With the release of EA Sports College Football 25 just two months away, we’ve now got our first glimpse of what the game looks like in action, courtesy of a proper trailer that publisher Electronic Arts released Friday morning.
Transitioning from Guns N’ Roses’ original recording of “Welcome to the Jungle” — a quintessential hype-up-the-fans song — into a marching band version is a very nice touch in this trailer. And it plays over footage of storied college football traditions from all over the country: unique team entrances (with, for the first time, real names on the backs of jerseys), mascots getting everyone into a frenzy, and crowds singing fight songs. It’s clear that developer EA Tiburon has gone to great lengths to bring the game-day atmosphere of college football to life in College Football 25.
EA also revealed the first details about College Football 25’s modes and gameplay, confirming the return of the fan-favorite franchise and career modes — Dynasty and Road to Glory, respectively — as well as a new competitive online offering called Road to the College Football Playoff. In that mode, players can choose a school and work toward winning a national championship by progressing through divisions and earning rank. In a way, its existence can be seen as a nod to the 11-year gap between EA’s college football games: The College Football Playoff wasn’t a thing when EA released NCAA Football 14 back in 2013. And, yes, EA’s microtransaction-based fantasy team setup, Ultimate Team, figures to be a major part of the game, especially now that EA can use players’ real names.
Online play in College Football 25 will support cross-platform play, according to an FAQ on the game’s website. People on both PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X will be able to play each other in the Road to the College Football Playoff and College Football Ultimate Team modes, as well as in head-to-head matches with friends.
In addition, EA Tiburon is bringing back Team Builder, the web-based feature that allowed players to set up their own college football program by designing a school’s logos, uniforms, helmets, and stadiums. After creating a football program, players will be able to import it into their game for use in the Dynasty mode and offline exhibition games. The Team Builder app will also allow players to browse other people’s uploaded creations.
College football doesn’t look the same on the field as the NFL, and EA Tiburon is touting some new (and returning) gameplay features this year to differentiate the action not just in general, but on a team-by-team basis. One is a gamified version of home-field advantage: If you’re taking Ohio State into the Big House for a showdown with the Wolverines, expect “distractions like screen shaking, missing pre-play icons, and moving play art,” according to EA. The developers are also introducing a wear-and-tear system that will force you to manage fatigue and make the right substitutions at the right times to prevent players from becoming tired (and making mistakes).
Off the field, EA is bringing back a bunch of veterans from ESPN’s college football broadcasts for audio commentary in College Football 25. Chris Fowler and Kirk Herbstreit will call “marquee matchups,” said EA, while Rece Davis, Jesse Palmer, and David Pollack will handle all other games.
EA Sports College Football 25 will be released July 19 on PS5 and Xbox Series X. While EA is also pairing it with Madden NFL 25 (which is scheduled for an Aug. 16 debut) in a package called the MVP Bundle, there’s no word yet on whether there will be any cross-game functionality between the two.
Update: We’ve added more details about College Football 25’s modes and features, along with a few new screenshots, to this story.
