Last year’s EA SPORTS College Football was a great revival of the revered NCAA Football franchise and many thought it was snubbed of a “best sports game” nomination from The Game Awards. On top of the game being good, it was the second-best selling game of last year, narrowly edged by Call of Duty: Black Ops 6. If EA wants to repeat, or even beat those numbers, another great entry is more than necessary.
It’s impossible to make every fan happy, but EA’s focus on authenticity and a more polished gameplay experience should definitely warrant an upgrade for last year’s buyers.
One of the main things EA Orlando touts with College Football 26 is the game offering the most authentic college football experience yet. If you were to ask any football fan what the main difference between college and pro football is, they’ll likely talk about the pageantry and excitement of a college football presentation whether it’s on TV or in person. College Football 26 absolutely nailed that aspect.
Authentic Sights and Sounds
Upon first booting up CFB26, you’ll immediately be treated to the proud sounds of a collegiate marching band. The music isn’t limited to school fight songs either. CFB26’s soundtrack also includes live covers to The Weeknd’s “Blinding Lights”, Bruno Mars’ “Runaway Baby”, and more. One of the best aspects of College Football is that games really celebrate school pride. That said, not every game’s attendee is going to care about fight songs, so hearing the covers adds a different dimension.
The TCU Frog Horn!
The authentic presentation doesn’t stop with sound design. College football is also big on tradition, and EA Sports went big there too. From mascots to turnover traditions to cheers and rousers, the presentation just feels the way it should. From Nebraska balloons to OSU’s paddles–it’s all here. Almost.
It’s Not All There, Though
I’m an alumnus of San Jose State University. The squad has been solid over the last couple years, so I was happy to see them included in last year’s game. They’re back, and while the presentation is great for the Top 25 schools, SJSU’s still leaves much to be desired. For starters, the “Spartan Squad” doesn’t rush the field and the “SJS” abbreviation is not one we use. Still, I have to give EA some credit for showing me what CEFCU Stadium looks like packed and sold out, because that’ll probably never happen in my lifetime.
The sense of pride you feel seeing your college in a game really hits, especially if it’s not a big one.
That might be a nitpick, but there are millions of people who went to all sorts of colleges. Not all of them are a Top 25 school. There are absolutely going to be people like me who feel unrepresented when it comes to the game’s pageantry. Is this something that can be improved upon with updates? It’s possible, but I don’t see it.
Authenticity Improves Gameplay
As cool and authentic as these presentations are, the reality is they’ll be fun for about a week. The sad part is EA’s core audience that buys the game every year is going to skip all those intros and cutscenes. A lot of people are just going to sim through Dynasty Mode while listening to their own music on their headphones. A bunch of fans think the improvements talked about are just fluff, so what actually is new and improved?
On the Field
You can expect the usual, welcome additions in College Football 26. The increase in player celebrations is fun, although a little complicated to use as they’re tied to right stick combinations. More important than that, though, is a huge expansion to the game’s playbook. Teams that rely on certain gimmicks like 2QB packages and snapping the ball to a defensive linemen have their representation, so there’s a lot of different nuances to keep players thinking on their feet before and during each play. The game also features varied quarterback play where physical build will affect certain attributes i.e. a short quarterback being more likely to have their view obstructed because of surrounding linemen.
If your quarterback doesn’t have that clutch attribute. Buttons disappear. Hope you memorized them all!
Perhaps the biggest improvement, which might take some getting used to, is with the seemingly magical interceptions. Over the past decade, the ball hawk ability (which I’m actually a huge fan of), just made interceptions too easy to throw or pick. There have been plenty of times countless people have thrown impossible interceptions in both Madden and CFB, and it looks like College Football 26 finally fixes it. In order to get an interception now, defenders have to actually have their head turned with their eyes on the ball before it arrives. It’s still early, but I think it works. I personally think it’s become a little too difficult to get a pick, but I also am having more fun on offense because I’ve been more successful taking shots down the field. The give and take makes sense.
Players who like to get more granular with their defensive gameplay might also like the new advanced defensive adjustments. Now you can activate different stunts, twists, and even customize zones to set up your defense after calling a play. Pressing up on the D-Pad also lets you make dynamic substitutions without pausing the game. It’s another thing to get used to, but it’s essential online when pausing is limited.
