EA Sports College Football 25: A Deep Dive into Gameplay, Features, and the Long-Awaited Return

After an eleven-year hiatus following the series' previous entry in 2013, EA Sports is set to revive college football gaming with the release of EA Sports College Football 25. This revival comes after a settlement of a lawsuit brought by former college football players who argued their name, image, and likeness (NIL) were used without permission or compensation. The game promises to deliver an immersive and realistic college football experience, incorporating elements that differentiate it from its NFL counterpart, Madden.

The Road to Release

The journey to the release of College Football 25 has been a meticulous one. On November 22, 2022, EA Sports announced its intention to release the game in the summer. Daryl Holt, EA Sports vice president and general manager, stated that this timeline would allow them to "meet or exceed our player expectations" and "cover the breadth and scale of what we want in the game." On February 22, 2024, it was confirmed that all 134 Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) programs would be featured, while the 128 Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) programs would not be included at launch.

Adding to the authenticity, ESPN's lead college football commentary team, Chris Fowler and Kirk Herbstreit, will be featured as commentators. Herbstreit was a commentator in EA's original NCAA Football series until its hiatus after NCAA Football 14.

First Impressions: Gameplay and Mechanics

A 21-minute gameplay trailer was premiered on July 8, 2024, featuring YouTuber Bordeaux and cover athlete Donovan Edwards. The trailer showcased raw gameplay, and an Ultimate Team Deep Dive was posted the day after. On July 12, 2024, members of EA's Creator Network program got access to a nearly final edition of the game, allowing them to upload and stream rebuilds, player careers, and raw gameplay on various platforms.

Smooth and Realistic In-Game Experience

The in-game playing experience is designed to be incredibly smooth and realistic. Running the ball is a key highlight, with well-done blocking AI that rewards players for hitting the hole correctly. The game incorporates new physics-based tackling, which is based on where and how hard a hit is made, looks much more realistic. Breaking tackles or falling forward through them becomes more likely if blockers are followed correctly

Playing defense is more challenging, requiring more than just using the Hit Stick. The right joystick helps players switch between defensive players more quickly, which is beneficial in the secondary and in situations requiring close control of two players. The new Wear and Tear system adds another layer of realism. A player’s Strength attribute corresponds with how much impact he can take, and bigger players have more Strength. If a small wide receiver is put at QB and run the option, he’ll be more likely to get injured. The longer the game, the more the injury chances rise.

Revamped Passing Game and Kicking Mechanics

The passing game has been revamped, with the ability to layer the football as the quarterback is key. A meter appears above the receiver when throwing the ball. The same goes for kicking. The new meter has a ball rock left and right. If you hold it to the very top into the red, the accuracy can take a hit.

Deep Pre-Snap Options

The capabilities players enjoy before the snap have also grown. You can adjust pass protection to go in a certain direction, an improved process from Madden 24. When calling a hot route, custom stems allow you to adjust how far downfield you want an out route to go. Senior quarterbacks can see more than freshmen, like the possibility of a blitz or a certain kind of defense.

There are also custom playbooks and custom audibles. There’s also a two-minute warning, which will be new to college football this fall. Stadium Pulse is also back, and you can feel the loudest stadiums in the vibrating controller. As in the past, the play art on the field could be difficult to read, and audibles and hot routes may not work, depending on the crowd.

The Sounds and Visuals: Immersion Through Detail

The pageantry and environments are what separate college football from every other sport, and the video game reflects that. EA Sports said it went through more than 1,000 photos per school to create 150 different stadiums. There are 16,000 different head combinations for players, including 240 shapes. The game took so long to make because it had to be created from scratch.

Read also: Crafting Your NCAA Profile

The average team has four helmets, three jerseys, and three pants. Some have 20-plus options (hello, Oregon). You can see all the individual stitching in the jerseys because EA Sports employs a Creaform 3D handheld scanner that’s normally used for aerospace parts. Here, it’s used to scan cleats, gloves, helmets, jerseys and more, down to the tiniest detail. While NFL players have mostly the same equipment, college football has different apparel companies with unique designs. Those differences are noticeable in this game.

The crowds are also unique. Michigan fans have the maize pom-poms. Missouri fans have the tiger tails. There are unique hand signs and Surrender Cobras. The student sections are positioned correctly, and we were told those fans will be seen standing during the game. Opposing fans and bands are also positioned in the correct spots in stadiums. As for in-progress renovated stadiums, Vanderbilt is shown post-renovation, but Northwestern still plays at Ryan Field. Kansas’ stadium will be pre-renovation at game launch.

Penn State has the White Out. Tennessee has the checkerboard. Boise State has the Stripe Out. Even the Texas A&M red, white and blue crowd after 9/11 is in the game - I’m not sure how that one activates, but special crowd colors will happen for the biggest games in Dynasty mode. We were told some teams have called EA Sports to let them know of crowd blackout plans later this season to be included in the game.

