EA Sports College Football 25 review: Just enough to be worth the wait

After a whopping 11-year hiatus, EA Sports revived a fan-favorite franchise in College Football 25.

The server issues during early access say it all, as fans flocked to play College Football 25 at the earliest opportunity, many of whom upgraded their consoles to do so, diving into the authenticity we’ve come to expect of EA Sports titles.

Though it far from reinvents the wheel, College Football 25 does enough to deliver on the expectations of a passionate fan base to spark new life into the series and develop a serious rival for Madden.

Great expectations

Many players, myself included, were concerned to see EA Sports at the helm of the title due to their long-term NFL partnership with the Madden franchise. The fear was that College Football 25 would simply be a carbon copy of Madden, with the only difference being different players and teams.

Admittedly, there are a lot of similarities between Madden and College Football 25‘s gameplay, but that’s somewhat expected—it’s the same sport, after all. Fortunately, Road to Glory and Dynasty modes feel different enough from Madden’s Superstar and Franchise modes.

Balancing college life and your time on the field in Road to Glory is delicate, while Dynasty strangely feels a lot more inviting to newer players than Madden despite the depth (and importance) of recruiting.

Overall, the only carbon copy of Madden comes in Ultimate Team, which is to be expected and, frankly, welcomed given how much attention goes into EA Sports’ money-spinning mode every year—it’s time other modes were given their chance to shine.

Diamond Dynasty

Without a doubt, Dynasty is where College Football 25 truly excels. Starting a coaching career, whether immediately diving in as a Head Coach or choosing to stick with the Offense or Defense initially, feels a lot more rewarding than Madden’s Franchise mode ever has over the past decade.

In comparison to College teams, NFL outfits are often a lot more established, and after only a short while, you can quickly turn any team into a genuine contender—and while that remains possible in Dynasty, depending on your choice, it’s certainly a lot more of a long-term goal.

I started my Dynasty as an Offensive Coordinator with the Washington State Cougars, a middle-of-the-road PAC-12 side, and it’s been a hell of a ride. There have been plenty of thrilling matches and late comebacks, pushed by the new Adaptive AI feature, and the fight to secure top players in recruitment has kept me occupied. 

I’ve started celebrating when a Bye Week appears, giving me more time to focus on recruitment and immediately see how my efforts have paid off. There’s no better feeling than making the cut in a five-star recruit’s top picks—though lower-ranked recruits are just as critical to bolster your depth.

Dynasty isn’t perfect, though, particularly with clunky menus that have led me to offer Scholarships to players I didn’t want to and making it impossible to quickly check a player’s stats or my schedule, but it’s certainly good enough to keep me busy.

Rose-tinted glasses

The main struggle I have with College Football 25 is working out whether this is a genuine step forward for EA or whether I’m influenced by the fact it’s been over a decade since NCAA 14.

College Football 25 was always going to sell well, but how will the situation look next year in another installment? Will we be sucked into the same rinse-and-repeat cycle EA Sports has cornered itself into with Madden and EA FC?

Only time will tell, but overall, College Football 25 is more fun than I’ve had in years in any Madden title, which is surely a victory in itself.

7

EA Sports College Football 25

Pros

• Dynasty is a delight
• Fills the College Football void
• Every FSB program features

Cons

• Clunky UI and menus
• Regular server issues cause frustration

A cope of this game was provided by EA for review. Reviewed on Xbox Series X.