As many video game fans are aware, Electronic Arts decided to restart its college football game franchise on July 19, 2024 with EA Sports College Football 25. So, here we are in 2026 with the third entry in that newly buffed and burnished game series: EA Sports College Football 27.
Like all sports game entries, the EA gamemakers want to keep improving their titles from one year to the next to assure that eager fans keep lining up with a shiny credit card in hand. And in that light, this year’s changes can be seen as both really good and, well, kinda meh, depending on what you’re eager to get from a football game that isn’t named Madden.
For example, the game graphics and general gameplay on the field in CF27 have been very nicely tweaked. Thanks to new offensive and defensive adjustments, you can more easily create your own gameplan and take it to the college gridiron. That said, EA has also layered on more spreadsheets, stats sheets, graphs, number-crunching brouhaha and pointless off-field chat screens than many game fans will have patience for.
OK, so what can you expect to find in this new College Football entry? Well, there’s a lot. EA Sports CF27 features three primary game modes:
The updated “Dynasty”mode lets you take on a large college program: managing budgets; navigating athletic director expectations; recruiting high school prospects; handling funding for players’ names, images and likenesses; upgrading the facility and generally dealing with the nuts and bolts of an entire college system.
“Road to Glory” mode lets gamers take their handcrafted player from high school into the college ranks. But this year, gamers can choose to build and pilot a tight end, edge rusher or free safety, along with the positions of quarterback, halfback and wide receiver. Those added positions add lots of replay depth to an already deep game.
“College Football Ultimate Team” mode lets gamers draft and build up their dream roster using current real-world college players and legendary players of the past.
Outside of the three central modes, there’s also a “Practice and Skill Trainer” mode, which is a must-play stop this go-round. There are new on-field mechanics that make in-game movement more intuitive, but you’ll need to relearn your muscle-memory button-crunching if you’ve played earlier titles in the franchise. And there’s a new on-field-timing catch meter that adds a new layer of difficulty for gamers to master.
Of course, there’s also a standard “Play Now” mode that lets players simply jump into games and get their cleats under them. Gamers can also set up 11-on-11 college mascot games (from a pool of 120 mascots) just for the silly fun of it. And there are online multiplayer modes, such as “Online Dynasty”and”Road to the College Football Playoff,”that allow gamers and their friends the opportunity to gather and compete against each other in head-to-head contests and competitions.
EA Sports College Football 27 can be played offline with some central play modes (i.e., “Play Now,” “Road to Glory”), however an active internet connection is required for interactive and competitive modes such as “Online Dynasty” and “Ultimate Team.”
EA Sports College Football 27 is graphically sparkling, and it captures the colors, dynamics and excitement of the college arena. The gameplay, while sometimes packed with a bit too much granular detail and spreadsheet-like minutia, is generally fun. And that’s especially true when it comes down to competitive play on the field.
The biggest concern with this E-rated game was its early incorporation of in-game, real-money microtransactions which could be used to purchase additional content and game shortcuts. But thanks to a huge swell of gamer protests, EA removed those paid monetization mechanics from offline single-player modes.
However, parents of younger players should note that microtransactions are still part of online modes such as the “College Football Ultimate Team”mode, where real-world cash is used to purchase points for player packs.
EA Sports College Football 27 is hiking the ball for its junior year of college play. And the gridiron action scrambles in new and mostly fun directions. There are a few bits, though, that some might see as a fumble.
After spending more than two decades touring, directing, writing and producing for Christian theater and radio (most recently for Adventures in Odyssey, which he still contributes to), Bob joined the Plugged In staff to help us focus more heavily on video games. He is also one of our primary movie reviewers.
