Skip to main content GamesRadar+ GamesRadar+ GamesRadar+ The Games, Movies, TV & Comics You Love Search GamesRadar+ View Profile Xbox Series X Nintendo Switch Nintendo Switch 2 Tabletop Gaming Toys & Collectibles Retro Gamer Newsletters Total Film Gaming Magazines Why subscribe? Subscribe from just £3 Takes you closer to the games, movies and TV you love Try a single issue or save on a subscription Issues delivered straight to your door or device From£9.99View Prime Day Deals Donkey Kong Bananza Switch 2 stock Recommended reading Sports Games College Football 26 preview: EA says “We listened” with 2,800 new plays and 300 coaches Sports Games College Football 26: Everything you need to know about the upcoming sports game Madden 26 preview: Scott Hanson delivers ESPN NFL 2K5 half-time show vibes at long last Sports Games 12 years later, the legacy of NCAA 14 is still hanging over EA College Football 26, but fans are celebrating the overdue return of features like formation subs and trophy rooms Sports Games I spent 75 hours unlocking every trophy in Elden Ring Nightreign, only for Rematch to steal its thunder with a single hat trick Sports Games College Football 25 recruiting guide for Dynasty mode Sports Games Forget FIFA, Rematch is the most authentic football game I've ever played – right down to the very worst bits about playing IRL Sports Games College Football 26 review: “Thanks to rivalries and dynasty, this is the greatest show on turf” Ben Wilson 11 July 2025 When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works. (Image: © EA) GamesRadar+ Verdict Our best sports game of last year remains the one to beat in 2025, too. College Football 26 is the most detailed, authentic, and fun sim on consoles right now, and will keep you playing – and recruiting! – right through to next summer. Takes all the best parts of College Football 25 and improves them further Rivalries are brilliantly implemented, with 85 trophies to collect Dynasty is exceptional from recruiting to wear and tear to dynamic weather Road To Glory's first season doesn't quite fire as intended Some returning quirks, such as clumsy implementation of challenges Why you can trust GamesRadar+ Our experts review games, movies and tech over countless hours, so you can choose the best for you. Find out more about our reviews policy. Red Sox vs Yankees. Barcelona vs Real Madrid. Packers vs Bears. Sports games have pretty much done it all over the last 40 years, with one notable omission: Rivalries. No sim has ever properly nailed the intensity and atmosphere of a heated derby – until now. College Football 26 goes hard on the passion and desire of local pride, focussing on the pull of bragging rights and authentic trophies. For the most part, it's exceptional. Fact Facts: College Football 26 (Image credit: EA) Release date: July 11, 2025 Platform(s): PS5, Xbox Series X Developer: EA Orlando Publisher: EA There are 85 true-to-life trophies to compete for, from the ones everyone knows such as Paul Bunyan's Axe, to myriad niche choices. Mid-match overlays and commentary draw on statistical data going back to 1869, including the last meeting and all-time win-loss records. These stats carry through your franchise mode, and are reflected in future seasons. Critically, unlocking one makes it appear in your Trophy Room, where you can view the accolade and its history. It's an ingenious call, because even Play Now matches suddenly have a sense of purpose. (Image credit: EA) When did you last really care about losing an exhibition match to the CPU in Madden 25 or EA FC 25? In College Football 26 even casual results matter. 85 trophies mean 85 matches you'll want to play through, and win, regardless of your progress in Dynasty or Road To Glory – although you can earn trophies through those modes too. There's a meaning in every result: genuine joy over every victory, and blistering fury over every defeat. I launched my controller across the room after a late interception cost me a Navy win against Maryland. At stake was, um, a silver bowl of crabs. Killers cameo (Image credit: EA) Spectacularly, these trophies drive you towards sampling different teams and playbooks and stadiums, soaking up College Football 26's incredible variety and depth as you go. It's thrilling, and almost educational. As Penn State against Minnesota you get to try their innovative two-QB 'swinging gate' plays. As Arizona, against Arizona State, you see footballs spiked onto the Wildcats' turnover sword each