EA Sports College Football 25: Release Date, Features, and What to Expect

After a hiatus of more than a decade, college football is making its grand return to the virtual gridiron with EA Sports College Football 25. The game was discontinued in 2013 amid disputes about NIL, player likeness being in the game, and athlete compensation. With the modern age of NIL, and players being able to be paid for their name, image, and likeness, it opened the door for the return of the college football video game that was loved by so many fans for years. Longtime fans of football video games have been waiting more than a decade to be able to play with their favorite college programs in this format again. Millions of video gamers and college football fans alike have yearned for since the last release of the AAA hit in 2013. This new edition marks the first time a college football video game has been released with the use of real-life player names. So it will make the experience even more enjoyable.

Release Date and Availability

The official release date for EA Sports College Football 25 is set for Friday, July 19. However, those who purchase the Deluxe Edition will gain 3-day early access starting on Tuesday, July 16. Preorders are available until July 18, 2024.

Platforms

EA Sports College Football 25 will be available on the following platforms:

PlayStation 5
Xbox Series X
Xbox Series S

The Hiatus and Return

EA Sports was forced to discontinue college football video games due to the Keller vs. (2013) case, which led to the court's ruling that players' likenesses could not be used in the games if the athletes were not being compensated. The courts ruled that doing this violated the rights of all the players used in the games. The NCAA v. Alston case, however, led to the Supreme Court ruling in favor of player compensation. Therefore now, players can be paid for their name, image and likeness.

Cover Athletes

EA Sports College Football 25 will have three cover athletes: Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers, Michigan running back Donovan Edwards and Colorado's two-way star athlete, Travis Hunter, with the Cotton Bowl as the backdrop.

Game Editions

As most AAA releases have now, EA Sports College Football 25 will come with three different editions: Standard, Deluxe and MVP.

Featured Teams and Programs

On February 22, 2024, EA Sports announced that all 134 Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) programs would be featured in EA Sports College Football 25 but the 128 Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) programs would not be included at launch.

Commentary Team

That same day, ESPN's lead college football commentary team of Chris Fowler and Kirk Herbstreit announced that they would be featured as commentators. Herbstreit was a commentator in EA's original NCAA Football series until its hiatus after NCAA Football 14. Two broadcast teams are featured in the game. Kirk Herbstreit and Chris Fowler will handle big games, while Jesse Palmer, David Pollack and Rece Davis will be on the call for the rest.

Gameplay Trailer

A 21-minute gameplay trailer was premiered on July 8, 2024, featuring YouTuber Bordeaux and cover athlete Donovan Edwards. They played two games, with Edwards winning both with raw gameplay being revealed soon after. As well as the trailer, the day after, an Ultimate Team Deep Dive was posted. On July 12, 2024, YouTubers and Twitch Streamers who are in EA's Creator Network program got access to a nearly final edition of the game, in which rebuilds, player careers, and raw gameplay were shortly uploaded and streamed on YouTube, Twitch, and other platforms.

In-Game Experience

A big selling point of the in-game experience are the atmospheres that users will encounter. It will feel exactly like a Saturday on campus. According to EA Sports, the game will feature "traditional team run-outs, rivalry rituals, synchronized crowd-chants, loudness meters as well as real game-day audio, fight songs and, of course, mascots." Players in the game will be impacted by the wear and tear system. So it will be important to manage their health by not allowing them to become fatigued.

Read also: Crafting Your NCAA Profile

Game Modes

Dynasty Mode: Take over a college football program and serve as its head coach, offensive coordinator and defensive coordinator while playing up to 30 seasons. Every component of college football has been accounted for in dynasty mode, including the recruiting process, which appears to be more in-depth than ever before.
Road to Glory: Road to Glory mode is also returning in College Football 25. This is a career mode in which the user controls their student-athlete (who can be a quarterback, running back, wide receiver, linebacker or cornerback) and plays through his collegiate career. There's a lot more to it, though, than just playing games.
Ultimate Team: Like the Madden series, College Football 25 will have Ultimate Team. The mode allows users to build a team by acquiring cards and then playing challenges, head-to-head seasons and more. All CUT player items are non-auctionable and non-tradeable. CUT items also may require logging into the CUT in-game store. Some content may require gameplay to unlock.
Road to the College Football Playoff: Road to the College Football Playoff will allow users to try to climb the poll and take their school to a national championship. The new 12-team CFP format will be utilized.