Off the field performance
Depending on who you talk to, CFB26’s various modes are what saw the least amount of change. There are definitely still improvements, but nothing feels especially different compared to last year. The biggest difference, and this is huge, is the fact that the game supports cross-play. This is absolutely a win-win that nobody is going to complain about. As far as connectivity goes, I played 20 games online and saw no lag. I never experienced connection issues that forced me or my opponent out either, so performance on that end seems robust.
Finish Your Story in Road to Glory
Road to Glory was and still is my favorite mode in the College Football games. The big addition this year is starting from your senior year in high school. This isn’t the first time EA has done this, but it really feels like less of an afterthought this time. Along with creating your player, you can even pick his home city no matter how big or small it is. So if you want to build a narrative about your player being a hometown hero playing for the local college, you can.
I actually based my quarterback on current WWE superstar, Cody Rhodes, from Marietta, GA. Actual high school games were limited, as they’re really just checklists for highlights to submit to schools. You’ll maintain a Top 25 list of schools, with the goal being to get scholarships from your top schools. You can edit this as much as you want, and you’re also encouraged to commit early to “lock in” interest. I ended up with my pick between Georgia, SJSU, and Ohio State–which came with an interesting hat selection process.
I asked a different girl out from what the game prompted me with, and then Chad ruined my life.
That aside, from there, it becomes your traditional “career” mode. I picked Georgia so I can make Cody a hometown hero. The problem was because I was a 3-star recruit, I wasn’t the starter right away. I didn’t end up starting my first game or signing any NIL deals until the Orange Bowl. There, I threw seven touchdowns, became QB1 next season and won the Heisman. Before I knew it, it was 2027 and I decided to enter the transfer portal.
From a management perspective, Road to Glory still has last year’s problems. Balancing the gauges for academics, leadership, and fan following still make no sense. Engagement with NIL deals, teachers, and friends also seems disjointed. I personally love the social situations where you have to decide between partying, studying, and practicing, but they’re limited to text. Hopefully next year I actually get to see my guy get rejected at Homecoming.
Dynasties, Rivalries, and Trophies
Of the single player modes in CFB26, Dynasty saw the most change. We’re already running long, so I’m not going to talk about every detail, but it’s definitely a laundry list of activities. From creating and customizing both the look of your coach and what he’s all about, college football fans who love simulating should find a lot of fun here.
Most of the fun I had with Dynasty came with addition of the Trophy Room. Every time you win a big game or award, you get a notification about a trophy being aded to the room. Each Dynasty you create has its own dedicated Trophy Room tied to the coach too, so the possibilities are pretty limitless no matter how long you go.
There are over 140 different individual trophies to collect in the game. Looking back at what you did is awesome, and history is a big part of sports, especially in college. I do wonder if this is something that’ll travel with you in future iterations of EA Sports College Football, but it’s still cool to enjoy for now.
The Best Football Game?
Speaking of trophies, it’s been less a week since the game came out, and I already Platinum’d it. This is a funny fact in its own right because the trophy list literally did not change. Still, anybody who knows me knows I’m not going to dock the game for this, but I digress.
College Football 26 features the same “easy” platinum from last year if you’re that kind of gamer. Every objective is the same.
I didn’t make it obvious, but I’m not really a college football guy. My first time playing the game was actually with NCAA Football 14, the last game of the series before that decade-long drought. I’m a Madden NFL guy through and through, but it’s hard to not appreciate what EA Sports has done with College Football. There’s fun to be had for just about any kind of football fan, and the fact that the game made actual meaningful improvements in gameplay will make this hard to put down, even when Madden does come out.
Verdict
All this said, is it worth getting if you have last year’s game? I’d say it’s worth getting based on cross-play support and the more polished gameplay alone. The authentic presentation is nice, especially if you went to a nationally recognized school, but “real” players skip that stuff quick. If you’re a small school guy and it bothers you that much, you can wait for the inevitable price drop. Make no mistake about it though; this is arguably the best football game around.
College Football might be EA’s most important IP moving forward, so here’s to hoping they continue to not fumble.
Score: 8
Title: EA SPORTS College Football 26
Developer: EA Orlando
Publisher: EA SPORTS
Platform: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S
Review code provided by Electronic Arts. Reviewed on PS5.
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