Eleven years. That’s how long it’s been since the last college football video game. Early Saturday mornings have been missing the excitement of playing with your favorite team. Despite the massive hype around the  return of EA Sports College Football 25, did it truly live up to expectations?

The first thing I noticed about the game – which is available on Playstation 5 and Xbox X.s – was how smoothly it ran. The gameplay is mostly realistic, with defenses missing tackles—a hallmark of college football. On offense, quarterbacks can run and break tackles instead of fumbling with every hit. I haven’t encountered a few glitches or connection issues, which added to the positive experience.

However, the “Road to Glory” mode left much to be desired. I wished we could play through our senior year of high school. For players who don’t take the four- or five-star route, the early years felt more about studying and attending parties until you’re a junior. I didn’t feel as connected to my player during his time in college, though a redeeming feature is the ability to import your player into Madden 25.

The online mode, while fun, feels like Madden with 134 FBS teams (though having all those teams is a blessing). With such a wide selection, it’s hard to get bored since you can pick almost any FBS team without issue. The dynasty mode is one of the game’s highlights, allowing you and your friends to run college programs for decades and recruit players to your teams.

While the game is good, it falls short in certain areas, such as the absence of mascot mode. It leans heavily on nostalgia and the fact it’s been 11 years since the last release. That said, I’ve enjoyed playing and hope the developers build on this solid foundation, starting with EA Sports College Football 26.