EA Sports showed how it motion-captured players with the trophies, which included making wooden versions of trophies for virtual mo-cap players to hold. The studio also recorded 41 real game crowds over the last two years, from big to small programs.

What makes this game feel as real as anything is the sound. You really notice it when music kicks in after the opening kickoff. While “Enter Sandman” is not in the game, “Zombie Nation,” “Sandstorm,” “Tsunami” and “Mo Bamba” are. Every school has unique fan chants, as EA acquired thousands of assets from schools and in many cases had staff members replicate the cheers for recording.

NIL and Player Inclusion

One of the most significant hurdles in bringing back the college football game was addressing the use of player names, images, and likenesses (NIL). Initially, player names and likenesses were not planned for the game. However, EA Sports closely monitored the developments in NIL rules and prepared to include players if the opportunity arose.

The 2021 United States Supreme Court case NCAA v. Alston played a crucial role in changing the landscape of NIL regulations. Ultimately, EA Sports decided to allow college athletes to opt into the game and receive compensation for their inclusion. By March 5, 2024, EA Sports had signed up over 10,000 athletes.

To ensure compliance and prevent unauthorized use of NIL, EA Sports College Football 25 will block gamers from manually adding players who reject the NIL opt-in.

What's Not Included

Mascot mode is not in the game, to answer a question I got a lot. Players do not have X-Factors like in past Madden games. Online Dynasty mode cannot be played across consoles, but that and Mascot mode could come in future games.

You will not be able to edit the attributes of real-life players in the rosters.

Pre-Order Bonuses and Special Editions

To incentivize early adoption, EA Sports is offering pre-order bonuses for both the standard and Deluxe editions of College Football 25.

Standard Edition Pre-Order Content

Purchasing the standard edition of EA Sports College Football 25 before its release grants access to the following pre-order content:

Alma Mater Ultimate Team Pack [Choice of 1 out of 134 player items]
Cover Athlete Ultimate Team Pack [choice of 1 of 3 player items]
Bring Glory Home Ultimate Team Uniform Item

This promotional offer expires upon release of EA SPORTS College Football 25. To access the pre-order content, players must redeem their single-use code (if a code is required), log into the game, and log into Ultimate Team mode while connected to EA servers (referred to as “redeem”). All pre-order content is for use with one EA account and is non-transferrable. All player items and packs are for use in College Football Ultimate Team (“CUT”). All CUT player items are non-auctionable and non-tradeable. Access to content may require registration with a single-use code. Pre-order content will not be available if you redeem after July 19, 2025.

Deluxe Edition Pre-Order Content

The Deluxe Edition of EA Sports College Football 25 offers even more incentives for early adopters:

Heisman Hopeful Ultimate Team Pack [Choice of 1 out of 5 Player Items]
Alma Mater Ultimate Team Pack [Choice of 1 out of 134 player items]
Cover Athlete Ultimate Team Pack [choice of 1 of 3 player items]
Bring Glory Home Ultimate Team Uniform Item
4600 College Football Points
Up to 3 days early access to Product

This promotional offer expires upon release of EA SPORTS College Football 25. To access the pre-order & Deluxe Edition content, players must redeem their single-use code (if a code is required), log into the game, and log into Ultimate Team mode while connected to EA servers (referred to as “redeem”). All pre-order & Deluxe Edition content is for use with one EA account and is non-transferrable. All player items and packs are for use in College Football Ultimate Team (“CUT”). All CUT player items are non-auctionable and non-tradeable. Access to content may require registration with a single-use code. For retail preorders, see retailer for early access distribution details and pick-up time. For digital pre-orders, Product will be available to download once early access period begins on July 15, 2024 4:00 pm Eastern Time. Early access will not be available if you redeem after July 18, 2024. All other pre-order content will not be available if you redeem after July 19, 2025.

Critical Reception

Upon its release, EA Sports College Football 25 has garnered mixed to positive reviews from critics. On Metacritic, the PlayStation 5 version holds a score of 76 based on 43 reviews, while the Xbox Series X version has a score of 78 based on 31 reviews.

Jason Guisao of Game Informer gave the game an 8.5/10, praising the gameplay and Dynasty mode. Andrew McMahon of GameSpot gave the game a 6/10, criticizing the lack of innovation and similarities to Madden. Will Borger of IGN gave the game a 7/10, noting the strong foundation but also the areas for improvement. Ben Wilson of GamesRadar+ gave the game a 4.5/5, highlighting the immersive Dynasty mode and overall college football experience.

Sales Success and Accolades

Despite mixed reviews, EA Sports College Football 25 has achieved significant commercial success. Michael McWhertor of Polygon reported that the $100 version of the game paid off for EA, with 2.2 million early access players. James Batchelor of Gameindustry.biz declared that EA Sports College Football is now the US' best-selling sports game of all time.

The game has also been nominated for several awards, including the Golden Joystick Awards 2024 and the New York Game Awards 2025.

tags: #ncaa #football #25 #play #art