How To Download The Free EA Sports FC 26 Trial With EA Play & Xbox Game Pass Ultimate

We’ve got a big 10-hour Xbox Game Pass Ultimate trial coming our way this week in the form of EA Sports FC 26, and the good news is that it’s starting earlier than expected – it’s been pushed ahead by one day according to EA.

The official release date for the EA Sports FC 26 free trial is Thursday, September 18th. Early access for EA Sports FC 26 via EA Play and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate begins on the 18th at 5am PT / 8am ET / 1pm BST.

EA has provided an extensive list of release times for the EA Sports FC 26 trial, as you can see below:

1. New Zealand (Auckland): September 19 at 00:00h
2. Australia (Sydney): September 18 at 22:00h
3. China (Beijing): September 18 at 20:00h
4. Romania (Bucharest): September 18 at 15:00h
5. France (Paris): September 18 at 14:00h
6. United Kingdom (London): September 18 at 13:00h
7. United States (New York): September 18 at 08:00h

Here’s a quick look at how to download the free EA Sports FC 26 trial (when early access begins):

1. Search for “EA Sports FC 26” on the Xbox Store
2. Look for a button that says “Free trial with EA Play” or something along those lines
3. Download the trial, and then you should be able to start playing!

If you’re reading this before early access has begun, you can pre-install EA Sports FC 26 by using the Xbox app for Android and iOS. Link your console, search for the game on the app (specifically “EA Sports FC 26 Xbox Series X|S” or “EA Sports FC 26 Xbox One”, not the Standard or Ultimate Edition), and then hit the “Install To” button.

As for the game itself, EA Sports FC 26 is introducing numerous features this year including the ability to choose between “authentic” or “competitive” gameplay styles, tailoring the experience to suit whether you want a more Ultimate Team-like or simulation experience. Meanwhile, there are improvements to the Manager Career mode via “Live Challenges”, lots of upgrades to the ever-popular FUT mode, and a whole lot more.

Bizarrely, the Ultimate Edition of EA Sports FC 26 doesn’t actually go live until midnight local time on September 19th, meaning the EA Play and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate trial is everyone’s first possible way of checking out the game on the 18th. The Standard Edition of the game then releases on Friday, September 26th.