Plenty of questions still surround the new EA Sports College Football video game and there is no shortage of hype and speculation.
In this article we’ll cover what we know, what we don’t know, and (when appropriate) what we think.
Updated May 16th, 2024
The First Trailer
EA Sports has released the first trailer for the new game. You can check that out below:
What Will The Game Be Called?
The franchise formerly known as NCAA Football will take the new name of EA Sports College Football.
While many in the media are referring to the upcoming game as NCAA Football 24, that will not be the title and is inaccurate for a couple of reasons.
First, EA does not have the license to use the “NCAA” trademark in the new video game.
Second, the way EA titles their sports games implies that it will be a “25” instead of a “24.”
The new game will actually be called, “EA Sports College Football 25.”
When Will It Be Released?
EA Sports has confirmed that College Football 25 will be released on Friday, July 19th. If you purchase the Deluxe ($99.99) or MVP editions ($149.99) of the game, you will receive early access on Tuesday, July 16th.
What Consoles Will It Be On?
College Football 25 will be released exclusively on PlayStation 5 and XBOX Series X/S. It will not be available on the previous generation of consoles like PlayStation 4 and XBOX One.
It will not be available on PC either.
For those of your still holding out on purchasing one of the newer consoles, this is your sign to upgrade.
Will Cross Platform Play Be Enabled?
Crossplay allows users on XBOX to play against users on PlayStation. This is a trend that’s been catching on recently in the sports video game world.
The EA Sports FC franchise and the Madden franchise have both recently started enabling crossplay so all signs point to it being in College Football 25 but EA Sports has not explicitly confirmed this yet.
What Game Modes Will Be In It?
Dynasty Mode, Road To Glory, and Ultimate Team are all confirmed to be in. Beyond that, we haven’t heard anything.
Will Real Names Be Used In The Game?
Yes, real names of NCAA Football players will be used in the new game. The days of downloading special rosters or being stuck with your star quarterback being named QB#7 are over.
EA will compensate each college football players that opts in with $600 and a free copy of the game.
Over 10,000 athletes have already signed on as of March 4th, 2024 with still more expected to sign before the game’s release.
Will Every Current NCAA Football Player Be In The Game?
The vast majority of players you recognize will be in the game. However, many colleges have over 100 players on their team at any given time. For this reason some of the 3rd, 4th, and 5th string players may not be 100% accurately represented in the game.
EA Sports’ stated goal is to sign at least 85 of the most prominent players on each FBS team prioritizing first and second string players. They’ve already announced they’ve signed over 12,000 college football players to be in the game.
Note: There may be a high profile player here and there that doesn’t agree to the usage of his name, image, and likeness but we expect those to be few and far between.
What Universities/Colleges Will Be In It?
All 134 FBS teams are confirmed to be in the game.
Will Real Life Coaches Be Included?
No, the focus right now is to get the student athletes in the game. Real college coaches including head coaches, offensive coordinators and defensive coordinators will not be in the game.
What Conferences Will Be In The Game?
All 10 FBS conferences have signed on. That includes the Power 5 conferences:
- SEC
- BIG 10
- BIG 12
- PAC-12 (if it still exists)
- ACC
As well as the lesser known “Group of 5” conferences:
- C-USA
- MAC
- Mountain West
- Sun Belt
- AAC
What About FCS teams and HBCUs?
FCS and HBCUs will not be in EA Sports College Football 25. However, they may be included in future games in the series.
Will The College Football Playoff Be Included?
Yes, Electronic Arts has reached a deal with the College Football Playoffs.
The new game will also be timed out perfectly to coincide with the expanded 12 team college football playoff that starts in 2024.
Additionally, we have received confirmation that every bowl game will also be in EA Sports College Football 25.
Will The Transfer Portal Be Part Of The Game?
Yes, the transfer portal will be in dynasty mode. How it will work exactly? We still don’t know.
Who Will The Announcers Be?
EA Sports has a deal with ESPN and has already started recording some of the voice work for the game.
There are seven confirmed announcers/commentators so far. Those are:
- Rece Davis
- Chris Fowler
- Kirk Herbstreit
- Desmond Howard
- Jesse Palmer
- Kevin Connors
- David Pollack
You can hear Chris Fowler discuss the voiceover work he’s done so far for the game below:
There have been rumors that multiple broadcast crews like Fox or CBS may be in the game as well but we have not been able to confirm that.
Will I Be Able To Export My Dynasty Draft Class To Madden?
We expect that you’ll be able to export your dynasty draft classes into the Madden NFL game of the same year.
This feature was in previous NCAA Football games and is a great selling point to encourage fans to buy both games.
How Long Has EA Sports Been Working On The Game?
The first announcement of the return to College Football video games happened on February 2nd, 2021.
They were likely working on it (in some way) months before that.
With the game expected to be released in July 2024, it looks like it will be about 4 years in development.
What Engine Will It Be Built On?
College Football 25 will be built off the Frostbite Engine. This is the same game engine that the Madden NFL franchise uses.
Will Custom Conferences Be In The Game?
Yes, you will have the ability to fully customize conferences in whatever way you’d like.
Will There Be A Beta or Demo?
The short answer as of now is we don’t know.
The last time NCAA Football video games were released, companies would release a demo version a month or so before the official release.
EA’s latest tactic is to use “Closed Betas” as a marketing tactic (which is essentially a demo) a couple months before the official release date.
EA Sports FC24 and Madden 24 both released closed betas but since EA Sports College Football 25 will be a completely new game built from the ground up, we shouldn’t necessarily expect a beta or demo.
What School-Specific Imagery Will Be In It?
Lots. EA is working on 3D renderings of college stadiums, designing mascots, and they have requested pageantry and tradition materials from all participating colleges.
What Will College Football 25 Playbooks Look Like?
College football is known for innovative, daring, and downright wacky formations and plays.
The accurate reflection of that in the old NCAA Football games’ playbooks was one of the coolest parts of the franchise.
Having the ability to dominate your friends by running a triple option scheme from the Wishbone was essential to the longevity and fun of the game.
It is our hope that this is reflected in the new game but unfortunately we haven’t heard anything regarding playbooks just yet.
Here are some of our favorite plays from NCAA Football 14 that we are hoping make their way into College Football 25.
Who Will Be On The Cover?
The cover is shared by three big name college football stars: Colorado’s Travis Hunter, Texas’ Quinn Ewers, and Michigan’s Donovan Edwards.
Will There Be Weekly Updates?
Other sports games like Madden, FIFA, etc have weekly roster updates. EA has confirmed that continuing live services will be a part of the new College Football game, we don’t expect there to be a rigid weekly schedule like in some of their other sports games.
The person we talked to mentioned that this would be too tall of a task with how many teams there are, how many games there are each week, and how big college football rosters are.
Will There Be Any Competing College Football Games?
Anything is possible but as of now, the answer is no. EA’s press release clearly states:
“The partnership allows for EA SPORTS to be the exclusive developer of simulation college football video game experiences.”
Your Questions
What other questions do you have about EA Sports’ College Football 25 game? Leave them in the comments!
