Summary
- EA Sports College Football 25 brings the long-awaited college football experience back to modern consoles after an 11-year hiatus.
- The game's next-gen exclusivity on PS5 and Xbox Series X/S could help drive more players to upgrade to the latest hardware.
- College Football 25's appeal to casual gamers has been evident through early sales numbers, highlighting the demand for mainstream-friendly current-gen titles.
EA Sports College Football 25 has had a lot of hype riding behind it, and for good reason. It's the first college football game from EA since 2013's NCAA Football 14, which was released 11 years ago on PS3 and Xbox 360. Since then, the franchise has skipped the eighth generation of consoles entirely, due to legal disputes between EA and the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) over the use of player likenesses in the games. This meant that fans who wanted to get their modern, NCAA fix had to rely on community-made mods for up-to-date rosters and uniforms. Fortunately, though, now that EA Sports College Football 25 is finally out, players can have the proper college football experience on modern platforms.
One interesting footnote about EA Sports College Football 25 is that it's one of the few titles to only release on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S. Not only is the game unavailable on last-gen consoles like the PS4 and Xbox One, it's also not playable on PC. This comes as somewhat of a surprise, considering the fact that the fellow EA Sports series Madden NFL has been available on all applicable platforms, including Windows, since 2018. While this is unfortunate for gamers who don't own a PS5 or Xbox Series X/S, EA Sports College Football 25's next-gen exclusivity could be just the shot in the arm that Sony and Microsoft need in order to bring people over to their latest consoles.
EA Sports College Football 25 Burning Questions
The following guide will aim to answer all of the most frequently asked questions about EA Sports College Football 25.
EA Sports College Football 25 Could Be a Shot in the Arm for the PS5 and Xbox Series X/S
The Adoption Rate for Next-Gen Consoles Hasn't Been Very High
Though they got off to a rough start in 2020 due to stock supply shortages during the COVID-19 pandemic, the PS5 and Xbox Series X/S have been chugging along steadily sales-wise ever since those issues were resolved. However, the adoption rate for the next-gen systems hasn't been as fast as Sony and Microsoft would likely want them to be. While the PlayStation 5 has sold quite well worldwide and has outpaced the PS4 in some regions, the console failed to meet Sony's sales expectations in the last fiscal year. Xbox console sales, meanwhile, have been on a steady decline since the initially successful launch of the Series X and S.
Perhaps one of the main reasons why the PS5 and Xbox Series X/S aren't flying off store shelves in the way that they probably should be is because millions of gamers are still playing on PS4 and Xbox One. In fact, Sony recently revealed that 47 million people, which accounts for roughly 50% of PlayStation's monthly active users, are still playing on their PS4s. This is likely due to the fact that many major games are still being supported on last-gen hardware, from Call of Duty and Fortnite to EA Sports FC and Apex Legends.
College Football 25 Appeals to Casual Gamers More than Most Next-Gen Exclusives
While there have been some great next-gen exclusives on PS5 and Xbox Series X/S, the majority of these titles haven't appealed to a more casual audience. This is where EA Sports College Football 25 comes in, as this game is just the kind of release that speaks to the tastes of mainstream gamers, at least those in the United States. Early sales numbers for EA's latest sports title seem to support this. Recently, the American publisher confirmed that over 2.2 million people had purchased the $99.99 Deluxe Edition of College Football 25 for the sole purpose of playing the game 3 days early. On top of that, there's even been some reports that the Xbox Series S, in particular, has been experiencing a massive sales spike thanks to the release of College Football 25.
If people are truly buying consoles just for EA's new sports title, then Microsoft and Sony should take note, as it appears that these are the type of mainstream-appealing, next-gen only games that the PS5 and Xbox need more of in order to transition more users onto newer hardware. With EA Sports College Football 25 doing this well, one can only imagine just how many units the fellow PS5 and Series X/S-only title , GTA 6, could move.
EA Sports College Football 25
- Released
- July 19, 2024
WHERE TO PLAY
In EA SPORTS™ College Football 25 experience explosive gameplay variety across 134 FBS schools and immerse yourself in the iconic atmospheres of college football as you chase college greatness. CampusIQ™ Immerse yourself in authentic, fast-paced, college football gameplay with CampusIQ™. Test your strategic decision-making with an all-new composure system, player Wear & Tear, screen-shaking homefield advantages and dozens of diverse play styles across 134 FBS teams. Iconic Atmospheres From The Big House to The Swamp. From Tuscaloosa to College Station. Experience the decibel-shaking soundscape of college football putting you inside the stadium, alongside all the iconic rituals and traditions that make you feel right at home. Bring Glory Home Set a new standard for college football greatness in classic modes like Dynasty and Road To Glory. Recruit a winning roster, develop a coaching staff, and lead your program to the Championship as a created coach, or balance student-athlete life and take home the Heisman as a player.
- Developer(s)
- EA Orlando
- Publisher(s)
- EA
- Franchise
- EA Sports College Football
- Platform(s)
- PS5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
- Genre(s)
- Sports
