College Football 25 Review: A Fresh Take Held Back By A Weird UI

Summary College Football 25 features immersive gameplay innovations, giving it a strong sense of identity.

New modes like Dynasty and Road to Glory enhance engagement with college football.

Despite some UI issues, College Football 25 is a solid choice for both casual and hardcore fans.

College Football 25 has been one of EA Sports' most hotly anticipated releases in recent memory, and it mostly lives up to the hype. New gameplay elements and unique modes prevent College Football 25 from simply being a clone of Madden, giving the game its own strong sense of identity. Though the gameplay is largely familiar, new innovations do help set it apart enough that hardcore fans have new strategies to explore.

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A major emphasis was put on College Football 25's immersive features during its advertising, and they are largely successful in making the game more exciting to play. College Football 25's Dynasty mode and Road to Glory mode give players exciting new ways to engage with the world of college football. As the first college football game since NCAA Football 14, College Football 25 bears the burden of restarting a fan-favorite franchise, and it mostly lives up to the task.

EA Sports College Football 25 8 / 10 Pros Excellent graphics and gameplay innovations create a strong sense of immersion

Dynasty mode distinguishes it from other football titles Cons UI is clunky and distracting in some places

Ultimate Team mode still feels like a cynical cash grab

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In terms of gameplay, College Football 25 does not try to reinvent the wheel, and that is for the best. Anyone who has played a Madden game in the last 10 years will be able to pick up College Football 25 and at least know the basics. By keeping the time-tested basic mechanics of a football game, College Football 25 keeps itself accessible to casual players, while also making it easy for experienced ones to experiment with the newly added features.

Though the basics of College Football 25's gameplay are familiar, there are plenty of new features to get excited about. For one, players have a lot of control on the field. From easier-to-call audibles to customizable pass routes, players can make a lot of adjustments to account for an opponent's defensive set-up. The addition of player abilities allows for more strategic decisions when deciding which receiver to pass to, or what type of defense to run. These new features add a lot of depth that veteran players can plumb to improve their game.

Aside from new options on the field, there is an impressive level of customization options for the game in general.

Aside from new options on the field, there is an impressive level of customization options for the game in general. The custom playbook feature allows players to craft the perfect game plan for their personal strategy. Dynasty mode's custom divisions don't only allow players to use whatever teams they like, but they can also be used to solve some of the issues that came from divisions being restructured, like the gutting of the Pac-12. Players will also be able to build custom teams starting July 19 when the game is fully released.

The extra effort put into making College Football 25 a highly immersive experience pays off for the most part. Gone are the largely lifeless crowds of Madden NFL 24, replaced by a stadium full of lively fans who can impact the gameplay through the new Stadium Pulse meter. The stadiums themselves look gorgeous, and are convincing recreations of their real-life counterparts. The game gives players a real sense of playing in an actual stadium, instead of feeling like it's just a backdrop.

In addition to the visual changes, College Football 25's sense of immersion is strengthened by new mechanics. When a kicker misses an easy extra point, they become rattled and it negatively impacts the kickoff. The new Stadium Pulse feature allows home teams to build momentum, making it more difficult for visiting quarterbacks to focus. This helps College Football 25 feel more like a real game played by living athletes. While these features help the sense of immersion, they aren't all perfect.

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Stadium Pulse mode's camera shaking can be nauseating, and many players will likely opt to switch it off immediately. Also, while the inclusion of 50 college mascots and certain school traditions is a great touch for the teams that have them, these features are noticeably absent from a majority of the schools in the game. Players excited about the pageantry shown off in the game's pre-launch videos may be disappointed to find their favorite team is stuck with generic cheerleaders or ROTC members instead of a unique mascot. It ultimately makes this element of the game feel unfinished.

When discussing how the game looks, it's also worth noting that most game modes are plagued with clunky UI. Modes like Dynasty and Road to Glory have too many menu screens, and the experience is far from streamlined. Players spend much of their time in these modes opening and closing different menus just to get through a few basic activities. Because players need to finish certain tasks before others, it wouldn't be hard to streamline the process instead of offering the illusion of choice which results in this clunky setup.

Cycling through menus to pick a play can also take more time than should be necessary, sometimes forcing players to burn a timeout to avoid a penalty.

College Football 25 has also made some questionable choices with the UI during games. Large tutorials obscure the entire bottom half of the screen until players dismiss them. Players are forced to either memorize all the necessary button prompts quickly, or sacrifice their field of vision. Cycling through menus to pick a play can also take more time than should be necessary, sometimes forcing players to burn a timeout to avoid a penalty.

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As College Football 25's basic gameplay isn't all that different from a Madden game, a lot of weight falls on its unique game modes to set it apart. Unfortunately, the game's various modes do struggle to bear the load evenly. Dynasty mode is the stand-out. Its unique recruitment mini-game can be very rewarding when players start to see their acquired players having a positive impact on their program. There is a real sense of progression from year-to-year, giving players a sense of real accomplishment when their choices pay off.

Though Road to Glory mode shares some similarities with Dynasty mode, it is more of a mixed bag. Players looking to challenge themselves with an underdog player may find themselves riding the bench for extended periods of time, shifting the balance of gameplay too far in favor of the time-management elements and away from football. Alternatively, players who pick a high-ranked player so they can actually engage with the entire experience may find it too easy, going undefeated their freshman year.

Road to Glory's role-playing element is also largely hollow. There is no real overarching narrative, so players don't feel bad blowing off their fictional teammates to study. Responding to texts quickly becomes a game of just picking whatever dialogue option the player knows will gain them points in the specific area they want to advance, as there is no real incentive to engage with the barebones narrative that is presented.

A lot of words have been spent criticizing the cynical pay-to-win nature of Madden's Ultimate Team mode, and College Football 25 has done nothing to address these concerns. Ultimate Team mode has its fans, and it must be profitable for EA Sports to keep including it. That said, many players will likely never engage with the mode once they realize its mostly a combination of gaming's worst trends: battle passes, loot boxes, and paying for in-game currency.

4/5 - "Excellent" By Screen Rant's Review Metric

College Football 25 has its faults, but they aren't bad enough to ruin the experience. Innovations to the gameplay will give experienced players fun new tools, while the game's familiar elements make it perfect for casual players just looking for a fun multiplayer experience with friends. The steps taken to make the game more immersive mostly pay off, making this the best looking football game players can buy.

Being the first college football game in a decade also works heavily in favor of College Football 25. Were this an annual franchise, elements like its clunky UI may be more of a sticking point. However, as it stands now, College Football 25 will be a must-play for any hardcore college football fans, and the excitement of the new release helps players ignore some of its flaws.