Movies of War

By Oscar Hartzog Oscar Hartzog Contact Oscar Hartzog by Email View all posts by Oscar Hartzog March 16, 2026 sabrina lantos/HBO If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Rolling Stone may receive an affiliate commission. Streaming services have continued to drop or reduce free trials over the last few years as they tighten the belt on deals and hike prices. One streaming service that hasn’t offered a free trial in years is HBO Max (formerly Max; formerly also HBO Max). It’s a shame because HBO Max has arguably the best selection of TV series. New hits like Heated Rivalry, The Pitt, White Lotus, and Hacks, as well as classics like Mad Men, The Sopranos, Curb Your Enthusiasm, and Game of Thrones, are only available through HBO Max (unless you want to spend a fortune buying individual episodes on Amazon). HBO Max also recently started showing live sports. Most notably (right now), the service is livestreaming dozens of March Madness basketball games during the 2026 tournament. HBO Max also shows soccer, wrestling, and NASCAR coverage. However, if you want to watch any of these shows or live sports, you’ll need to pay for HBO Max’s relatively pricey monthly subscription. HBO Max plans start at $10.99 a month, which is more than Netflix, Paramount+, or Peacock. HBO Max also has strict account-sharing rules, making it very difficult to split a subscription between different households. Plus, HBO Max also does not offer a free trial. How to Get an HBO Max Free Trial Although HBO Max does not offer a free trial directly, there is a hack. DirecTV offers a five-day free trial and includes HBO Max access in certain plans. That means you can get a free trial to DirecTV and access HBO Max for free for a limited time — plus everything else the other streamer offers. Here are more details: Get HBO Max free trial with DirecTV DirecTV offers complimentary access to HBO Max in its MyEntertainment and Premier packages. Both of these start with a five-day free trial. The MyEntertainment plan also delivers access to Disney+ and Hulu at no additional cost, and it carries 55+ live TV channels. After the free trial, the MyEntertainment package costs $34.99 a month. The Premier plan is DirecTV’s largest package, boasting over 185 channels, ESPN, Hulu, Disney+, STARZ, and Paramount+, as well as HBO Max. Premier currently costs $169.99 a month, but you get $45 off your first month and $20 off months 2-24. get free trial at directv How Much Is HBO Max? If you don’t want to take advantage of the DirecTV HBO Max free trial hack, here’s a breakdown of HBO Max teirs and their prices: Basic with Ads: $10.99/month or $109.99/yearHBO Max’s entry-level plan is Basic with Ads. It supports streaming on up to two devices simultaneously in 1080p resolution. You don’t get live sports streams, 4K resolution, and, as the name suggests, there will be ads on all content. Standard: $18.49/month or $184.99/yearHBO Max’s Standard plan is the best option for most users. It removes ads and lets you watch live sports like March Madness basketball games. You’ll also be able to download up to 30 titles to watch without WiFi or cell service. However, you’ll still only be able to watch on two devices at once, and resolution is capped at 1080p (no 4K). Premium: $22.99/month or $229.99/yearPremium is HBO Max’s top-tier plan. For just $4 more than standard, you get simultaneous streaming on up to four devices (two for live sports), which makes it ideal for large households. Premium also lets you watch certain content in 4K UHD resolution with Dolby Atmos immersive audio. You’ll also be able to download up to 100 titles for offline viewing.