How to access the F1 22 game early

With EA SPORTS F1 22 launching on the 1st July, it turns out that there are several ways you can play the game before its formal release date.

One way is to pay additional money, another is to be a subscriber and a third is a premium demo experience. Or, you know, wait for the standard edition like we suspect most players will. Either way, here’s every way you can buy F1 22, starting later this week.

F1 22 Champions Edition

If you purchase the Champions Edition of F1 22, then you can access the game from 28th June 2022.

The Champions Edition also includes some additional bonus content:

• Two driveable safety cars: Aston Martin Vantage Safety Car and Mercedes-AMG GT Black Series Safety Car (available only in Time Trial mode and on display in your F1 Life house)
• New MyTeam Icons: Available in Career Mode. Includes drivers such as Jacques Villeneuve, Nico Hulkenburg and Mark Webber
• F1 22 New Era Content: Exclusive livery, helmet, & apparel (suit, cap and t-shirt) inspired by the 2022 New Era F1 car
• F1 Life Starter Pack: Unique furniture/wall art to customize your F1 Life house and a funky t-shirt for your avatar
• Miami-Themed Content: Experience the glam & glitz of the new Miami International Autodrome circuit
• 18,000 PitCoins: In-game currency which can be used to purchase character mods (caps, helmets, gloves and suits), liveries and even team sponsors via the Item Shop

Of course, the Champions Edition will be available on all platforms and affords users three days early access to the above perks, giving users a taste of F1 22 before it truly hits the market.

A couple of caveats to this, however. The Champions Edition is only available digitally and is $79.99/£69.99 when purchased on PC Steam and $79.99/£79.99 on PS4/PS5, Xbox One/Xbox Series X|S, as opposed to $59.99/£49.99 on PC Steam, $59.99/£59.99 on PS4/Xbox One, and $69.99/£69.99 on PS5/Xbox Series for the Standard Edition.

An added perk: Champions Edition comes with Dual Entitlement. So, if you purchase for PS5 or Xbox Series, you’ll receive the game on PS4 and Xbox One free of charge.

EA Play Trial

EA Play subscribers can play 10 hours of F1 22, on PC, PlayStation and Xbox from 28th June. Fun fact: with the purchase of an EA Play membership, you’ll save 10% when you pre-order F1 22.

EA Play costs $3.99/£3.99 per month, or save 50% by purchasing an annual subscription for $19.99/£19.99, available on all three platforms. EA Play is included on the top tier of Xbox Game Pass, too.

EA Play Pro

EA Play Pro is a PC-only subscription over and above EA Play. Both subscriptions gain access to a library of EA games, but the non-Pro subscription will likely only receive F1 22 between eight and 12 months from now. Pro receives new EA games from when they launch.

It costs $14.99/£14.99 per month (save 44% by purchasing annually for $89.99/£89.99 per year) and subscribers will have the Champions Edition on the 28th plus a bonus Miami-themed content pack – such as the car livery below. You’ll also receive pro-level rewards.

One major difference with EA Play Pro is that members will have unlimited play in F1 22 during the early access timeframe, whereas EA Play Trial only allows up to 10 hours of play.

Standard Edition

If you wait for the Standard Edition to drop on 1st July, you’ll still receive the base game, F1 22 New Era Content, F1 Life Starter Pack, and 5,000 PitCoin to use in the Item Shop.

You will not gain three days early access and the new MyTeam Icons will not be available, as well.

Whether you get on the grid early or choose to be patient, we hope you enjoy playing the highly anticipated F1 22! While you decide which version to buy, read our review.