EA Sports College Football 25 Review: A Fantastic Return

After over a decade without a new college football game, fans can finally put down NCAA Football 14 because EA Sports College Football 25 is now available. Thanks to the extended wait, fans are treated to quite the leap and a game filled with plenty of fresh ideas rather than a Madden retread. It’s easily the most exciting football game in years.

While College Football 25 doesn’t reinvent the wheel when it comes to how a football game plays, there are a few important tweaks to gameplay. For example, passing now defaults to a system similar to Madden’s skill-based passing, as there’s a bar that factors into your power and accuracy. Classic passing is still available in the options if you are resistant to change, but I quite enjoyed the new system after a small adjustment.

Similarly, kicking is also a held button press that can get very inaccurate if held for too long. Players can even expect to occasionally miss a PAT if you’re using a less-skilled team. In general, the game keeps you on your feet as, just in real-life college football, mistakes are more frequent and games are more unpredictable as a result. It’s a great way to differentiate it from the polished, more structured play in Madden while staying true to the sport it is emulating.

Another aspect that really puts over the collegiate atmosphere is the in-game presentation. From mascots and marching bands to real-life traditions, games have a totally different vibe. There are a ton of lovely touches that sports fans will notice, such as turnover celebrations and stadium traditions. You’ll see the bulldog’s dog house in Georgia, for example, and that’s just one of many small touches that make this game really special.

The main offline mode is Dynasty, which is an in-depth career mode where you can either start out as a head coach or a coordinator. It’s up to you to decide if you want to transform a smaller school into a contender or take on the pressure of being a powerhouse right from the bat. The real difference from Madden’s franchise mode is the in-depth recruiting system, which has you trying to win over top prospects. It’s a huge focus in the mode and gives it a really distinct feel. Sure, you can streamline it if you just want to play football, but you’ll get the most out of it if you’re willing to dive into menus and go deep into recruitment.

For those who want to spend more time on the field, the Road to Glory mode is your best bet as you control one player and take them through their collegiate career. Balancing school work and athletics is on display as you’ll have to stay academically eligible and spend time studying rather than purely just working out or boosting your popularity. The mode takes advantage of NIL deals as well and feels like the best example of what life as a student-athlete is really like for college football stars.

Football Ultimate Team also arrives, with plenty of offline challenges and plenty of reasons to go online. One nice aspect is that EA is also celebrating the past decade they’ve missed by adding some former college stars into this mode, so you can get cards of players from the past as well. There’s also a ranked online mode called Road to the College Football Playoff, which has you going up against other players online — gaining more points for upsets over higher-tiered opponents. It’s a fun way to structure a ranked mode and gives players reasons to play more than just Georgia and top-ranked programs.

EA Sports College Football 25 was certainly worth the wait. It’s the most fun I’ve had in a football game in years and has a distinct feel that makes it more than just Madden with collegiate players and teams. I can’t wait to see where the series goes from here and am so glad it is finally back.

SCORE: 9/10

As ComingSoon’s review policy explains, a score of 9 equates to “Excellent.” Entertainment that reaches this level is at the top of its type. The gold standard that every creator aims to reach.

Disclosure: The publisher provided a PS5 code for our EA Sports College Football 25 review. Reviewed on version 1.004.000.