Football eagerly awaiting the release of EA Sports College Football 25 may start playing earlier than expected.
The long-awaited EA Sports College Football 25, which represents a return to EA's beloved college football video game franchise, officially launches on Friday, July 19th. However, those who purchase one of the special editions — either the Deluxe Edition or the MVP Edition (which includes the Deluxe Editions of both EA Sports College Football 25 and Madden NFL 25) — can start play three days early. However, there seems to be some confusion over when exactly the early access period starts.
EA's official pre-order details page for EA Sports College Football 25 notes that the 3-Day Early Access runs from July 16th through July 18th. However, the "Disclaimers" page specifically states that the early access period begins on July 15, 2024, at 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time. The details read:
Consult your retailer for distribution details. For retail preorders, see retailer for early access distribution details and pick-up time. For digital pre-orders, Product will be available to download once early access period begins on July 15, 2024 4:00 pm Eastern Time. Early access will not be available if you redeem after July 18, 2024.
The PlayStation game page for EA Sports College Football 25 also shows the game unlocking at this time on July 15th.
It's unclear if Monday's early access time would also apply to the 10-hour trial that's included with an EA Play membership. Like the pre-order details page, the EA Play website mentions that anyone subscribed to the service will get access to the 10-hour trial starting on July 16th.
EA has not officially posted the game's global early access or launch times, though many expect they'll be able to start playing as early as Monday afternoon.
EA Sports College Football 25 is officially slated to launch on Friday, July 19th. It will be available for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S.
The game marks the first time fans will be able to play a sports game focused specifically on college football in 11 years. NCAA Football 14, which released back in 2013, was the last game in the series.
The college football landscape has changed a great deal since then. For starters, college players are now eligible to get paid and can sell their name, image, and likeness. This policy change was a big factor in the return of EA's college football franchise as they were now able to pay players. Any college player who opted into this year's game would receive $600 and a copy of the game.