We hope your calendar is clear for the upcoming week because EA Sports College Football 26 is just hours away from launching across the world. The wait is finally over for the second annual edition of one of the biggest sports gaming franchises, and this year, there is even more to immerse yourself in. With only a few more Saturdays left until College Football returns this fall, this release should help the wait go by much faster.

Last year’s release was one of the most impactful sports games releases in gaming history as it revitalized a series that had been abandoned for over ten years. This year’s title promises to bring even more excitement for fans. Let’s look at everything you need to know about the upcoming release of EA Sports College Football 26, including release times, changes, and how you can play the game early.

The early access window for College Football 26 begins on July 7th, allowing anyone from around the world to play the game three days early. Early access begins for everyone simultaneously across the world at the exact same time:

In order to gain early access to College Football 26, you must preorder the Deluxe Edition of the game or have an active EA Play subscription. The Deluxe Edition will cost you $99.99 ($30 more than the standard edition of the game).

For those who do not purchase the Deluxe Edition, the worldwide release of College Football 26 will go live on July 10 across the world at the following times:

For a guide that walks you through how to install College Football 26 so that you can play it the second it goes live, check out our pre-download guide.

No, you cannot use a VPN to gain early access to College Football 26 because both the Early Access release and full game release will happen simultaneously worldwide. The only way you can play College Football 26 early is by purchasing the Deluxe Edition to obtain early access. Do not attempt to set your VPN to New Zealand because it will be pointless.

EA Sports College Football 26 will be available exclusively on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S consoles. Crossplay is enabled by default between these two consoles. For the first time ever, Dynasty crossplay is also enabled between these two platforms.

No, College Football 26 will not be available on either the Nintendo Switch 2 or PC. There is no plans at this time for the game to launch on either of these platforms.

Related Article: Full Content Creator Schedule for EA Sports College Football 26 Revealed

College Football 26 is bringing back their most iconic game modes and expanding upon them to create an immersive gameplay experience for every type of player. Here is a list of every game mode featured in EA Sports College Football 26:

Take the helm of your favorite program as either the Head Coach, or a coordinator. Recruit and develop players, cater to your fanbase, and establish a lasting college football legacy.

Create your own player and experience the journey from high school through college. Make decisions on NIL contracts, transfer portal, and GPA management to create your legacy.

Related Article: How to Become Five-Star Recruit on Road to Glory in College Football 26

Build your dream team with current players and legends from previous eras. Open packs, complete challenges, and challenge other players to establish your superiority.

Choose any matchup and play against your friends or the CPU. You can customize uniforms, game venue, game time, weather and more.

Take any team and face off against friends or climb the competitive leaderboards with skill-based ratings. This is the mode where you can truly prove you are the best player. Look for College Football esports to greatly expand alongside the Madden Championship Series as sports games continue to grow as a major esport. In the second year of development, we can anticipate a much more robust tournament selection and competitive ranking format.

Returning for the first time since 2014, take an entire team of mascots into the field of play in an exhibition-style mode.

In just a year, EA has managed to re-design several key elements that will drastically alter gameplay and environments. Here are some of the biggest changes and improvements coming to College Football 26:

Enhanced Blocking, Pass Rushing, and Coverage

Tackling is much simpler in College Football 26 with their new physics-based tackling system. Brand-new blocking mechanics allow players to manipulate the pocket in a way never seen before, while defenders can move offensive linemen to jam specific gaps. Utilize new stunts and twists to confuse an opponent’s offensive line.

Expanded Playbooks

Playbooks and play-calling philosophies have been significantly expanded in College Football 26, featuring over 2,800 new plays. Playbooks are closely tailored to the identity of each program, making the gameplay experience different for every team.

New Athlete Archetypes and Abilities

New to College Football 26, athlete archetypes will cover a broader range of skillsets. Ten new archetypes have been added as well as a variety of new abilities to make player development and performance more reminiscent of a college athlete.

Real Coaches and Coordinators

Over 300 coaches and coordinators will have their likeness featured in College Football 26. Each coach has a distinctive playstyle and program identity that shapes gameplay and the Dynasty experience.

Dynamic Substitutions

Using the new D-Pad substitution panel, you can make quick substitutions at the line of scrimmage. This allows you to play a no-huddle style of offense while keeping fresh players in the game, which was something you couldn’t do in College Football 25.

College football fans can rejoice as EA Sports College Football 26 has arrived for those who pre-ordered for early access.

There are plenty of upgrades made to each of the modes in College Football 26 that will make 25 look like a starter pack. Updates have been made to key modes, including Ultimate Team, Dynasty Mode, and Road to Glory.

This guide will focus on how gamers can turn their created player in Road to Glory into a hometown hero and a five-star recruit in high school. There will be decisions that must be made during high school that can have either positive or negative effects on the player’s early part of their playing career.

We have another guide that focuses solely on the college years and how to become a Heisman Trophy winner, positioning oneself to be the number one pick in the NFL Draft. Check out that article to see the ins and outs of college.

