EA College Football 26 is set to be released on July 10, and July 7 for fans who purchase the MVP Bundle or Deluxe Edition. While fans are excited, there are some fans who do not trust that there will be much of a difference between CFB 25 and 26 beyond roster updates. That is a common criticism of EA across its many sports franchises.
Fortunately for fans, EA appears to be taking the return of its NCAA franchise seriously. There are reportedly many gameplay changes in CFB 26 compared to CFB 25. Here is a look at 10 changes you need to know about, as posted by content creator Bordeaux on X.
List of just gameplay changes in College Football 26 vs College Football 25:
– Dynamic Subs
– Overhauled Archetypes
– Overhauled Positions
– Better Tackling System
– Stadium Pulse Upgraded
– The Heisman Tier
– 2,800 brand-new plays
– 45 new formations
– 300 real coaches
– Stunts… https://t.co/eHLDdtnk2g— Bordeaux (@bordeauxyoutube) June 20, 2025
Top 10 EA College Football 26 Gameplay Changes
#1 Wear and Tear
The new wear and tear system is new in CFB 26. There will be visual pip indicators that show the most impacted body parts for each player. You can instantly assess a player’s effectiveness, helping you make substitution decisions. There are also sliders for wear and tear, allowing players to adjust how often and how severely players get injured.
#2 Real World Coaches
In CFB 25, fans were not able to use real-world coaches. That is changing in CFB 26 as 300+ real coaches have been added. Although there are some who did not agree to be added, including Deion Sanders, most well-known coaches are in the game.
#3 Expanded Playbook
The playbook was already impressive in CFB 25, but it has been expanded for CFB 26. 2800 new plays have been added to the game, ensuring each team’s playbook is unique.
#4 Improved Targeting System
EA has improved its targeting system across all core blocking schemes. This means that players will be able to better assess who they are supposed to hit. They will adjust their decision-making based on the style of play the player selects.
#5 QB Field Vision
An interesting new feature is the addition of QB field vision. With this new feature, each QB will have moderately different field vision. Height will affect QB vision and how effective they are passing in the pocket.
#6 Overhauled Archetypes
In CFB 26, when creating custom players, you will have access to 10 new archetypes in addition to all previously included options. No archetypes will share the same ability loadout.
#7 Stadium Pulse Upgraded
Stadium Pulse has been upgraded, allowing the crowd to have an effect on games. Teams will have their morale slider adjusted based on whether they are at home or on the road. Weather and rivalry games will also have an effect.
#8 Route Commit
With the new route commit feature, players can have their defenders aggressively jump routes depending on their read of the offense. This should enable more dynamic defensive gameplay.
#9 More Formations
Another way the game is changing is with the addition of more formations. 45 new formations have been added to College Football 26.
#10 Enhanced CPU AI
One of the most significant adjustments is the improvement of CPU AI. This adjustment will make the AI smarter, especially when playing at higher difficulties. This should help challenge some of the game’s most experienced players.
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