College football fans who miss College Football video games can finally cheer after EA officially revealed the cover athletes for College Football 25 and confirmed a release on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S on Friday, July 19, 2025, or July 16 for those who buy the Deluxe Edition.
Though EA has yet to provide a gameplay trailer for College Football 25, the publisher confirmed that a "full reveal" is coming tomorrow, May 17.
As previously confirmed by leaks, College Football 25's Standard Edition cover features Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers, Colorado wide receiver Travis Hunter, and Michigan running back Donovan Edwards. The Deluxe Edition cover features the same three athletes at the center and players from different schools in the background, such as Georgia quarterback Carson Beck, Ohio State running back Quinshon Judkins, and Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe.
"Donovan, Quinn and Travis are extraordinary talents who impressed and entertained millions of college football fans on the field last season and are poised to do so again this year," EA Sports SVP and Group GM Daryl Holt commented. "We’re proud to be able to incorporate thousands of current athletes in College Football 25, and featuring this trio of playmakers and their iconic college programs on the cover is a perfect fit as we usher in a new era for EA Sports and college football. I can't wait for the world to learn more about the game tomorrow."
Before today's official reveal, news on the next college football video game has been slim. The PlayStation Store leak that occured last week revealed not only the Deluxe Edition cover, but a screenshot of gameplay featuring players from the Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team exiting the tunnel and heading onto the field.
In February, EA dropped an official teaser trailer showing development concepts, such as players from the Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team tapping the "Play Like a Champion Today" sign before heading into the tunnel.
Following the teaser announcement in early February, EA Sports revealed to ESPN some new details for College Football 25. This includes confirmation that all 134 FBS football programs will be included, how much players who opt-in will be paid for using their likeness in the game, while those who do not opt-in will not be allowed to create themselves as a playable character, as well as reaffirming that Dynasty and Road to Glory game modes will return.
The long road to make the next College Football video game
EA officially announced it was making another college football game in 2021 when it originally planned not to use any real names or likenesses of the student-athletes. When the Supreme Court ruled that student-athletes could profit from using their name, image, and likeness (NIL), EA announced it would add real college football players into its upcoming game.
Similar legal challenges surfaced for EA in its recent venture into college football video games. Initially canceled due to legal issues, the series encountered similar obstacles when The BrandR Group, a licensing agency for student-athletes, filed a lawsuit against EA, arguing that compensation for participating student-athletes was "significantly below market value." EA eventually settled the lawsuit.
College Football 25's Standard and Deluxe Editions are available to pre-order now, but EA said it is offering a third version called the EA Sports MVP Bundle, which includes one copy each of the Deluxe Editions of both College Football 25 and Madden NFL 25, both of which will move the release date up by three days for each game, allowing you to play sooner.
Taylor is a Reporter at IGN. You can follow her on Twitter @TayNixster.
