It's no exaggeration to say College Football 25 from EA Sports is the most-hyped sports video game release of all time.

So ends the hiatus for the beloved series, which offered its last previous entry in 2013. More than a decade in the making and an entire console generation later, fans have had since early 2021 to build anticipation for the release since the announcement of its return.

And CFB 25 arrives as a proverbial breath of fresh air to a stagnant football game market but encounters immense challenges. So much beyond simple console horsepower has changed—headlined by real-world developments, chief among them name, image and, likeness (NIL).

Given more time than typical annual sports games to cook, though, CFB 25 has a chance to shock the system while providing the groundwork for a powerhouse yearly franchise to keep building into something great.

Gameplay

Like its predecessors did long ago, CFB 25 leans into the quicker tempo and skill gaps found across the collegiate landscape.

It's not an arcade game by any means, but CFB 25 also isn't nearly as slow as its professional, simulation-based counterpart Madden. Explosive offensive plays happen early and often, just like on the college field itself, and timing is of the utmost importance.

The game is, in a word, fun. It runs the expected gamut of features like Madden, be it different types of passes, runs, formations, audibles, hot routes, etc. As a whole, things are just looser and players quicker than Madden, giving plenty of pick-up-and-play potential alongside some surprisingly in-depth gameplay.

But defenses aren't done dirty here.

In fact, the game goes to a great length to innovate in the name of balance. An aptly named "switch stick" lets players flick across defensive formations quickly to compensate for the increased pace. At first, using the right stick on defense to switch defenders is tough to get a grasp on, but it's a breeze before long—and it becomes apparent very quickly that it will reshape high-end competitive play in a way most probably wouldn't have predicted.

Perhaps one of the concerns (and most alluring parts, too) of the gameplay was how it might handle options. Quarterbacks are more lethal than ever on the digital gridiron thanks to different pitch speeds and pulls. But it manages not to feel overpowered, either, mostly thanks to the quality physics and that switch stick that permits quick defensive decisions.

CFB 25's version of superstar abilities or x-factors found in other sports efforts are merely called player abilities. There are 80 in the game and these are split into four tiers, from bronze to platinum. The easiest example is that a quarterback with platinum abilities will be able to diagnose much at the line of scrimmage before a snap, whereas passers at lesser tiers won't.

It was always going to be interesting to see how CFB 25 handled the balance between arcade and simulation in terms of player fatigue systems, which don't always hit the mark properly in sports games. But it's handled well here, with the "Wear and Tear" mechanic having realistic fatigue gauges that say, punish a player who leans on a starting running back to take 40 carries in a game—that ball-carrier simply won't be at their best the following week.

It isn't just all about the tempo of gameplay, though. While the game offers a simpler, almost arcadeish type of passing meters, it manages to feel better than Madden's aerial attack. Ratings seem to matter more, which especially shows up when considering the velocity of throws into tight windows, while players have more options to get precise on different types of throws.

CFB 25 also opens up hot routes more than ever before in a football game by letting players choose routes at the line of scrimmage based on both analog sticks and on the directional pad—while also picking how they stem on the field. It's a little thing that will resets the bar for what football fans will come to expect.

Special teams sees some changes too, though they might register as more polarizing. A new kicking meter still tasks players with properly timing accuracy and power, yes, but the speed at which the meters move, especially in an unfriendly environment, mean longer kicks are harder than ever.

While it isn't perfect, and the switch stick or other elements might need tweaks once the playerbase gets its hands on it, CFB 25's gameplay is fun, befitting of the college level and offers something the sports landscape has been desperately missing.

Graphics and Presentation

Say hello to the king of gameday atmosphere once again.

CFB 25 makes sure to puff its chest out with the tagline "Every school is someone's favorite school" when alluding to its presentation efforts.

And it nails it.

The game is a stunning treat for the eyes, and it's not just because we haven't seen these things digitized in so long. Players look fantastic, their attire boasts proper physics and reflections and the stadiums are vast with depth. It's perhaps the first time next-generation horsepower has really amplified a football experience to eyebrow-raising clarity, especially in motion.

Details are king, of course. More than 150 stadiums and their crowds properly reflect traditions, such as Penn State's White Out or even smaller-scale ones such as Cincinnati's red and black striped efforts.

