College football and video game fans have been waiting 11 years for the release of a new NCAA Football game from EA, and on Friday, all their dreams came true when EA released College Football 25. Name, image and likeness rights (which allow college athletes to get paid by companies that use their likeness) have been a game changer for EA.
Previously, EA was unable to release new games because NCAA rules meant it couldn't pay athletes who star in video games.
The game has taken the soccer and gaming world by storm, with over 2.2 million people already playing it during its pre-launch Early Access period. According to Circana's player engagement tracker, the game ranked third in daily active users for Xbox Series and fourth for PS5 in the US, even while still in Early Access.
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So what's all the buzz about? We've picked out the five best features of College Football 25 to help explain the craze EA has created.
Iconic atmosphere
CFB 25 includes more than 150 stadiums across 134 schools. EA designed the game with the philosophy that “every team is somebody's favorite,” ESPN college football analyst Kirk Herbstreit said in a trailer for the game.
So every school was considered when creating team traditions and atmosphere during games. EA partnered with ESPN to record crowd reaction audio from broadcasted games. Traditions include crowd themes, specific chants and cheers, hand gestures and more.
For example, Penn State's stands offer one of the best atmospheres in all of sports, but the addition of real audio recreates the essence of a game at Beaver Stadium in Happy Valley, while Rutgers fans perform the chop-hand motion that is a Rutgers football tradition.
tradition
Staying true to the game day theme, CFB 25 is packed with team traditions. Team runouts, rivalry rituals, mascots, touchdown traditions and more add to the already exciting game day atmosphere. When it comes to team introductions, EA researched and implemented each team's rituals.
Games include touching signs, a human tunnel made by cheerleaders and marching bands, fireworks and more. A mascot doing push-ups on a board? Planting a flag? Riding a bike? A buffalo racing across the field? CFB 25 has it all to make fans feel at home.
Dynasty: Recruiting
In Dynasty, players create a coach and take over a program, building the team into a national powerhouse. This game mode goes into great detail, especially when it comes to recruiting. At the start of each season, players can evaluate their talent needs before recruiting from a recruiting pool of over 3,500 high school players per season.
Tailoring a team's pitch to recruits' preferences hurts recruiting. The transfer portal adds another challenge for players trying to make the roster. Players can try to time it best to schedule school visits, reach out to friends and family, or even slide into recruits' DMs to boost their rankings.
Dynasty: Customization
Conference restructuring has sent shockwaves through the college football world. Dynasty allows players to create custom conferences, from 20-team power conferences to original conference lineups. Divisions, custom conference rules and more can be changed in-game.
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Team Builder
EA has created a Team Builder website where players can create custom teams and import them into their dynasty. Players can choose a name for their program, a nickname, uniform provider, logo, and team colors. They can then choose from 625 different uniform combinations with five uniform presets.
Helmet cosmetic options are detailed, including reflectivity for the facemask and options for matte, glossy, or chrome as a base. Players can add up to seven custom layers to their helmets. For jerseys, players can choose from Adidas, Nike, or Under Armour as the apparel brand.
Jersey assets also have layers, allowing players to place their own designs anywhere on the jersey. Finally, you can customize your home stadium. You can configure eight components of the stadium: crowd, logo, end zone, stadium, surface, bench, numbers, and sidelines. You can adjust the crowd and field colors, as well as the field logo.
Gameplay
CFB 25 balances fast tempo with solid defense. Players can quickly switch between defenders with the right stick to respond to fast attacks. There are 80 different player abilities, similar to superstar abilities from other games.
EA has introduced a new mechanic to the game called “Wear and Tear,” which means players will wear down as they take hits and run throughout the game.
The game also features a new kick meter, which increases speed and difficulty in unfavorable environments and distances.
