The much-anticipated release of EA Sports FC 24 is now just around the corner. The official release date is set for 28th September, but the most avid players can get their hands on the title early.

The maiden release of EA Sports' biggest video game since the FIFA rebrand is just weeks away. There is huge excitement across the community, with huge upgrades set to arrive in all areas of the game.

Ultimate Team will feature women's players for the first time, and there is also a fresh range of UEFA Champions League-themed Hero cards including Wesley Sneijder and Gianluca Vialli. There could even be new additions to the Icons roster which are yet to be announced.

On the Pro Clubs side of things, crossplay is finally set to be included in FC 24. Players can team up with friends from different platforms providing they play on the same console generation. The structure of Pro Clubs has also been altered, with relegations being removed and a new Playoffs section set to be added.

The fan-favourite mode is finally set to be given the upgrades that players have craved for years. Career Mode has also been revamped, which has built massive hype around the fanbase of the offline mode. There are more customisations than ever to Manager and Player Career Mode.

There is an all-new officially licensed FIFA Ballon d'Or ceremony that will feature in save games annually. The Frostbite engine is also set to deliver a wide range of realistic cut-scenes, that will create the highest level of immersion yet.

FC 24 is set to release with significant improvements to all areas of its game. An all-new match-engine 'Hypermotion V' and new features such as PlayStyles will be present across the game's various modes.

There are strong signs that FC 24 could offer the greatest football video game experience yet, especially now EA has acquired more licensing rights than ever.

But how can players access the EA's flagship game an entire week early, and get a head start in the ever-popular Ultimate Team mode?

Read more: EA Sports FC 24: Release Date, Cover Stars, Heroes, Trailer And Everything We Know So Far

How To Play EA Sports FC 24 Early

There are two ways in which users can acquire access to EA Sports FC 24 early.

Ultimate Edition

Prices

• PC - £89.99 / €99.99 / $99.99
• Playstation/Xbox - Digital Cross-Gen Version - £99.99 / €109.99 / $109.99

Ultimate Edition provides a range of benefits including a full seven-day early access period for the game. This provides a huge advantage for Ultimate Team players especially, as they can access the online mode while fewer players are online, and there is less demand on the transfer market. Players can preload the game on the 21st of September, and it will become playable at midnight on the 22nd of September based on your local time zone.

Ultimate Edition also provides a wide range of bonuses alongside early access, that mainly provide an advantage in Ultimate Team. Players who pre-ordered the Ultimate Edition on or before the 22nd of August will receive a free UEFA Champions League Hero following the full release of FC 24. But all of the other bonuses will be available to players who purchase the Ultimate Edition at any point before release.

Other Bonuses

• Nike x EA Sports FC Ultimate Team Kit
• Nike Ultimate Team Campaign Loan Player Item for 24 Ultimate Team matches
• Access to the Nike Ultimate Team Campaign
• 4600 FC Points
• Team of the Week One Ultimate Team Player Item
• Dual Entitlement - Current and previous generation versions of the game
• Ultimate Team Cover Star Loan Player Item for 10 Ultimate Team matches
• Two Ambassador Loan Player Pick Items for Five Ultimate Team matches.
• Unlocked PlayStyles slot in Pro Clubs
• Additional Player Personality Points in Player Career Mode
• Five Star Coach Available For Hire in Manager Career Mode

The Ultimate Edition of the game certainly offers an abundance of bonuses across the board, but a full week of early access is undoubtedly the most valuable. However, if you do not wish to purchase the Ultimate Edition of the game, there is another method in which you can access the game early if you are an EA Play member.

EA Play

EA Play is an excellent alternative for players who wish to play the game early, but perhaps do not have endless hours of free time to grind before the full release.

EA Play subscribers will be offered 10 hours of early access to FC 24, a full week before release. These 10 hours are only used up while the game is active, so players can spread their allowance over all seven days before the release of the Standard Edition of the game.

Prices

• EA Play One Month Subscription: £3.99/€4.99/$4.99
• EA Play One-Year Subscription: £19.99/€29.99/$29.99

You could opt to subscribe to EA Play for a single month so that you can access the FC 24 title early this year. Alternatively, you could subscribe for a year, which would set you up to receive Ultimate Team rewards monthly simply for being an EA Play member.

Web App

The Ultimate Team Web App is not a solution in terms of actually playing the full game early. However, it allows players to access their Ultimate Team club on FC 24 before release. You could open your reward packs and complete Squad Building Challenges. This could help you build up a solid coin total and a decent amount of fodder before you can access the full version of the game.

The Web App is typically available at a roughly similar date to the release of early access - perhaps even a few days in advance.

These are the ways in which you can access FC 24 early this year. Whether you are a casual player or somebody who is committed to grinding out the strongest team in the game from the offset, one of these early access options is sure to suit you.

But once you have acquired your early access, how could you take advantage of that in the immensely popular Ultimate Team mode?

How to make the most of Ultimate Team Early Access

Some players may wish to spend early access on offline modes like Career Mode as they look to win the biggest trophies as quickly as possible. Others may team up with friends and play Pro Clubs to rank up their Pro before the official release.

However, in Ultimate Team there are huge advantages that can be claimed in the early access period of the game. The 4600 FC Points bonus for purchasing Ultimate Edition can help set your club up perfectly for a successful year in FC 24.

Invest in meta cards

Ideally, you need to spend your FC Points as quickly as possible. While base Premium Gold Packs may not seem incredibly appetising, it is important to increase your coin total to the maximum amount as soon as you get your hands on the game.

As soon as you have sold all the items you received from your packs, you can invest your funds into typical meta players on the transfer market. Popular players such as Marcus Rashford and Ousmane Dembele, will be hugely undervalued on the market before full release. You can take advantage of the lack of transfer market demand, and invest all of your coins into player assets during early access.

The best time to sell these assets would be before the opening Weekend League of FC 24, so it would be wise to buy players that can double up as investments and play a part in your squad temporarily.

This is of course done at your own risk, as the Ultimate Team market can change quickly and unpredictably at times. However, past years of Ultimate Team have shown that meta players rocket in price following the full release of the game.

Read more: EA Sports FC 24 Gameplay: Hypermotion V, Frostbite and PlayStyles

Play as many games as possible

Another way of making the most of early access to Ultimate Team is simply to play as many games as possible. Ensure you win enough games in Division Rivals to earn the maximum weekly reward, and maybe begin to work your way to the higher divisions too.

You could also look to secure qualification for the opening Weekend League of FC 24 as quickly as possible. It is set to be much more competitive once the player base increases following the Standard Edition release.

By enjoying as much Ultimate Team gameplay as possible in early access, you can build your coin total, earn rewards and potentially even some valuable XP which could allow you to unlock even more rewards.

The full game with unlimited access is set to be available earlier than ever this year, and of course, the typical EA Play trial will be available as an alternative. These provide the perfect platform to take a huge stride ahead of Standard Edition users, and subsequently be best prepared for the opening Weekend League of FC 24.