time you grab a pick or haul in a fumble. As Michigan, against Northwestern, you hear the crowd chant 'Mr. Brightside' to close out the third quarter. Win all three and the pots go in your Trophy Room. Just 82 more to go… The replayability is off the charts before you've even touched the deeper, longer term modes. There's so much joy to be found in those too. Dynasty is again all-consuming, particularly with 300 real-life head coaches and co-ordinators to control – or face off with. Wear and tear accumulates across the season in more obvious, pronounced ways, meaning you need to micromanage your roster at all times. The addition of quick subs, accessed before any strap with a single D-pad press, aids this. An incredible touch is dynamic seasonal awareness. Kick off an August game at 6pm and it'll still be sunny, but as the weeks go by shadows draw in earlier and earlier. (Image credit: EA) As with the old NCAA games, recruiting is the unique pull. It again takes over your evenings and weekends, in the knowledge that seniors are leaving at the end of the season – so you constantly need to cycle in new talent to challenge for wins and bowl games. Everything's been deepened, but streamlined too: your 'team needs' list stays at the top of the recruiting screen, while subtle techniques such as Sway are accompanied by description boxes to help the more casual player. The transfer portal is also upgraded, with over 2,000 players looking to switch teams at the close of each season. It opens up more signing options – but means even more importance in keeping your stars happy. Hat's all, folks (Image credit: EA) Road To Glory's tweaks aren't quite as effective. Here you focus on a single wonderkid, with a season of high school experience critical to your stock. Those real coaches, such as Penn State's James Franklin, pop up in chats to try to woo you, and you maintain your star rating by playing out four drives in each week's game. However, each drive exists in its own vacuum. Franklin challenged my created RB to run for 50 yards on a single play. This challenge was assigned to my third drive, and I failed it – but I'd already achieved a 50-yard run on the drive before, which the game (and Franklin) ignored, decreasing my star rating. Narrowing your list to three teams and teasing them before making a final choice on Hat Day is good fun, but that initial path to selection needs a rethink. There's so much to do that gameplay draws you in without a second thought. College Football 25 was strong in this area, but you'll never go back after sampling its successor's tighter animations and hugely improved running plays. Guards show impressive awareness in terms of blocking, while tackles seal the edge properly, making pitch plays a delight. Situational awareness is superb too. DBs actually track the ball with their eyes, while ball-carriers can reach out for an extra yard by holding up on the right stick. Playbooks are packed with dazzling RPOs and cunning end-arounds. Defensive options are bolstered with manual safety adjustments and improved tackling, but this is college ball: you're going to concede points. Often it's about keeping an opponent to three, rather than allowing them into the end zone. (Image credit: EA) A word, too, for the soundtrack. It's astonishing. Along with 'Mr. Brightside' at Michigan, stadiums pulsate to 'Seven Nation Army', 'Pump It Up', and 'Sandstorm'. Even better are the marching band versions of 'Blinding Lights' by The Weeknd, 'A Bar Song' by Shaboozey, and 'Flowers' by Miley Cyrus. While most games tease you into muting the background music, College Football 26 will have you increasing the volume. Which happens to be a fitting metaphor for how it's improved over last year. This is College Football 25, with everything ratcheted up to eleven. One of the reasons for its best-in-class performance is that while Ultimate Team is here, and sound, other modes – and those rivalries! – are given the space to outshine it. Long may that continue. The flaws are minor, and curious. You get to carry out the coin toss for Overtime, but not ahead of the initial kick-off. Challenging plays like fumbles feels odd, in that you get a replay and some commentary, but no visual signage such as an on-screen official. However, the brilliant far outweighs the baffling. Thanks to rivalries and dynasty, this is once again the greatest show on turf. College Football 26 was reviewed on PS5, with code provided by the publisher. Xbox Series X