NIL and Player Inclusion

Following the release of the series' previous entry in 2013, Electronic Arts (EA) settled a lawsuit brought by former college football players who argued their name, image and, likeness (NIL) were used without permission or compensation. Initially, player names and likenesses were not to be included in the game. Because of this, several schools, including Notre Dame, Tulane and Northwestern refused to join the game until NIL rules were finalized. EA Sports responded by stating "player name, image and likeness is not currently planned for the game. However, we are watching the developments in this area closely and are prepared to take steps to include players should that opportunity arise." At the time, the NCAA had delayed and not voted on new NIL rules, but over two dozen states had either passed or proposed laws so that institutions couldn't enforce the NCAA's NIL rules. The 2021 United States Supreme Court case NCAA. v.

Pre-Order Bonuses & Deluxe Edition Content

This promotional offer expires upon release of EA SPORTS College Football 25. Good only for new purchases of EA SPORTS College Football 25 (“Product”) at participating retailers. You must redeem your single-use code (if a code is required), log into the game, and log into Ultimate Team mode while connected to EA servers (together these steps are referred to as “redeem”) to access pre-order content (Alma Mater Ultimate Team Pack [Choice of 1 out of 134 player items]; Cover Athlete Ultimate Team Pack [choice of 1 of 3 player items]; and Bring Glory Home Ultimate Team Uniform Item). All pre-order content for use with one EA account and is non-transferrable. All player items and packs for use in College Football Ultimate Team (“CUT”). All CUT player items are non-auctionable and non-tradeable. CUT items also may require logging into the CUT in-game store. Some content may require gameplay to unlock. Access to content may require registration with a single-use code. Consult your retailer for distribution details. Pre-order content will not be available if you redeem after July 19, 2025. Offer has no cash value and may not be substituted, exchanged, or sold for cash, goods, or services. May not be combined with other offers or prepaid card redeemable for the applicable content unless expressly authorized by EA. Customer is responsible for applicable sales tax. Acceptance of EA User Agreement (terms.ea.com) and Privacy & Cookie Policy (privacy.ea.com) required to play. Internet connection required. EA and applicable platform accounts may be required for online features and/or pre-order content. Age restrictions apply. See o.ea.com/ea/child-access and applicable platform account for details. Mandatory content updates may be downloaded automatically, require additional storage, incur bandwidth usage fees, and require an additional purchase to access. EA may retire online features with 30 days notice at ea.com/service-updates.

This promotional offer expires June 27, 2024 11:59 pm Eastern Time. Good only for new purchases of EA SPORTS College Football 25 Deluxe Edition (“Product”) at participating retailers. You must redeem your single-use code (if a code is required), log into the game, and log into Ultimate Team mode while connected to EA servers (together these steps are referred to as “redeem”) to access pre-order & Deluxe Edition content (Heisman Hopeful Ultimate Team Pack [Choice of 1 out of 5 Player Items]; Alma Mater Ultimate Team Pack [Choice of 1 out of 134 player items]; Cover Athlete Ultimate Team Pack [choice of 1 of 3 player items]; Bring Glory Home Ultimate Team Uniform Item; 4600 College Football Points; and up to 3 days early access to Product). All pre-order & Deluxe Edition content for use with one EA account and is non-transferrable. All player items and packs for use in College Football Ultimate Team (“CUT”). All CUT player items are non-auctionable and non-tradeable. CUT items may also require logging into the CUT in-game store. Some content may require gameplay to unlock. Access to content may require registration with a single-use code. Consult your retailer for distribution details. For retail preorders, see retailer for early access distribution details and pick-up time. For digital pre-orders, Product will be available to download once early access period begins on July 15, 2024 4:00 pm Eastern Time. Early access will not be available if you redeem after July 18, 2024. All other pre-order content will not be available if you redeem after July 19, 2025. Offer has no cash value and may not be substituted, exchanged, or sold for cash, goods, or services. May not be combined with other offers or prepaid card redeemable for the applicable content unless expressly authorized by EA. Customer is responsible for applicable sales tax. Acceptance of EA User Agreement (terms.ea.com) and Privacy & Cookie Policy (privacy.ea.com) required to play. Internet connection required. EA and applicable platform accounts may be required for online features, Deluxe Edition and/or pre-order content. Age restrictions apply. See o.ea.com/ea/child-access and applicable platform account for details. Mandatory content updates may be downloaded automatically, require additional storage, incur bandwidth usage fees, and require an additional purchase to access. EA may retire online features with 30 days notice at ea.com/service-updates.

