How to Play Madden 15, FIFA 15 & NHL 15 Early on Xbox One

If you want to play Madden 15, NHL 15, FIFA 15, NBA Live 15 and Dragon Age: Inquisition early you’ll need an Xbox one and $5 to join a new special EA Access program.

EA just announced EA Access which lets Xbox One owners play new EA games early and carry over the progress to the full version of the game when they come out.

The details on the early access to Madden 15, NHL 15, FIFA 15, NBA Live 15 and Dragon Age are still coming together, but we do know a few details.

Play Madden 15, FIFA 15 & More Early on Xbox One

Gamers want to know if they can play the full version of Madden 15 and other games early, or if it is just a limited demo. The good news is some games will include the full version, but others will only offer a part of the game or story. The progress you make will carry over, so if you build up an awesome Ultimate Team or blow through skills trials you can carry that into the Madden 15 release, or whatever game you end up with. This includes any achievements you unlock in the Play First games.

Here’s EA’s official word on how the early access to EA Access works,

“Each game is different, so each game’s trial will be, too. In some titles you’ll be able to play one of the game’s modes for a limited time, while other times you can jump right into the full game. And since you’ll always be playing the real game, any progress you make will carry over so you can pick up where you left off on launch day”

With EA Access you get to play the new EA games like Madden 15, NHL 15, FIFA 15, NBA Live 15 and Dragon Age: Inquisition up to five days early.

In the case of Madden 15 this may be a version of the game just 5 days before the Madden 15 release date, which could come after a Madden 15 demo release in mid August. We don’t know if this is the full game, but it will likely be different than a regular Madden 15 demo. Assuming it is part of the five-day early access expect to play Madden 15 on August 21st instead of the official Madden 15 release date on August 26th.

This is only on the Xbox One, it does not extend to the Xbox 360 and there is no EA Access for PS4 or PS3. Playing Madden 15 early isn’t the only benefit of EA Access.

For $5 a month or $30 a year you also get a 10% discount on EA games you buy digitally on the Xbox One. This includes full games like Madden 15 and DLC or in app purchases for Ultimate Team or other unlocks that cost real money.

What Else Does EA Access Offer?

Those are the biggest benefits of EA Access to users that bought the last version of EA games when the Xbox One came out. If you bought the cheaper Xbox One recently and need more games to play. EA Access also includes The Vault, which starts with four games.

At the start you’ll get to play full versions of Madden 25, FIFA 14, Peggle 2 and Battlefield 4, all as part of the $5 a month or $30 a year fee, which is a major savings over buying the games outright. EA will add games to The Vault over time, but don’t expect to see Madden 15 or FIFA 15 in there anytime soon.

There are no more games in the announcement, but EA Access shows Need for Speed Rivals, Plants vs Zombies Garden Warfare, NBA Live 14 and UFC in a profile photo on Twitter suggesting more items may be in the vault soon. Another possibility is that these are just discounted by 10%, but Need for Speed Rivals is old enough to be included.

Where Can You Buy EA Access?

Right now EA Access is in a closed beta, but soon you will be able to buy access on your Xbox One through the Xbox One app store using your Xbox Live account payment details. You can also buy access at GameStop soon if you don’t want to use your Xbox account.

There is no official EA Access release date, but EA promises it will arrive by the end of Summer. With the Play First options on Madden 15, FIFA 15, NHL 15 and NBA Live 15 we expect it will arrive in the coming weeks.