This includes dynamic attendance details, which feature onlookers wearing proper weather-based attire, too, plus differing sheer attendance numbers based on factors like program size, season win-loss records, etc. Admittedly, though, when the crowd isn't motion-blurred in the background or giving close-up shots of specific fans, it can look messy and dated. But it's a minor complaint in a presentation package that is otherwise, frankly, a little startling in its realism. There were a few times when the instant replay that ran while picking the next play could easily be confused as the game looping in real-world highlights.

And yes, the famous screen shake is back—walking into one of the top 25 toughest places to play means a player's routes on screen could fade, audibles could go misunderstood and the shake could impact pre-snap duties.

Chris Fowler and Kirk Herbstreit take to the booth for big moments such as conference championships and CFP games, while also being spotlighted as the voices behind game modes like Dynasty and Road to Glory.

Otherwise, Rece Davis, Jesse Palmer, and David Pollack handle broadcast duties well, admittedly with the benefit of not having their lines recycled for years on end prior to this.

The game's user interface (UI) just does the little things well, too. Of note is a pre-snap screen that shows information such as wear and tear and even green-red matchup highlights.

Dynasty, Road to Glory and More

Dynasty is back and better than ever.

This time, it's a 30-year romp or even online with up to 32 players, should they seek it. Players will balance job duties as a head coach or coordinator while filling out skill trees and helping to recruit rosters.

Recruiting was perhaps the most enjoyable aspect of past efforts before the hiatus and fans will be happy to hear it is still great fun despite some tweaks. The changes veteran players will notice most is the simple disallowing of spreading points out far and wide to get a look at every single prospect entering the college level.

Now, time and resource restrictions mean players must pick and choose wisely on the recruiting path. Going all-in on blue-chip prospects could only backfire, especially with it still being so enjoyable and important on the field to find those hidden gems.

It's just straight-up fun to see how the game has modernized to meet the times in this area, too. Players can direct message a recruit or chat with their families to find out their interests, sure. But if the player's program isn't offering what the recruit wants, such as immediate contention, they probably have zero chance at them. Likewise, smaller programs really need to work to land even a handful of four-star recruits, creating a realistc-feeling grind for those incredibly fun long-term rebuilds.

There's a new wrinkle that reflects the real world, too—the transfer portal. Suddenly, keeping up with individual player goals isn't just a video game gimmick. Should a gamer fail to keep tabs on these, they could lose valuable program members to transfer, which creates an enjoyable recruiting-like minigame across rosters.

Road to Glory also returns and lets players pick from a handful of different positions (QB, WR, RB, MLB, or CB) while being tasked with balancing academics vs. building a brand. It's a fun mode to mess around with while pursuing NIL deals and the like, with a careful balance needed so that non-football time spent doesn't negatively impact on-field performance.

And yes, there's an export feature. Players can create superstars and then transfer them to Madden NFL 25 to continue their careers at the professional level.

College Ultimate Team arrives as one of the major evolutions since the series last released. It offers solo challenges and crossplay-enabled head-to-head seasons, so players can engage with it how they prefer while collecting.

Interestingly, Ultimate Team might feel a little... redundant for a big portion of the player base. Recruiting in Dynasty mode is just so good again that it sort of overshadows the collection-based mode that is so popular in other games. The game tries to hedge some of that by leaning into past legends as collectibles, but it wouldn't be a shocker to see the mode fall far behind compared to Ultimate Team counterparts found in Madden and others.

Road to the College Football Playoff is the other notable mode at launch and, to summarize provides bite-sized three-minute games, where wins can help players hop up rankings into better divisions. It's fun and will be interesting to see what and how modifiers shake up the experience, but its appeal might be limited to more competitive and online players.

CFB 25 does match the modern times with its list of options, including the expected sliders, as well as accessibility features. It does face a big task post-launch of keeping up with its 100-plus teams now that real names are in the game, but there's no reason to believe updates won't be accurate and frequent.

Conclusion

There is, admittedly, a bit of a honeymoon or grace period for CFB 25 simply because it is so refreshing to have the collegiate game back, and the process of recruiting and building a program has no equal in the video game space.

Impressively, CFB 25 doesn't need that grace. It's an immersive stunner from a presentation standpoint, as any collegiate football game should be, and gameplay is a fast-paced blast.

The quality here also seems to be proof to the idea that the annual release cycle does harm to sports games and that, with just four "main" modes, less can be more. Should the series fall back into the annual cycle while making minimal tweaks, then the goodwill earned will fade fast.

But for now, CFB 25 is a fantastic re-debut that manages to match the hype and unfortunately for the rest of the market, it's probably got the crown of 2024's top sports game locked down.