EA Sports College Football 25: Release Date, Cover Athletes, & Edition Differences

Summary After years without a college football video game, EA Sports College Football 25 is set to release in July 2024 for PS5 and Xbox Series X/S.

Cover stars for the game include Donovan Edwards, Quinn Ewers, and Travis Hunter, representing teams from Michigan, Texas, and Colorado.

Two editions of the game will be available, with pre-order bonuses and in-game currency included. Players can also bundle the game with Madden 25 for a discount.

A revival of the original college football video game series is coming soon in EA Sports College Football 25. The series began with Bill Walsh College Football, released in 1993 for the SNES, Sega Genesis, and Sega CD. The Bill Walsh branding paralleled John Madden's association with the Madden football video game franchise, but was dropped for College Football USA 96. The series then took on the National College Athletics Association moniker, becoming NCAA Football, and put out games annually until 2013's NCAA Football 14.

Since then, the very idea of a college football video game seems to have been on hiatus - EA didn't put out any more titles, and no other developer rose to fill the empty slot. All that has changed with the reveal of EA Sports College Football 25, a new college football game, due out later this year. Here's everything to know about the game, its release date, its cover stars, and every edition it's available in.

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EA Sports College Football 25 will be released on July 19, 2024, just over a month before college football season itself begins. However, certain editions will allow players three days of early access, so they can begin playing as early as July 16.

Somewhat uniquely in the EA Sports tradition, and in a departure from the Madden series' release strategy, EA Sports College Football 25 won't be available on PC. EA Sports College Football is exclusive to PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S; unlike Madden 24, it won't be available on PS4 or Xbox One, either.

EA Sports College Football 25 has three cover athletes: Donovan Edwards, Quinn Ewers, and Travis Hunter, all stars on the field. These three grace the cover of every edition; there's no special version featuring just one of the athletes most prominently. Donovan Edwards is a running back for the Michigan Wolverines, the football team at the University of Michigan. Last year, he played in all 15 of Michigan's national championship games. He'll be entering his senior season when college football starts later this year, and was previously ranked the seventh-best running back in college football by ESPN.

Quinn Ewers is a quarterback playing for the Texas Longhorns at the University of Texas at Austin. He formerly debuted with the Ohio State Buckeyes, before transferring to the University of Texas in 2021. During his first season there, he served as the Longhorns' starting quarterback. In 2023, he was named MVP at the Big 12 Conference, and also set the record for most passing yards in a single conference championship game with over 400 yards. He's also the first amateur athlete to sign a deal worth over $1 million for his name, image, and likeness.

The last cover of a college football game, NCAA Football 14, featured Wolverines quarterback (and later Jacksonville Jaguars player) Denard Robinson.

Travis Hunter, a cornerback and wide receiver, began playing for the Jackson State Tigers in 2022, appearing in the first-ever HBCU spring game to be nationally televised. He transferred to the University of Colorado the following year, and began playing for the Buffaloes, where he received the Paul Hornung Award by the Louisville Sports Commission. His appearance on the cover of EA Sports College Football 25 marks the first time a Colorado player has appeared on the cover of a college football game.

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Besides those three, EA Sports College Football 25 will feature all 134 Football Bowl Subdivision teams in the NCAA, with the actual names, images, and likenesses of players throughout the college football league. It's not yet known which other players have agreed to be featured in the game, but there should be at least a few per team.

Including A Bundle With Madden 25

EA Sports College Football 25 will be available in two editions: Standard and Deluxe. The Standard Edition retails for $69.99, and the Deluxe for $99.99, but players can save 10% on either with a subscription to EA Play.

The Standard Edition, of course, includes only the game itself. However, as a special bonus for players who pre-order the game, it'll include the Alma Mater Ultimate Team Pack, which lets players choose one player item out of the 134 teams available on the roster. This is presumably designed to allow players to select their favorite teams, at which point they'll receive some sort of special bonus related to it. There's also the Cover Athlete Ultimate Team Pack, which allows players to receive a special item pertaining to one of the three cover stars. Finally, there's the Bring Glory Home Ultimate Team Uniform Item, which sounds like a cosmetic option.

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The Deluxe Edition includes the base game with three days of early access, allowing players to start their EA Sports College Football 25 careers on July 16. Pre-ordering the Deluxe Edition includes all the same bonuses as pre-ordering the Standard. It also includes 4,600 College Football Points (probably an in-game currency). And for players who pre-order the Deluxe Edition before June 27, there'll be a special, unique reward: the Heisman Hopeful Ultimate Team Pack, which allows the player their choice of five different items - presumably candidates for the Heisman Trophy as recruitable players.

Finally, there's the MVP Bundle, which includes the Deluxe Editions of both EA Sports College Football and Madden NFL 25 in one discounted package. Retailing for $149.99, but also eligible for the EA Play discount, the MVP Bundle comes with everything in the Deluxe Edition of EA Sports College Football 25, along with a copy of Madden 25 that includes similar bonuses.

Madden NFL 25 is expected to be released in August. The next Madden will be available on more platforms than College Football, including PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store.

Those bonuses include three days of early access, 4,600 Madden Points, special early access Ultimate Team Challenges, an AKA Player Item (which unlocks a nicknamed variant of an NFL player), a cover athlete-related Elite Player Item, a bundle-exclusive Elite Player Item, and the player's choice of two Strategy Items. Exclusively for PS5 players, there's also a set of Superstar Drip Gear, and a Legendary XP Boost.

For now, that's everything to know about the revival of the College Football franchise. Further details, including some early peeks at gameplay, are likely to be revealed in the coming days. Until then, there are only a few short months left until EA Sports College Football 25's July 19 launch.

Source: ESPN