On August 28, EA Sports College Football 26 launched a free play weekend to coincide with the opening weekend of the 2025-26 NCAA football season. Fans looking to try out College Football 26 at no added cost can enjoy playing as their favorite NCAA Division I teams from August 28 to 31, and the trial includes access to all standard game modes.
The free weekend play period came just weeks after the launch of College Football 26's August Title Update, which introduced some changes for players to consider. Some defensive zone coverage behaviors were made more responsive in the August Title Update, and difficulty tuning adjusted how effective a pass rush would be from CPU-controlled opponents. The August patch for College Football 26 also changed some plays in the Flexbone and Wildcat formations, added mascots from programs like Memphis and Appalachian State, and addressed some gameplay issues with Ultimate Team mode.
College Football 26 Is Free to Try Out Until August 31
With the 2025-26 NCAA football season approaching its opening weekend, EA Sports gave gamers a chance to try out one of its latest sports simulators. From August 28 to 31, College Football 26 is now free to try out on PS5 and Xbox Series X/S consoles. The free weekend campaign includes access to all standard gameplay modes like Road to Glory, Dynasty, and Ultimate Team, though it is only available as a digital download that requires at least 40GB of available storage. Only the Standard Edition of College Football 26 is eligible for the free weekend trial. While a subscription to PlayStation Plus is needed to play online matches on PS5, it is not needed to download and play the free weekend trial of College Football 26.
However, the Xbox Series X/S version of EA Sports' popular football simulator has a couple of caveats for players to consider. An active Xbox Game Pass membership is required to download the free weekend trial of College Football 26, and online matches require either a Standard or Ultimate level subscription. However, Xbox Game Pass subscribers have two additional free weekend trials for Lost Eidolons and Surviving Mars alongside College Football 26. Xbox Game Pass Core, Standard, and Ultimate members can enjoy all three titles until August 31 at no additional cost.
The free trial of College Football 26 also comes with cross-play enabled, giving newcomers a way to face off online while the trial lasts. Only time will tell how many players will sign up for College Football 26's free weekend.
