How to play games in the EA app

Updated 2 weeks ago1 min read

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Learn how to download your games in the EA app on PC or Mac, plus how to play Ubisoft games.

Table of Contents

How to download games to your Library

You can add EA games you buy outside of the EA app to your Library, including physical copies.Learn how to redeem product and promo codes in the EA app.
When you buy a digital version of a game through the EA app, it's automatically added to your Library.
  1. 1
    Launch the EA app.
  2. 2
    Log in to your EA Account.
  3. 3
    Go to Library.
  4. 4
    Find the game that you want to download and select the arrow in the bottom-right corner.
  5. 5
    Confirm your Install location and Language preferences, then select Next.
  6. 6
    Read and accept the EA Terms of Play.
  7. 7
    Select Download.
Can’t find your game? Use these steps to find games that are missing from the EA app.

How to download DLC

  1. 1
    Launch the EA app.
  2. 2
    Log in to your EA Account.
  3. 3
    Go to Library.
  4. 4
    Find the game that you want to download DLC for and select the three dots in the top-right corner.
  5. 5
    Choose Manage add-ons.
  6. 6
    Find the DLC you want to download and select Download. 
  7. 7
    Select Download.

How to make the EA app download faster 

If your download speed is slow, try these steps to make the EA app faster.
If you need more help with your connection, check out our troubleshooting article. 

Game download limits

You can only install your game on up to five computers in a 24-hour period. Using a different computer, changing the hardware in your current computer, or using a virtual machine to play can all count as a new computer.If you get an error message saying “Too many computers have accessed this account’s version of [game title] recently. Please try again later.”, you’ve gone over this allowance and installed your game on more than five computers within a 24-hour period. It may take up to 24 hours before you can relaunch the game.Learn more about game download limits in our Terms of Service. 

How to cancel a download

If you start downloading a game on the EA app but want to cancel it, select the X button, then choose Yes to cancel your download.If that doesn’t work:
  1. 1
    Close the EA app.
  2. 2
    Clear the EA app’s cache. Clearing your cache should remove everything from the download queue. 
  3. 3
    If you’re still having trouble and you’re on PC, you can also try running the EA app as an administrator.

How to download games in the background

You can automatically update your games by turning on game updates and enabling background services. This lets the EA app download queued games even when it’s closed. 
  1. 1
    On PC: select the menu icon (three horizontal lines) in the top-left corner of the app and choose Application settings.
    On Mac: select EA app from the menu bar (next to the Apple symbol) in the top-left corner of your screen and choose Settings. 
  2. 2
    Choose the Download tab.
  3. 3
    In the Updates section, toggle the switches next to Update games automatically and Enable background downloads to on.
The Updates section in the Download tab of the EA app Settings.

EA Game Hub

When you select a game in the EA app, you’ll be taken to the Game Hub, a page where you can download or buy the game and find out more about it. 

Where is the EA Game Hub?

To find the Game Hub:
  • choose any game tile on the Home or Browse pages
  • select a game from the left panel under Installed games 
  • select a game in your Library.

Error: an update is required to launch this game

If you see the error message “An update is required to launch this game. Visit the Game Hub to begin your update”:
  1. 1
    Open the Task Manager. 
    • On PC, press Ctrl + Shift + Esc. 
    • On Mac, press Command + Option + Esc. 
  2. 2
    Check if any game processes are running. If they are, close them. 
  3. 3
    Try launching your game again. 
  4. 4
    If that doesn’t work, find out how to report an error.

How to find advanced launch options in the EA app

Advanced launch options can help you change the technical settings of how your game launches. Here’s how to view them.
  1. 1
    Select the three-dot menu in the top right-hand corner of the game tile.
  2. 2
    Select View Properties. You can view input launch commands in the Advanced launch options text box.

How to use offline mode in the EA app

If you want to use the EA app in offline mode:
  1. 1
    Open the EA app. 
  2. 2
    Select the top-left menu (three horizontal lines) or Account on Mac.
  3. 3
    Select Go offline. To use offline mode, you need to have launched your game at least once online.
When you’re in offline mode, you can only play games that don’t need an internet connection. A game will work offline for 30 days since it was last launched online.If you close the EA app, you’ll automatically go online the next time you open it.

How to play Ubisoft games in the EA app

You need to connect to your Ubisoft account to play your Ubisoft games through the EA app. You need to link to your Ubisoft account for every Ubisoft game or DLC you buy that requires Ubisoft Connect.
  • Not all Ubisoft games need Ubisoft Connect. The EA app Store will let you know if a game needs Ubisoft Connect when you buy it. 
  • When you buy downloadable content (DLC) for your Ubisoft games on the EA app, you’ll need to download it in Ubisoft Connect. You’ll be able to do this after you’ve linked to your Ubisoft account.
If you pre-ordered a Ubisoft game through the EA app, you won’t be able to download the game or link to your Ubisoft account until the release date.

Link to your Ubisoft account 

After you buy your game, go to your EA app Library. You’ll be asked to connect to your Ubisoft account before you can download the game. Log in with your Ubisoft account, download the game, and you’ll be ready to play.Make sure to log in with the account where you have all of your Ubisoft games. You’ll be asked to confirm the account you’re logging in with. 
  • If you log in to the wrong account, select Use Another Account to log in to a different one.
  • If you don’t already have an account with Ubisoft, select I don’t have a Ubisoft account.

How to play EA app games on Steam

  • You can play EA games on Steam if you buy them through Steam. You might still need the EA app to launch your game on Steam.
  • If you buy a game through the EA app, you can’t transfer it to Steam. You have to play it through the EA app.
To find out if you need the EA app to play your game on Steam, go to the game’s Steam store page and scroll down. If you see Incorporates 3rd-party DRM: EA online activation and EA app software installation and background use required in a banner on the page, you’ll need the EA app. For more info, learn how to link your EA Account to Steam.

Is the EA app available on Steam Deck? 

To find out if an EA game is compatible with the Steam Deck: 
  1. 1
    Go to the game’s Steam store page. 
  2. 2
    Scroll to Steam Deck Compatibility, where you can learn more. 

Error code: link2ea

If you’re trying to play on Steam but getting the error link2ea, try these steps.
  1. 1
    Relaunch the EA app. 
  2. 2
    Select the three-dot menu on the game tile, then choose Repair. 
  3. 3
    Uninstall, then reinstall the EA app. 
  4. 4
    Restart your computer, then run Steam and the EA app as an administrator. 
    • Right-click each one’s desktop shortcut and select Run as an administrator.
    • Try to launch your game again.
Still having issues?
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