of the game launches.

The cheaper option involves buying an EA Play membership. The basic tier costs a reasonable £5.99 per month and offers access to FC 25 on 20th September 2024.

But, there's a catch. Rather than having unlimited access, players will only have a 10-hour trial without having to fork out for the game. For those who decide to buy the game once the trial has ended, all their progression will carry over.

An EA Play Pro membership costs £16.99 per month and grants unlimited access to FC 25 ahead of launch, which is the equivalent of buying the Ultimate Edition.

EA Sports FC 25 is scheduled to launch globally on 27th September 2024 across PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and Microsoft Windows.

Read more on FC 25:

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Authors

Jon NicholsonFreelance Writer

Jon Nicholson is a Freelance Gaming Writer, specialising in the Call of Duty franchise. He previously worked for Gfinity, GGRecon and Red Bull writing a variety of gaming news and guides. Alongside his previous work, he's a Freelance News Writer for Esports Insider.

Black-and-white photo of Matt Poskitt
Matt PoskittFreelance Writer

Matt Poskitt is a freelance journalist who specialises in arts and culture – be that movies, TV, video games, tech or otherwise. Matt headed up the games and entertainment section at T3 (Future Publishing), alongside being found across The Guardian, CNET, PC Gamer Mag, GamesIndustry.biz, Insider, iNews, IGN, TechRadar, PC Gamer Mag, NME and many more.

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