College Football 25 has been one of the most hyped-up games of the decade, and it hasn’t disappointed. Released on July 19, 2024, the game has already generated tens of millions of dollars, and sales continue to rise.

A major reason for the hype was that the last time a college football game was released was in 2014. Ten years later, College Football 25 has many new and improved game features and modes.

Game Modes

Dynasty Mode, one of their many game modes, allows you to choose and manage a team. You can scout, train, and use your players to try and win a national championship, ideally leading your team to your dynasty.

Zachary Tomas, a passionate college football 25 player, plays Dynasty a lot. “I like the customizability, and I like how you can compete with 5-star teams to try and get 5-star players.”

Another game mode featured is Road to Glory. In Road to Glory, you create your player, choose your position, and choose the college in which you want to pursue your career. As you progress, you level up and make your player one of the top players in the country.

Additionally, College Football 25 has added Road to the College Football Playoff. With this game mode, you can choose and use your favorite team’s lineup and try to coach your team to the College Football Playoff.

The last game mode you can choose from is Ultimate Team. In this game mode, you earn, buy, or pull your players out of a pack. With these players, you get to compete in online games, solo battles, or other challenges. 

Features

College Football 25 has implemented many new features.

One new and unique feature is the Wear and Tear feature. With this feature, all players are affected by hits all over the body throughout the season. This can lead to your quarterback not throwing accurate passes or your running back fumbling more often. The cool thing about this feature is that it simulates reality well, as football players must overcome and fight through injuries as the season progresses, some of which limit their effectiveness in games.

Another realistic feature College Football 25 added is home-field advantage. When you are playing a game, whichever team is the home team will get a massive advantage. In fact, each team’s stadium has a different impact on each team.

For example, teams playing Texas A&M or in Tiger Stadium find it more difficult to play against other teams because of their more significant stadium pulses. 

As an away team in these hostile venues, you can expect many changes affecting your performance. For instance, your screen can shake, your players’ routes can be shaky, and your audibles and changes pre-play might not be understood. This also represents reality because it’s much harder to play at Tiger Stadium than at other venues with a less imposing crowd.

“I really like how it brings the real-life atmosphere into the game,” Saint Paul’s sophomore Owen Daniels Smith stated.

EA Sports has also implemented turbo mode. Turbo mode allows the offense to run a quick tempo to throw the defense off its track. Although this feature sounds good, it has some downsides. 

One of the downsides of turbo mode is the no audible feature. Typically, right before the play, you can do things like read defenses, adjust your offenses, or change your play. With turbo mode, however, you don’t have the ability to make these changes.

Field goal kicking has been the same for the past years in games like Madden, but College Football 25 has a new and improved way of kicking. With the new kicking feature, you have two separate meters to try to control: power and accuracy.

When setting up for a field goal, the kicking meter will move quickly or slowly, depending on your situation. For example, if you are kicking a game-winning field goal, your accuracy meter will move quickly, making it hard to time up.

“The new kicking meter is a good addition to the game because it both made the gameplay more realistic and more competitive to the average player,” stated Saint Paul’s senior Vinceio Montalbano.

Overall Thoughts

When I heard that College Football 25 was coming out, I thought it would just be a Madden remake. However, after playing the game, I realized it has way more features and better gameplay than any other football game on the market.

I enjoy the Road to Dynasty game mode, where I can create and use my player. Features like the transfer portal or even the GPA meter make the game more realistic and fun.

The game is fast-paced, and players have smoother movements, which is nice for the overall experience.

EA Sports has done a great job producing a quality game that should age well.