Summary

• College Football 25 feels more authentic with player skills and team differences, making it more immersive and challenging.
• Madden NFL 25 offers a more arcade-like experience with easier scoring and homogeneous player skills.
• Madden has a better UI and upfront customization options, while College Football 25 is better suited for a realistic football simulation.

Now that I have played both EA Sports College Football 25, one of the experiences is more enjoyable than the other. It is important to be clear: neither game is terrible. EA Sports football games all meet a certain level of quality consistently, and I know what to expect from them. Sometimes these games exceed my expectations, other times I’m left thinking, “Yeah, that’s another Madden game alright.”

Perhaps because College Football 25 was the improvements over last year’s Madden NFL 24. That said, having played both games, it is very clear to me which one I enjoyed more and why.

College Football 25 Feels Much More Like Real Football Than Madden

Madden Makes Scoring Too Easy And Athletes Feel Too Similar

When I’m playing a football game, I look for an experience that feels authentic to the sport. If I wanted to play a fantasy version of football, I would stick to playing Blood Bowl. That means I want a game that is going to present a challenge to me. I want to be held able for throwing a bad into double coverage or punished for taking too long in the pocket. I also want to feel a noticeable difference between teams’ and players’ ability levels. From that perspective, College Football 25 is the clear winner.

Player skills in College Football 25 made it feel much more like I was dealing with real athletes in the game. Having an inexperienced quarterback meant that my routes would often be obscured during away games. I also had to which wide receivers I could rely on to catch a risky , as some were noticeably better than others.

I’d like more of a challenge instead of an almost guarantee that each of my drives will end with at least a field goal.

By contrast, players in Madden NFL 25 feel largely homogeneous. This is especially true when playing in Competitive mode, where the outcome of plays is determined more by player input than by the stats of the athletes. Madden ends up feeling like a much more arcade-like experience.

Sure, I won’t pretend I didn’t have fun putting up 60 points as the Chicago Bears in the first half of a game, but it’s an experience that gets old more quickly. I may have high hopes for what Caleb Williams is going to do with Chicago’s offense, but I don’t expect them to be anywhere near as dominant as they are when I’m playing Madden. Even if I was still winning most of my games, I’d like more of a challenge instead of an almost guarantee that each of my drives will end with at least a field goal.

I like that I can’t just pick a lower-ranked college team and dominate any opponent, especially those with the best players in College Football 25. It feels like I’m actually choosing between real teams, instead of just deciding which skin to put on my athletes. I found that, even in Simulation mode, Madden couldn’t offer that same experience.

Madden’s Less Realistic Gameplay Affects Its Other Modes

Superstar Mode Creates Cognitive Dissonance Between Player Performance And Simulation Results

Because it is easier to perform in Madden NFL 25 regardless of the team or player I’m using, I noticed some issues with Superstar mode. Playing as a custom quarterback, I was able to easily rack up several touchdowns in my first NFL outing, despite being ranked somewhere in the 70s overall. However, after a few successful drives, the game took control out of my hands and simulated the rest of the game. When it did, the game did not seem reflective of my performance.

It’s not about winning or losing; Madden should try to be more consistent.

Despite having led three consecutive touchdown drives with no turnovers, when the simulated players took over, my team lost horribly. Had I been challenged more when actually playing, I wouldn’t have minded losing the game. However, when I perform perfectly, only to have the game suddenly start caring about player statistics once things are out of my hands is frustrating. It’s not about winning or losing; Madden should try to be more consistent. If my team is outmatched, I should feel it when I’m playing, not just when the game is being simulated.

College Football 25’s Presentation Is Also More Immersive

College Footbal 25's Stadiums Feel More Unique

Maybe it’s because I’m more familiar with college football stadiums, having visited a few, or maybe it’s because college stadiums are smaller and more bespoke, but College Football 25’s stadiums seem to feel much more immersive than those in Madden NFL 25. Not only did each stadium have a distinctly different appearance, but the differing Home Field Advantage scores helped give each college its own identity. Hearing things like the University of Illinois’s iconic “I-L-L” and “I-N-I” call and response also helped ground the experience in a real place.

While Madden NFL 25 does have different-looking stadiums, they tend to fade more into the background during play. This is partially due to them being larger. It’s easier to see the distinct landmarks and architectural differences in small stadiums like Oregon’s in College Football 25. In Madden, I rarely got a glimpse of anything besides rows of seats in each stadium. I quickly stopped paying attention to where I was playing, and the fields began to meld together in my mind.

Madden NFL 25 Does Have A Slight Edge In Some Areas

Madden Has A Better UI And Is More Upfront With Its Customization Options

While I would take College Football 25 over Madden NFL 25 if forced to choose, that doesn’t mean Madden NFL 25 isn’t better in some regards. For one, the UI on Madden NFL 25 is a lot nicer. The menus feel less over-designed, and the screen feels less cluttered during actual gameplay. ing routes in Madden are crisp and clear instead of the stylized ones in College Football 25, which can sometimes be visually messy.

Madden NFL 25 also gave me a list of settings to mess with the moment I started up the game. While College Football 25 has a lot of the same settings, it was on me to realize what I could switch off and where to find it. I enjoyed Madden being upfront with my customization options and making it easy to set the game up the way I wanted.

While it’s not my preferred playing style, I can also concede that some players will find Madden’s more arcadey feel to be more appealing. When sitting on the couch with friends, players may want a simplified experience where they can rack up absurd scores. The differences between the two games also aren’t so dramatic that having played College Football 25 completely ruined my experience with Madden NFL 25. I enjoyed both games for what they are, but if forced to choose, EA Sports College Football 25 is better suited to my taste.