EA FC 25 release date, early access, editions, and pre-order – everything we know so far

EA Sports FC 25 is just around the corner and football fans can’t wait to get their hands on the latest installment in the most popular football game series, formerly known as FIFA.

The game is launching at the end of September, pre-orders have been open for a while now, and there will be a week-long early access period for the game’s Ultimate Edition owners.

Here’s everything you need to know about when you can start playing EA FC 25, and what’s included in the Ultimate Edition.

EA FC 25 release date

EA Sports FC 25 is releasing on September 27, 2024, for PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PC and Nintendo Switch.

Exact unlock times haven’t been confirmed yet, but based on previous years, the game should launch at midnight local time on consoles and 5am UK time / midnight ET on PC.

EA FC 25 early access: How to start playing a week early

Fans who want to start playing as early as possible should pre-order the EA FC 25 Ultimate Edition, which comes with seven days of early access.

EA Sports FC 25 launches into early access on September 20, 2024, which is also when EA Play subscribers will be able to start a 10-hour free trial of the game.

Early access launch timings should be the same as the full launch, so midnight local time for consoles and 5am UK time / midnight ET for PC players.

EA FC 25 editions: What comes with the Ultimate Edition

EA Sports FC 25 comes in two editions, Standard and Ultimate, with only the latter including the seven days of Early Access.

The Standard Edition is priced at  £69.99 / $69.99, while the Ultimate Edition will set you back by £99.99 / $99.99.

Here’s a breakdown of what you get with each edition of EA FC 25:

Standard Edition

• FUT player loan item for 10 matches – cover star Jude Bellingham
• Ambassador loan item for 10 matches
• Unlocked PlayStyles slot in Clubs
• 250,000 Clubs Coins
• Player Career Personality Points
• Three Icons in Player Career – Galácticos Beckham, Zidane, and Ronaldo Nazário
• Guaranteed five-star Coach in Manager Career
• Guaranteed five-star Youth Scout in Manager Career

Ultimate Edition

Ultimate Edition owners are getting everything from the Standard Edition, plus:

• Up to seven days of Early Access
• 4,600 FC Points (3850 FC Points on Nintendo Switch)
• Player Evolution slot
• Early Access Rush Rewards

Fans can pre-order a physical copy of the game from big brick-and-mortar and online game retailers or a digital copy from each console’s respective store.

On PC, you can pre-order the game on Steam, Epic Games Store, or publisher EA’s own launcher and online store.

There were additional pre-order bonuses for the Ultimate Edition, but those were available before August 20.

Pre-order bonuses for the Standard Edition are available until the game’s launch date.

Remember that if you are an EA Play subscriber, you get a 10-hour free trial that starts at the same time as early access.

This way you can check out the game before you buy, but you may miss out on some of the pre-order perks.

For more on EA FC 25, check out a new feature players have demanded for decades and our EA Sports FC 25 hands-on preview.