“Finally, it is here,” says the announcer in the first trailer for EA Sports College Football 25, kicking off the countdown to the release of the first College Football game in 11 years.
The trailer doesn’t show off much gameplay, but in a press release, publisher Electronic Arts revealed the game will have a number of exclusive features that will differentiate it from the regular Madden NFL 25. The big one is CampusIQ, which EA promises will bring new depth to the college football experience. There’s also a new Wear & Tear System that’ll have players experience poorer health and fatigue if you don’t use strategy to change them out and let them rest. Then there’s Pre-Snap Recognition, where the decisions you make matter more. Finally, there’s Homefield Advantage, where the game will try and distract you with things like screen shaking.
While College Football 25 will be bringing back the Dynasty and Road to Glory modes players might be familiar with, it’ll also feature two new modes. One is Road to the College Football Playoff, which will have you choose a school and move through the ranks. Then there’s College Football Ultimate Team, where you can build a team with a roster of iconic players and play in online competitive modes. Dynasty and Road to Glory will also get some much-needed changes, including some major updates.
EA also revealed that players will be able to pre-rder a $150 bundle with both College Football 25 Deluxe Edition and Madden NFL 25‘s Deluxe Edition. This MVP Bundle, which will be available on Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5, will also feature three-day early access, extra points, and other perks. College Football 25 will be released on July 19 on the two current-gen consoles.
The last EA college football game was NCAA Football 14 in 2013, after which the NCAA didn’t renew its contract with the game publisher. EA and the NCAA were constantly embroiled in legal disputes, as the original contract allowed EA to use the name and some logos, but not the real names of players. At the time, the NCAA did not pay college athletes for the use of their name or likeness, so therefore they could not receive a payout from a video game. That has changed since then, with the NCAA announcing it would allow players to get paid in 2021.
