FIFA 22 closed beta: how to get FIFA 22 beta and why is it not working? Are EA servers down?

Everything you need to know about the closed beta version of FIFA 22 ahead of the game’s official release later this year – and whether EA Sports servers are down right now.

Ahead of the hit football video game’s official release across a range of consoles next year, Electronic Arts (EA) Sports are letting fans get a sneak preview of FIFA 22 to try out its exciting new features and tech specifications.

But fans trying to get hold of the FIFA 22 closed beta today (12 August) are struggling, with downdetector.co.uk showing a spike in reports of EA and FIFA server outages and account issues.

FIFA 22 closed beta: how to get FIFA 22 beta and why is it not working? Are EA servers down? (Image courtesy of EA/EA Sports)

Here’s what you need to know about the closed beta version of the game, how to get an access code to FIFA 22 and why it appears to not be working right now.

What is FIFA 22 closed beta?

The closed beta version of FIFA 22 is designed to give fans the opportunity to test and play the game ahead of its autumn release date.

The beta edition will let users sample the game in Volta, FIFA Ultimate Team, Career Mode and Pro Clubs modes to provide developers with feedback and notify any bugs or areas of improvement before the full version of the game is released.

FIFA 22 closed beta kicked off this evening (12 August) at 6pm, with those granted access to the game in the US and UK able to play it for the next three weeks.

It’s worth noting that any progress you make in the game’s beta version will not carry over to the full version upon its release and users are forbidden from recording gameplay through screenshots, screen-recordings or live-streaming.

The beta release will end on 2 September at 6pm.

How can I get FIFA 22 closed beta?

Access to the closed beta edition of the game has already been allocated to the bulk of users, with only a random group of users receiving bespoke codes to access the FIFA beta version released tonight.

Users receiving access to the preview of the game were selected from those who signed up to emails from EA Sports developers, so to be within a chance of receiving a code next time you should register to receive emails on EA news, products, events and promotions under your EA account settings.

While further codes are set to be released in the coming weeks, closed beta is only available to those with Xbox and Playstation consoles with Xbox Live Gold or Playstation plus subscriptions and an online connection.

Those playing FIFA 22 on these consoles and Google’s Stadia console will also be able to enjoy FIFA 22’s new slick HyperMotion Technology, set to be revealed fully in the official release later this year.

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Why is FIFA 22 beta not working?

Downdetector.co.uk saw over 400 reports about FIFA alone this evening (12 August) at approximately 6.13pm, with 90% of reports on the site pertaining to server connection issues.

The same was seen for EA on the whole, according to Downdetector, as 95% of reports flagged to the site for the video game company reporting issues with FIFA specifically.

This comes after users who pre-ordered the new edition of EA’s NFL game Madden struggled to access the trial version released today.

On Twitter, EA’s help account @EA_help tweeted: “Our team is working through some technical issues with the Madden NFL 22 EA Play Early Access Trial on certain platforms.

"We will update as soon as possible, thank you.”

But many of those who received FIFA 22 closed beta access codes have been continuing to encounter issues with the game, EA server connections and account logins as the evening goes on.

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