Last year saw the grand return of college football withEA Sports College Football 25, and as expected, it’s following in the footsteps of its older sisterMadden NFLas an annualized franchise.CFB 25was a fantastic game, although imperfect, and EA Sports looks to continue refining it with this year’sEA Sports College Football 26. SportingAlabama WR Ryan Williams and Ohio State WR Jeremiah Smithon the cover,EA Sports College Football 26speaks to the passion of football fans and developers alike.
Game Rant recently visited EA in Orlando where we had a brief hands-on preview ofEA Sports College Football 26after a detailed breakdown of all the changes, improvements, and new features. I had enough time to run an Iron Bowl game between Alabama and Auburn, and then later to step into the shoes of my alma mater Jacksonville State University. What I experienced was as crunchy, as explosive, and as hard-hitting as fans would expect from college football, and the best part is that there is still more on the way.
EA Sports College Football 26 Features
After its release date reveal and then its cover star reveal,EA Sports College Football 26confirmed a few featuresfor the title. These include, but are definitely not limited to, all 136 FBS schools, more than 300 real-world coaches, expanded player types and abilities, the return of wear and tear, AI improvements, dynamic play-calling adjustments, dynamic substitutions, enhanced blocking/coverage systems, custom zones, a revamp stadium pulse system, 160 school-specific chants, 10 new PA tracks, and more. However, that’s just scratching the surface. Fans can expect more news on Road to Glory, Dynasty, College Football Ultimate Team, and other game modes over the next few weeks.
There is no substitute for a football game, whether in-person at the stadium or seated with friends and family who are screaming Roll Tide or War Eagle at one another, butEA Sports College Football 26is an impressive attempt at it. It genuinely felt explosive, it felt authentic, and it achieved everything developers told me it would—at least in my short time with it. “Presentation is gameplay, and gameplay is presentation,” creative director Scott O’Gallagher told me. And on that point, it delivered. It didn’t just feel like a real-worldcollege football gamewhen making a pass, attempting a run, or scoring a touchdown, but every moment leading into the game, half-time, the end, and everything in between was presented like a real-world college football broadcast. Even more than that, every quality of life improvement mattered. Many of the wrinkles inEA Sports College Football 25have been ironed out ofCFB 26, locking in players in the moment-to-moment action.
Ultimately, I think my time with the game withEA Sports College Football 26can be summarized with two thoughts. First, I am typically pretty slow to pick up annualized games likeMadden NFL, typically waiting a few months before picking up another yearly title. After playingEA Sports College Football 26, however, I’m not quite sure I can go back toCFB 25. Secondly, I don’t think many fans are going to be disappointed as news rolls out ahead ofEA Sports College Football 26’s release in July.
EA Sports College Football 26releases on July 10 for PS5 and Xbox Series X. Game Rant was provided with travel and lodging for the purposes of this preview.