This promotional offer expires upon release of EA SPORTS College Football 25. Good only for new purchases of EA SPORTS College Football 25 Deluxe Edition (“Product”) at participating retailers. You must redeem your single-use code (if a code is required), log into the game, and log into Ultimate Team mode while connected to EA servers (together these steps are referred to as “redeem”) to access pre-order & Deluxe Edition content (Alma Mater Ultimate Team Pack [Choice of 1 out of 134 player items]; Cover Athlete Ultimate Team Pack [choice of 1 of 3 player items]; Bring Glory Home Ultimate Team Uniform Item; 4600 College Football Points; and up to 3 days early access to Product). All pre-order & Deluxe Edition content for use with one EA account and is non-transferrable. All player items and packs for use in College Football Ultimate Team (“CUT”). All CUT player items are non-auctionable and non-tradeable. CUT items may also require logging into the CUT in-game store. Some content may require gameplay to unlock. Access to content may require registration with a single-use code. Consult your retailer for distribution details. For retail preorders, see retailer for early access distribution details and pick-up time. For digital pre-orders, Product will be available to download once early access period begins on July 15, 2024 4:00 pm Eastern Time. Early access will not be available if you redeem after July 18, 2024. All other pre-order content will not be available if you redeem after July 19, 2025. Offer has no cash value and may not be substituted, exchanged, or sold for cash, goods, or services. May not be combined with other offers or prepaid card redeemable for the applicable content unless expressly authorized by EA. Customer is responsible for applicable sales tax. Acceptance of EA User Agreement (terms.ea.com) and Privacy & Cookie Policy (privacy.ea.com) required to play. Internet connection required. EA and applicable platform accounts may be required for online features, Deluxe Edition and/or pre-order content. Age restrictions apply. See o.ea.com/ea/child-access and applicable platform account for details. Mandatory content updates may be downloaded automatically, require additional storage, incur bandwidth usage fees, and require an additional purchase to access. EA may retire online features with 30 days notice at ea.com/service-updates.

Alabama Crimson Tide in the Game

During the gameplay trailer, Alabama made a handful of appearances. Alabama's defense and the turnover belt were highlighted, as well as the upcoming Alabama and Georgia game. Jalen Milroe was sacked in the video by Georgia linebacker Mykel Williams. On the next play, EA Sports paid tribute to the historic 4th and 31 play from Alabama's Iron Bowl win over Auburn with Milroe finding a player in the back left corner of the endzone.

Top Player Ratings

Michigan CB Will Johnson: 96
LSU LT Will Campbell: 96
Oklahoma State HB Ollie Gordon II: 96
Tennessee RE James Pearce Jr.: 95
Ohio State FS Caleb Downs: 95
Colorado WR Travis Hunter: 95
Georgia FS Malaki Starks: 95
Michigan DT Mason Graham: 95
Ohio State HB Quinshon Judkins: 95
Georgia RG Tate Ratledge: 95
Missouri WR Luther Burden III: 94
Notre Dame CB Benjamin Morrison: 94
Texas LT Kelvin Banks Jr.: 94
Arizona WR Tetairoa McMillan: 94
Clemson ROLB Barrett Carter: 94
Iowa MLB Jay Higgins: 94
Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders: 93
Georgia QB Carson Beck: 93
Ohio State WR Emeka Egbuka: 93
Georgia LOLB Mykel Williams: 93
Kentucky RE Deone Walker: 93
North Carolina HB Omarion Hampton: 93
Ohio State HB TreVeyon Henderson: 93
Minnesota LT Aireontae Ersery: 93
California HB Jaydn Ott: 93
Ole Miss DT Walter Nolen: 93

Complete player ratings can be found at EA.com.

Licensed Music

Other licensed music appearing in College Football 25 includes "Sandstorm", "Mo Bamba", "Kernkraft 400", "Welcome to the Jungle", "Wave on Wave", and an instrumental of "Talkin' Out the Side of Your Neck".

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