For College Football 26 from EA Sports, so begins the hopeful build to dynasty status.
The beloved football series returned from a hiatus stretching all the way back to 2013 last year to praise as it looked and felt the part of a next-generation game while navigating some of the new hurdles that popped up across college football, impacting recruiting and otherwise.
But now? The honeymoon phase is over.
College Football 26 won’t get the benefit of the globe just being happy it exists. It faces the same pressures as any sports gaming release, plus the expectations that those at the controls listened to fan feedback and continued to find ways to smooth over tricky real-world obstacles, namely name, image and likeness (NIL) and the transfer portal and the huge impacts there.
If it can one-up last year’s effort, this year’s game should be a great sign of things to come. If not, onlookers would be right to fret that CFB 26 and beyond are comfortable with small annual updates and sitting in the middle of the annual-releases pack.
Gameplay
Last year, CFB 25 arrived at a fever pitch, thankfully leaning into that old-school, yet also accurate tempo. It was faster than the simulation Madden strives to be and littered with explosive plays and highlight moments.
The result was a proverbial breath of fresh air and a fun sprint in most games. Quality defensive options carried over from the past and Madden, like subpackags, shading, broad schemes and pre-snap controls, didn’t leave those trying to stop the onslaught helpless. It was, simply, fun.
Fun, too, is CFB 26 because the bulk of that gameplay returns, albeit with some key tweaks. It’s obvious some serious tweaks went into the blocking aspect of the trenches, with offensive linemen clearly finding assignments better and holding blocks in ways that make sense. On defense, more complex things like stunts seem smooth.
Even better are the coverage tweaks, where defenders do a better job of sticking with possible targets and not robotically falling into zones that players can exploit.
One of the bigger complaints last year was miracle interceptions by defensive backs. It feels like this has been addressed by, as funny as it might sound, this game making sure defenders can’t pick off passes they’re obviously not looking at. That helps it feel less like a video game and more like the real thing, as players should feel more comfortable targeting those defenders who don’t have their eyes toward the passer.
In the strive for realism (and it helps out the defense too), quarterback vision is also a thing, meaning shorter quarterbacks could have offensive linemen block their ability to “see” some of their targets downfield during parts of a play’s development.
Momemtum feels more pervasive than ever, too. Beyond the crowd and stadium effects based around the on-field happenings, a new “Out of Body” system accurately captures the feel of when a star takes over a game. A quarterback who gets hot, for example, will have his ratings boosted.
CFB 26 tacks on new player types and abilities for good measure, too, which helps encompass more of the game’s biggest stars accurately on the field, while also just giving players more ways to customize.
A year removed from truly impressive controls over hot routes at the snap, the long-awaited arrival of dynamic substitutions is seamless, as pulling up the menu pre-snap to make a quick swap or two is nice. Fitting, too, because the wear and tear and confidence and composure subsystems will have players juggling injuries and the mental side of the game more often than ever.
This is more than just making the “toughness” rating matter, too. There’s a strategic element to these additions in one-off games, sure, but it borders on full-blown RPG when, say, smack in the middle of a dynasty season, the star quarterback starts feeling discomfort in his throwing arm or something.
CFB 26 packs in a bunch of playbook upgrades, including modernizations in misdirections and gadget plays, as well as formations. Defense gets some love too with new stunts and others.
Some may spend time debating whether CFB 26 upgrades the gameplay more than sports titles in the past. But the game is snappy, fun and still straddles that balance of simulation vs. arcade well, while throwing in some more complex systems to keep those craving long-term experience entertained, too.
Graphics and Presentation
The big return for the series one year ago meant the king of gameday atmosphere was back on the block.
That meant screen-shaking, accurate-looking environments where crowds dynamically reacted to the action and even dressed differently based on the weather. It meant superb-looking lighting, shadows, physics sway on the fabrics, fun pre- and mid-game traditions, mascots, and more.
All of that returns in the presentation realm, but it’s the upgrades that really make CFB 26 feel far more complete by comparison.
This time out, the game offers up dynamic time-of-day features. This is a big one for the sake of immersion and actual impact, as regional time of day and seasonal time of day matter now. A game kicking off in the early morning vs. mid-afternoon vs. night will feature different sun locations, shadows and more. The fan attire and broadcast commentary from the multiple teams will reflect the timing and weight of the given matchup, too.
Also dynamic? The tweaks to runouts before a game. During a big game with postseason implications, players can expect the big stuff. During a warmup game against an inferior foe…not so much.
That mentioned wear and tear system shows up in the mannerisms of those on the field, too, as say, a running back above a certain leg injury threshold might limp out of the huddle.
Boasting accurate coaches and expanding the number of mascots is just another one of those little things that is both expected, yet welcome. Ditto for new chants and PA work in the stadiums.
The game already getting new broadcast banners and info sheets during and around the on-field action is mildly impressive for an annually releasing sports game, too, putting a nice little bowtie on a robust presentation package that meets the biggest of expectations with ease.
Dynasty, Road to Glory and More
Dynasty is again deservedly the headline act, with CFB 26 bringing forward those smooth modernizations to the recruiting process and modern-feeling features, like the ability to take multiple decades of the mode online with more than 30 other players, if desired.
Making the beloved recruiting aspect of the series more RPG-like than ever is again on the menu, too, in the best way possible.
Beyond a deeper-than-expected coach creator and the ability to customize a given program, recruiting gets some notable love. A new location-based recruiting mechanic is exactly what it sounds like: The precise cost and time of a visit will be impacted by real-world miles between recruit and program, giving players even more RPG-like things to juggle.
Tweaks to the transfer portal feel good and there’s more weight to dealbreakers that emulate real-life. Think, the one star who wants more from NIL and might leave, or the former 5-star recruit who never got the promised shot at a starting job, etc.
Road to Glory doesn’t get as much love, but there was only so much room for the mode to expand. It’s still a blast to create a character, then juggle things like NIL deals while attempting to establish a legacy and perhaps some NFL draft stock. The high school aspect of the mode is on the shorter side, but welcome all the same.
College Ultimate Team, beyond getting more creative with card arts, will lean more into real-time happenings through events. Tasks and events that match with the actual football schedule will create some exclusivity and keep things fresh.
The mode yanks out solo battles and instead has something dubbed Study Hall as the single-player experience and boils down simply enough: complete weekly refreshing games for rewards.
Road to the College Football Playoffs grows, literally, in that it boasts 12 teams now and the rankings system has been overhauled in a good way to put more of an emphasis on beating better teams, as well as winning road games.
Like its re-debut one year ago, CFB 26 runs well and throws out the droves of sliders that dedicated players crave atop the standard suite of options, too.
Conclusion
CFB 26 explodes out of the honeymoon phase with some impressive upgrades across the board.
The engaging gameplay that captures the spirit of college football just as well as the presentation does gets a boost from better AI in key areas, plus some impressive simulation-like controls.
Plus, the layers added atop the heavyweight gamemodes, especially in the RPG-like feel of Dynasty, really set the series above the rest of the market in terms of offerings.
Presumably, it won’t always be easy for the series to dodge the annual release allegations. But CFB 26 carries just as much weight as the re-debut last year and likely just shuttered the top sports game of the year conversation again in the middle of the summer.