PlayStation Social Links Navigation I'm GamesRadar's sports editor, and obsessed with NFL, WWE, MLB, AEW, and occasionally things that don't have a three-letter acronym – such as Chvrches, Bill Bryson, and Streets Of Rage 4. (All the Streets Of Rage games, actually.) Even after three decades I still have a soft spot for Euro Boss on the Amstrad CPC 464+. You must confirm your public display name before commenting Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name. College Football 26 preview: EA says “We listened” with 2,800 new plays and 300 coaches College Football 26: Everything you need to know about the upcoming sports game Madden 26 preview: Scott Hanson delivers ESPN NFL 2K5 half-time show vibes at long last 12 years later, the legacy of NCAA 14 is still hanging over EA College Football 26, but fans are celebrating the overdue return of features like formation subs and trophy rooms I spent 75 hours unlocking every trophy in Elden Ring Nightreign, only for Rematch to steal its thunder with a single hat trick College Football 25 recruiting guide for Dynasty mode Latest in Sports Games WWE 2K25 has the biggest game file size on Switch 2, and is releasing as a code in a box despite advertising a game key card in its trailer "The essence of football is not in the rules": Rematch's creative director on nailing that five-a-side feeling and making a game "about kicking a ball rather than kicking heads in" FC 25 Path To Glory tracker with all Women’s Euro 2025 cards Rematch players have discovered that flopping around the field is faster than sprinting, but Sloclap is going to stop the flop "Chasing safe bets is a death sentence": Rematch devs had no desire to simply chase FIFA or Rocket League, but they spent years planning out their hit football game I spent 75 hours unlocking every trophy in Elden Ring Nightreign, only for Rematch to steal its thunder with a single hat trick Latest in Reviews Superman review: "A triumphant reinvention and a promising start for the DCU" Mecha Break review: "This mech battler makes up for lacking customization with a varied roster that lets me live out my Evangelion fantasy" Flydigi Vader 4 Pro review: “I’ve never run into as many issues with one gamepad as I have with this” Asus ROG Azoth X review: "a top-tier mechanical deck with the price tag to match" RedMagic Astra review: "small form factor, big potential" Jurassic World Rebirth Review: "An unscary sequel that needed a little more time in amber" GAME REVIEWS MOVIE REVIEWS Mecha Break review: "This mech battler makes up for lacking customization with a varied roster that lets me live out my Evangelion fantasy" Death Stranding 2: On the Beach review: "This tarpunk delivery epic is more Metal Gear Solid than ever, for better and worse" Rematch review: "As with Rocket League, the just-one-more-game pull is magnetic" Tron: Catalyst review: "Disc slinging is a thrill in this gorgeous rendition of the series, but I'm let down by a time-loop story that falls flat" FBC: Firebreak review: "A disappointingly bland multiplayer FPS that's missing far too much of what made Control special" Superman review: "A triumphant reinvention and a promising start for the DCU" Jurassic World Rebirth Review: "An unscary sequel that needed a little more time in amber" M3GAN 2.0 review: "A bold sequel with a slightly underwhelming conclusion" 28 Years Later Review: "Enough terror, splatter and suspense to satisfy” Predator: Killer of Killers review: "Great characters, thrilling action, and gorgeous Arcane-esque animation" Squid Game season 3 review: "A staggeringly excellent final season wraps up one of the greatest Netflix shows ever" Ironheart review: "A relic of Marvel's content-at-all-costs era" Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3 review: "The show's most assured run of episodes to date" Doctor Who season 2, episode 8 spoiler review: 'The Reality War' is "a mix of the good, the bad, and the truly baffling" Doctor Who season 2, episode 7 spoiler review: 'Wish World' is "an exciting and ambitious" start to the season finale, with hints of WandaVision GamesRadar+ is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site. Contact Future's experts Terms and conditions Privacy policy Cookies policy Advertise with us Review guidelines Write for us Accessibility Statement Future Publishing Limited Quay House, The Ambury, BA1 1UA. All rights reserved. England and Wales company registration number 2008885. Please login or signup to comment Please wait...