Related Article: EA Sports College Football 26 Overall Top Player Ratings Revealed

The first thing games will have to decide is which path during Road to Glory they want to take. There are four different options to pick from:

For those who start with paths like Elite or Blue Chip, it will be easier to attend a top college out of high school and give the player a leg up on the competition, allowing them to play in their freshman year. Contributor or Underdog will more likely mean getting into a smaller school if the player wants to start or go to a bigger school and sit for a year or two.

After picking whichever path the gamer wants to go through, there are now five positions to play with during Road to Glory:

Depending on the chosen position, there will be options for the archetype the gamer wants their players to be. Each position will have different choices, but for example, if the player is a quarterback, here are the archetypes to pick from:

Picking the right archetype is essential depending on what kind of ratings are most important to the gamer. If having a fast quarterback who can move in the pick is important, Backfield Creator and Pure Runner is more important. Pocket Passer is best for those who want to stay in the pocket and throw the ball timely. Dual Threat quarterbacks will have decent ratings for all, but not dominate in one particular.

Each of those Archetypes will have different Physical Abilities that come with it. For example, for those who pick Backfield Creator will have some of the following abilities:

After selecting an Archetype, gamers will be able to customize their players’ appearances. They will have four different categories to go into to change the player:

The final page will be the summary of the created player that will show the mentals and physicals of the players, the ratings and stats they will have, and the basic info the gamer provided. Once everything is agreed upon, it will be time to hop into action.

Related Article: Full Content Creator Schedule for EA Sports College Football 26 Revealed

When first completing the customization portion of Road to Glory, gamers will receive a weekly rankings update provided. This will display the player’s ranking nationally, statewide, and overall position. It will also display a bar graph showing where the player lands, ranging from one star to five stars. This will help games in knowing where they stand on a weekly basis and what they need to do to stay on pace to be a five-star recruit.

Players will first be interviewed by a local reporter, Alice Zimmer. She will ask a variety of questions that will influence the recruiting process. Questions will include what’s most important in a school, what are two other things the player is looking for in a school. This section of the game will help narrow down the college choices and which schools are best to select from.

The head coach of the high school team the player is playing for will appear next to explain the next steps in the mode. To start, the player will need to pick the top 10 schools he would like to be recruited by. These schools are subject to change throughout the season and are not finalized. Players can commit to a school anytime throughout the season and can also decommit before having to make a final decision at the end of the high school season.

When gamers are looking for which schools to add to their top 10 list, they can look at some key stats with each school. These stats will have a direct effect on which schools to pick from:

Players will also be able to track the school’s progress throughout the season. If a big school program is struggling, it could mean a starting job will open, but a lot of talent could leave for the portal after the season. If the team is winning, more of the top players are likely to stick around, but fighting for a starting job as a freshman could be tougher.

Depending on which of the biggest schools the player chooses, one head coach or multiple will appear with messages about trying to recruit the player. They will make their pitch to you on whether they can start for you or sit on the bench for a year and become a star. That star coach will periodically message the player throughout the season to share whether they are doing well enough to receive a scholarship offer from them, when scouts are coming to the game, or let them know they are entirely out of the running.

When it comes to playing the games, players will not be able to play the full games. Instead, they will select four options for moments before the game that they want to complete in the game. Each moment will have two drive goals with different point values to contribute towards the tape score. Each moment will also have a “School Tape Score Boost” that can vary depending on the school.

An example would be a quarterback picking “Option Merchant” as the moment. The quarterback can get 200 points from gaining 10+ yards on an option play and 50 points for not allowing a menacing linebacker to force a fumble or tackle for loss. Schools like Oregon and Texas might experience a threefold boost, while USC might only see a 1.3 times increase from completing the moment.

To maintain a five-star status, it’s essential for the player to consistently complete the moments at 100%. Failing moments could result in the player dropping a star as a recruit and might knock the player out of scholarship contention. There is an option to retry moments if the player fails to complete them immediately after they occur.

Each week, the player will receive multiple scholarship offers with usually the first couple of weeks being smaller schools. The last part of the high school year being the top schools in the country.

Other messages will pop up throughout the high school year, including a classmate asking if the player wants to study together for an exam. Another will ask whether they will go to homecoming. These decisions can impact either individual games or how schools perceive the player.

At the end of the season, the player will be forced to pick the final three schools of choice. The player will participate in an event at the school where they are three hats to pick from that will determine the school of choice. Gamers will have the option to fake out everyone with a first option, but must make one decision to pick the school they want to attend.

There’s so much more depth to Road to Glory that will make the mode a more fun experience. The added element to playing high school football was a big ask from gamers a year ago. Now, players will be able to control their own destiny in deciding where to attend college based on their performance.

With early access just around the corner, players have a chance to get familiar with the new settings and systems in CFB26 before the esports season kicks off.

Related Article: How to Pre-Download EA Sports College Football 26 Before the Game Releases