Need for Speed Rivals races into the EA Access Vault

By Adam Rosenberg Published September 3, 2014

Electronic Arts’ still-young Xbox One subscription program EA Access will soon add another game to its “Vault” of free-for-subscribers games: Ghost Games’ Need for Speed Rivals. Like fellow Vault titles Battlefield 4, Peggle 2, Madden NFL 25, and FIFA 14, Rivals was a launch window release for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. There’s no date set for the release, but EA promises that Rivals will enter the Vault “in the coming weeks.”

The new addition is meant to drum up interest in EA Access as the service launches in an additional 19 locations, including Brazil, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Denmark, Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland, Chile, Colombia, Portugal, Turkey, South Africa, UAE, Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, and Greece. You’ll still need an Xbox One to subscribe, and it’s not clear yet what the price will be in these new territories.

Recommended Videos

Related: EA Access: What is it and what does it mean for you?

There’s also some clarity on which upcoming releases EA Access members will be able to sample prior to release. For September 2014, both NHL 15 and FIFA 15 will be available to play as early as five days before they come out — September 9 for the former and September 23 for the latter — but only for six hours. Any progress made in those games carries over into an eventual purchase, so you’re not wasting time playing the full six hours if you plan to pick up the full release.

For more details on all of this, check out EA’s announcement post and subsequent FAQ.

Former Gaming/Movies Editor

Previously, Adam worked in the games press as a freelance writer and critic for a range of outlets, including Digital Trends…

Topics

QuickCharge: This Week in EV

Gaming

Sony’s new PS5 Prism Collection gives a beautiful retro makeover to your console and controller

The new collection lets you peek inside your PS5 and DualSense controller with a glossy transparent design.

sony-prism-collection-ps5

Remember when transparent gadgets were the coolest things you could own? Sony is bringing that late '90s aesthetic back with its new PS5 Prism Collection. The gorgeous lineup gives your DualSense controller and PS5 console a glossy, see-through makeover in three eye-catching colors.

https://twitter.com/PlayStation/status/2115459064981512662?s=19

Gaming

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4’s Stranded mission had me hooked for hours, yet left me wanting more

I spent hours sneaking through North Korea, scavenging supplies, and clearing outposts, and I’d happily do it all again.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 Stranded mission gameplay

For years, Call of Duty’s campaign mode has used big, scripted set pieces to tell the overarching story amid all the adrenaline-pumping action. The 2023 Modern Warfare 3 tried to shake up the established formula by introducing a handful of short open combat missions, and I genuinely liked the idea, but the game's overall negative reception seeped into how those missions were received.

I feared the next iteration might abandon the idea because of the backlash, but I am glad it didn't. MW4’s “Stranded” mission uses the same approach, but instead of fragmenting it across the campaign, it puts it all in a single large-scale open-world mission.

Computing

The $1300 Acer Predator Atlas 8 handheld is finally US-bound, and its pre-orders are already sold out

Acer’s first gaming handheld to launch in the US arrives November 1 with Intel Arc G3 Extreme hardware.

Intel Arc G3 Extreme Hands On with Acer Predator Atlas 8

Acer’s Predator Atlas 8 finally has a US release date and price, several months after the company first showed off the handheld in May. The highlight is the Intel Arc G3 Extreme chip inside, which has been adopted by only a couple of other consoles besides the Atlas 8. This version will go on sale exclusively at Best Buy on November 1 for $1,299.99.

Acer originally said the Atlas 8 would arrive in North America in October, but left pricing open at the time. The launch came amid the ongoing DRAM crunch, which has made memory more expensive across the PC industry and complicated pricing for hardware makers.