While the 2025 college football season may still be a couple of weeks away, you can begin your championship run this week. EA Sports College Football 26 is set to release this week, with early access beginning on Monday, July 7th.
Those looking to take to the gridiron early will have to purchase the Deluxe Edition of the game either standalone or as part of the MVP Bundle (which also includes the Deluxe Edition of Madden NFL 26). Those who have an EA Play subscription can also begin playing early, but you'll be limited to a 10-hour trial before having to purchase the game.
According to EA's pre-order page, EA Sports College Football 26 will released in early access on July 7, 2025 at 12:00 p.m. EDT. Here are the global release times, depending on your time zone.
- L.A. (PDT) - July 7th at 9:00 a.m. PDT
- Denver (MDT) - July 7th at 10:00 a.m. MDT
- Chicago (CDT) - July 7th at 11:00 a.m. CDT
- New York (EDT) - July 7th at 12:00 p.m. EDT
- Sao Paulo (BRT) - July 7th at 1:00 p.m. BRT
- London (BST) - July 7th at 5:00 p.m. BST
- Paris/Berlin (CEST) - July 7th at 6:00 p.m. CEST
- Tokyo (JST) - July 8th at 2:00 a.m. JST
- Sydney (AEST) - July 8 at 3:00 a.m. AEST
EA Sports Colelge Football 26 is only available on XBox Series X|S and PS5. The Deluxe Edition costs $99.99 and includes all of the following bonuses:
- 3 Day Early Access (July 7-10)
- 4600 College Football Points
- Early Access Ultimate Team™ Solo Challenges
- CUT Top Prospect Pack (Pre Order before June 19th to receive this.)
- CUT All Hands Pack
- Dynasty Coach Points
- Road to Glory Skill Points
The MVP Bundle, which includes the Deluxe Editions of both College Football 26 and Madden NFL 26, is available for $149.99. This is technically a $50 savings than if you were the Deluxe Edition of each of these games standalone.
EA Sports College Football 26 represents the second installment in the recently relaunched college football video game series. EA brought back the beloved series after more than a decade thanks, in large part, to the revamping of rules and regulations regarding student athlete name, image, and likeness. For the past week, EA has been highlighting improvements to all area of this year's game, from overall gameplay presentation to dynasty and Road to Glory.
The playbook is in your hands. Take your career from high school recruit to Heisman or coach your team to the top. With thousands of new plays, players and upgraded abilities, there are more ways than ever to Bring Glory Home.
Which college football team do you plan on running a dynasty with in College Football 26?