How to Play NHL 16 Five Days Early

NHL 16, the next entry in EA Sports' acclaimed professional hockey series, doesn't officially arrive until September 15, but you can start playing the game right now if you meet a few requirements.

A free, 10-hour trial for NHL 16 is now available on Xbox One by way of EA Access. This is the full game, not a demo. In addition, all of your in-game progress will carry forward if you decide to buy the game (retail or digital) when the 10 hours are up.

EA Access members can also save 10 percent on NHL 16 (and all EA digital content), meaning they can buy the game for $54 instead of $60.

NHL 16 has been embroiled in some amount of controversy. The game was originally supposed to feature Chicago Blackhawks stars Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews on its cover. But Kane was dropped from the cover (and all marketing events for the game) in the wake of an ongoing sexual assault investigation.

In other recent NHL 16 news, EA Sports and Sony have teamed up for a special-edition PlayStation 4 bundle that comes with a system and a copy of the game. This bundle is exclusive to Canada.