Returning after 11 years, the long-awaited franchise revival with EA Sports College Football 25 has already gained attention from celebrities like LeBron James and Tim Tebow, who recently streamed it on Twitch. Hang on, this is American football? Yes, but it has takers beyond the US.

Available on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X and S, the game is the successor to NCAA Football 14, which released in the summer of 2013. Electronic Arts stopped releasing college football video games because of legal issues surrounding name, image and likeness deals with players. The latest version was announced in February 2021.

The game has been updated to reflect the times we live in. To recruit good players, scrawl the social media of a high schooler and send that person a direct message. You will have to make the high schooler interested enough in you to accept your offer to book them a visit.

Running the ball can be fun and the graphics have been drastically updated. For long-time players of the game, passing the ball requires an adjustment. The metre over a pass catcher’s head impacts how good your throw is. But the option to switch to classic passing mode is in the game’s settings. “Placement” and “placement & accuracy” passing modes are also available. When it comes to kicking, there is a two-part metre requiring players to press for kick accuracy and hold for power.

Your experience of the game depends on the difficulty level. The second-lowest setting (“varsity”) offers enough exciting games that go down to the wire. The highest setting — “Heisman” — is, of course, not for everyone.

There is also a “Dynasty Mode” to allow players to take control of recruiting and on-field performance of a college football programme while “Road to Glory” is a role-playing mode in which you create a custom college athlete. And there are over 20 new touchdown celebrations to choose from.