Mid-August is, traditionally, Madden season. EA Sports has already unveiled the ratings for the NFL’s top players, along with members of the 99 club, so all that’s left is for players to get their hands on the game.
Some players, however, will be able to play the game early via early access. While the official release date is Aug. 19, EA Sports has ways to start playing on Aug. 16. One of them involves buying a premium edition of the game; the other would require a subscription.
MORE: When is the Madden 23 release date?
Unlike Sony San Diego’s “MLB The Show,” Madden will not get a Gamepass release. Furthermore, it should go without saying that to get early access, a preorder is required.
Here’s what to know about how to unlock early access for Madden 23.
Madden 23 release date
- Friday, Aug. 19
Madden 23 has a worldwide release date of Friday, Aug. 19.
How to play Madden 23 early
EA Play free trial
This is the way to play for players who are on the fence about spending cash on Madden, but it does require a subscription.
Starting Tuesday, Aug. 16, players can start a 10-hour trial period via EA Play. EA Play is $4.99 per month for the standard version and $14.99 per month for Pro. Interested parties can play via the $4.99-per-month version.
Pre-order early access
This option is for players who are buying the game and just want to have it sooner.
Early access, again, begins Tuesday, Aug. 16. To gain that access, players can pre-order Madden 23, but there’s a catch: They must pre-order the All Madden Edition, which runs $100 ($90 with EA Play).
This version is available on PS4, PS5, Xbox One and Xbox Series consoles, along with PC launchers.
It comes with several other features as well.
- 4600 Madden Points
- Choice of 2 Elite Players
- All Madden Gear
- Madden Strategy Item
To be clear: Pre-ordering the standard edition of the game will not result in early access.