4 must-know details about EA Sports College Football 25

Key Takeaways

EA Sports College Football 25 features realistic team traditions and stadium atmospheres, as shown in the new trailer.
Game modes include Dynasty, Road to Glory, and Ultimate Team.
New features include varied playbooks, Campus IQ, and custom teams with player edits. The game releases on July 19.

After over a decade’s wait, EA Sports is finally bringing back one of the most beloved sports video games of all time. On Friday, after months of waiting and guessing what EA Sports College Football 25 will include and whether it will live up to the NCAA Football series that preceded it, there’s a lot more information available. For the record, it looks like the wait will be worth it.

Electronic Arts released a longer trailer on Friday, giving Sports College Football 25 fans a look at the game’s realism — both in graphics and what to expect with each school’s intro. Not long after the trailer was released, more information hit the internet, letting everyone know what to expect when the first major college football game since NCAA Football 14 hits store shelves on July 19.

EA Sports goes back to school: New College Football game announced

EA Sports, the studio behind the Madden NFL series of video games, has announced it is returning to college ranks with EA Sports College Football.

EA Sports College Football 25

The first entry in EA’s series since 2013’s NCAA Football 14, EA Sports College Football 25 is a sports sim that focuses on realistically capturing the college football scene.

Teams have unique traditions included in the game

Once people got past being excited to watch the trailer for the first college video game in years, there was plenty to glean from the new video. In the new release, EA showed several teams making their way into their respective stadiums. This was more than just a fun way to start things off — it showed a focus on making sure that when people boot up the game, they see their favorite teams looking like their favorite team.

The digital version of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish slapped the sign reading “Play Like a Champion Today,” while Clemson players rubbed Howard’s Rock as they took the field, just like the real players do before every real game. The USC Trojans’ warrior mascot rode his white horse, Traveler, onto the field before jamming his sword into the ground, identical to the real pregame ritual.

The USC Trojans’ warrior mascot rode his white horse, Traveler onto the field before jamming his sword into the field.

The stadiums themselves were shown off as looking just different enough to hint at how much of a carbon copy the virtual JMA Wireless Dome would be for the digital Syracuse Orange squad. EA Sports talked quite a bit about how much energy they were putting into making sure the atmosphere felt like college football. The developers showed that off on Friday.

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2 Game Modes

Dynasty is the focus but there’s more there

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Those who have been waiting so long to get their hands on a new college football video game have mostly been dreaming about making a fictional head coach and leading their school to glory. That feature will be available in EA Sports College Football 25, though it’s not clear if there will be a coaching carousel where players could start off at a lower-tier school, have some success, and jump to a bigger school.

EA confirmed on Friday that players will be able to “establish your coaching staff, recruit the best talent, utilize the transfer portal, and watch your program ascend to the sport’s pantheon.” As the release date approaches, more details about how the franchise mode will work are almost certainly on the way.

Establish your coaching staff, recruit the best talent, utilize the transfer portal, and watch your program ascend to the sport’s pantheon.

Users will also be able to insert themselves into the game as players in the Road to Glory mode. This year, players will have to balance playing time with keeping their GPA up and earning the coach’s trust. Should they not get on the field as much as they’d like, players will also be able to have their created characters transfer to another program.

Road to the College Football Playoff mode was also announced. While there are no details for this mode, it seems to be a one-season run for those who don’t want to invest a ton of time into building a program. This would likely be a one-off attempt to win a national championship.

Finally, longtime Madden players will recognize the Ultimate Team mode. This mode will allow users to acquire players and build all-star rosters that they can then use in head-to-head online contests. Electronic Arts has long been including one type of Ultimate Team in its sports games. Users are encouraged to purchase in-game credits with real money, and these microtransactions have long been incredibly lucrative for the company.

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Get ready to speak triple-option

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The first piece of good news is that Electronic Arts plans to offer a variety of playbooks to match the styles of real college programs. That means USC will run plays from a version of the Air Raid offense, while Army will run the triple option, and everything in between. Of course, users can try to get Army to go pass-happy if they want to put their own stamp on a school, but what’s on offer will be realistic.

EA is also introducing a feature called Campus IQ, which includes players wearing down and getting injured under conditions that mirror real life. Campus IQ will also include different effects, such as the quarterback not being able to throw to certain receivers and the screen shaking to give the home team an advantage in a traditionally rowdy stadium. This feature is similar to what EA already does in its Madden games when a team’s quarterback gets “rattled” as momentum shifts toward their opponent.

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4 Customization we’ve been waiting for

Custom team is coming back

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One aspect of EA Sports College Football 25 that fans have been eagerly awaiting more information about since the game was first announced is whether users can edit teams and player names. While it’s still not clear how much customization will be included, Electronic Arts will allow users to create their own team (perhaps from the FCS or a lower division) and bring them into big-time college football.

Electronic Arts will allow users to make their own team (perhaps from the FCS or even lower divisions) and bring them into big-time college football.

Custom Team being a thing would seem to indicate that users can edit player names, though it’s not clear where the limits might be since the series originally ended because real-life players didn’t like their names and likenesses being in the game without getting compensated. With NIL now incorporated, players in the game are being compensated. Will users be able to find a way to put those who opt out back in? Electronic Arts will likely answer that question between now and the July 19 release date.