How to play Madden 24 early

The imminent start of the new NFL season brings with it an annual release from EA Sports, with Madden 24 marking the latest installment in the series. And some fans will undoubtedly want to get their hands on the game early.

Over 30 years of Madden have been brought to football fans since the game first debuted in 1988, and fans are growing in excitement for the release of the latest edition.

Madden 24 releases globally on Aug. 18, but for those that are impatient, there are three ways that you can play Madden 24 early.

How to get Madden 24 Early Access

The early access period for Madden 24 will be three days long, beginning on Aug. 15, but is only available through pre-ordering the special edition of the game.

Madden 24‘s Deluxe Edition provides three days of early access, alongside 4,600 Madden Points, a Josh Allen Elite Player Item in Ultimate Team, and more.

Unsurprisingly, the Deluxe Edition comes with a higher price point and costs $30 more than the Standard Edition.

Related: Madden 24 countdown: Exact release time and date

How to use the Madden 24 EA Access trial

You can also play Madden 24 three days early on Aug. 15 using an EA Access trial, which gives you 10 hours of playtime and becomes accessible as soon as the early access window opens.

A standard EA Play subscription is required in order to access the trial and any progress you make during the 10-hour period will transfer to the full release.

This also presents the ideal opportunity to test out the new features before committing yourself to buying the game outright.

Related: Madden 24’s 99 club: Complete list of ratings released

How to do the Madden 24 Xbox New Zealand trick

Xbox users have a sneaky way to access Madden 24 earlier than their timezone allows by changing their region to New Zealand, which can be done by following these steps:

• Open the settings menu on your Xbox Series X|S
• Select “System”, then “Language & “Location”
• Set your location to New Zealand
• Restart your console

Doing the above steps should provide access to Madden 24 at the same time as those in New Zealand, which is of course hours ahead of other western time zones.