FM26 Early Access – Speculated Release Date & How to Play

With 2 years of waiting now under our belts for a new Football Manager game, it’s safe to say a bit of impatience has now creeped in. With Sports Interactive recently announcing the full release on November 4th, we take a look at when we can expect the Early Access Beta to be released. The most commonly reported date for this is the 20th/21st October, ‘Approximately two weeks’ before official release. However this is just a benchmark and for official updates, we will need to stay up to date with Sports Interactive’s social posts.

If like me you are one of the more impatient among us (I can’t blame you its been 2 years) and would like to play the Early Access Beta, then there’s a few things to bare in mind.

 

Potential Beta Release Date Leak?

Check out our article on Miles Jacobson’s latest interview where he hints at a potential October Beta release date!

FM26 Advanced Access Questions

How Can I Play FM26 Early Access?

FM26 Early Access (Official name: Advanced Access) will only be available when pre-ordering the game through official retailers and partners, on both Steam and Epic Games. So make sure you check before pre-ordering to ensure that your retailer is one of the official partners. Once you have received your key/downloaded the game, those with Early Access will be able to play the game from Beta Release Day.

What Happens to My Progress When the Official Game Releases?

Nothing, you will be able to load up all of your saved files as normal. Your game will automatically update.

Can you play Network Games on Advanced Access version?

Yes, all indications are that these will be available to play. Until we hear otherwise, we can assume this will be a function.

Will Advanced Access for FM26 be released on mobile?

At the moment no, Advanced Access seems like it will just be targeted at users on PC and Mac to begin with. Until we hear otherwise, mobile users will have to wait until the official launch date to play the game.

How Much Advanced Access Cost?

It will not cost any extra for advanced access. The retail price for the game is set at £49.99. However, online retailers who are able to provide pre-orders, are able to offer substantial discounts such as Fanatical who are selling it for just £38!

Click here to secure your discounted copy from Fanatical!

Click here for everything you need to know about the FM 26 pre-order!

For a full scope of everything you need to know about FM 26 prior to release, check out our FM 26 release date article.