How to Play Madden NFL 26 Early

EA Sports' Madden NFL 26 will let fans step onto the gridiron with their favorite NFL team once again this year. With snowy weather, a revamped ball placement passing mechanic, and refreshed rosters ready for the new season. While football fans have already had a new game of their favorite pastime this year in College Football 26, Madden NFL 26 will give players the chance to put their skills to the test on the biggest stage and guide their favorite franchise to Super Bowl glory. For fans wondering when they can get started, the wait isn't much longer, and it can be cut even shorter thanks to Madden 26's early access.

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By Joshua Duckworth

What Time Does Madden NFL 26 Release?

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Madden 26 will be playable at 9 AM PT/ 12 PM ET on August 14th if you're playing the standard edition of the game, and at the same time on August 7 via early access. I've included the release times for the standard and deluxe editions of Madden 26 around the world below.

Timezone	Madden NFL 26 Standard Edition Release Time	Madden NFL 26 Early Access Release Time
LA (Pacific Time)	August 14 at 9 AM	August 7 at 9 AM
Denver (Mountain Time)	August 14 at 10 AM	August 7 at 10 AM
Chicago (Central Time)	August 14 at 11 AM	August 7 at 11 AM
New York (Eastern Time)	August 14 at 12 PM	August 7 at 12 PM
London (British Summer Time)	August 14 at 5 PM	August 7 at 5 PM
Berlin (Central European Time)	August 14 at 6 PM	August 7 at 6 PM
Beijing (CST)	August 15 at 1 AM	August 7 at 1 AM
Tokyo (JST)	August 15 at 2 AM	August 7 at 2 AM
Auckland (NZST)	August 15 at 6 AM	August 7 at 6 AM

This information has been confirmed via the Pre-Order page on the EA Sports website, and via the release time countdown on the Deluxe Edition's PlayStation Store page.

How to Play Madden NFL 26 Early

Two Ways to Get Onto the Gridiron Early

Players can start playing Madden 26 as early as August 7 by either preordering the Deluxe Edition of the game or by having an EA Play subscription. The Deluxe (or MVP) editions of Madden 26 will grant players unlimited access from August 7 at 9 am PT/ 12 pm ET.

Those who have an EA Play subscription can also begin playing the game via a 10-hour free trial during the same early access period. This will go live at the same time as the Deluxe Edition's release, and requires players to find Madden 26 on the PlayStation or Xbox stores and select the 'Free Trial' option that appears. The option to download the trial will only be made available at the early access release time.

Players using the EA Play 10-hour free trial for Madden 26 should make sure that they close the application on their consoles when they're finished playing. The Quick Resume feature on Xbox or leaving the game open on your PS5 can sometimes count towards your playtime of the trial, and mean you lose out on precious time tweaking your Ultimate Team and guiding your favorite team to glory.

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