New Zealand trick

If you can’t wait to get your hands on EA FC 26, you can use the trusty old New Zealand trick to jump in and start building your Ultimate Team early.

FC 26 officially arrives on September 26 for most players, or September 19 if you’ve pre-ordered the Ultimate Edition. However, players are always looking for ways to get into the action early.

Luckily, the tried and tested New Zealand trick works once again this year, depending on which platform you’re on. So, here’s a full breakdown of how it works.

What is the New Zealand trick?

The New Zealand trick is something that players use to access many games early by changing their platform region to take advantage of earlier launch times. Given that New Zealand is 19 hours ahead of PT in the US and 11 hours ahead of the UK, anyone in that region can play EA FC 26 early.

It’s worth noting that this trick only works for games that launch at the same time, regardless of region, usually at midnight. Other titles will account for the different time zones by releasing at a different time to ensure that everyone gets it at once.

EA FC 26 falls in the first category, launching at midnight no matter where you are in the world, so this trick will work. Here’s how the times compare:

• New Zealand (Midnight, September 19)
• Australia (11 PM, September 18)
• China (8 PM, September 18)
• United Kingdom (1 PM, September 18)
• United States (8 AM ET, September 18)
• United States (5 AM PT, September 18)

EA

How to do New Zealand trick on Xbox

If you’re on Xbox, the trick couldn’t be easier; all you have to do is head into your settings and change your console’s region. Here’s what you need to do:

1. Boot up your Xbox Series X/S.
2. Head into the Settings menu.
3. Hit ‘System.’
4. Press ‘Language and Location.’
5. Change ‘Location’ to New Zealand.

PlayStation

On PlayStation 5, things are a little trickier because accounts are region-locked. So, you’ll need to make a new account from scratch and select New Zealand when setting it up, before buying EA FC 26 using this new account.

This is definitely more of a hassle, as it means that you won’t be able to earn trophies on your main account unless you purchase the game a second time. However, if you’re someone who primarily plays Ultimate Team, you can go back to your main account once it’s out in your region and just log in using your EA account.

EA Play

While not exactly the trick, if you’re subscribed to EA Play or Pro, then you’ll get the game at the same time as the New Zealand release. This is true across all platforms, whether you’re on PlayStation, Xbox, or PC.

This means you don’t need to mess around with your settings or create a new account, you can simply jump in at the earliest possible opportunity.

Does it work on PC?

No, the New Zealand trick doesn’t work on PC, unless you’re already using EA Play or EA Pro. Platforms like Steam lock you into a specific region, and there’s no way to change it later.

So, if you’re a PC player without a subscription, you’ll have to wait a little longer to get your hands on FC 26. Thankfully, you’ll get access a few hours after everyone using the trick, so you won’t be that far behind, and it won’t be hard to catch up once the promos start rolling in.