By Sagar Mankar 
EA Sports College Football 25 has set a remarkable record, becoming the highest-grossing American football video game in U.S. history.
According to industry analyst Mat Piscatella‘s report on BlueSky, this achievement has established the game not only as the best-selling American football title but also as the second-highest-selling sports game ever, surpassed only by NBA 2K21.
The success of EA Sports College Football 25 is particularly notable because it breaks a longstanding record held by Madden NFL 07, which dominated the charts since 2007. However, it’s worth noting that Madden NFL 07 still holds the title for lifetime unit sales in the football genre, partially due to the bundled MVP Edition that included Madden NFL 25, which affects the comparison with College Football 25.
Here are the top 10 best-selling Sports video games all-time in the US market, ranked by full game dollar sales (excluding add-on content and hardware bundles).
Source – Circana Retail Tracking Service.
— Mat Piscatella (@matpiscatella.bsky.social) October 24, 2024 at 8:50 PM
A key reason behind EA Sports College Football 25’s popularity is its return after a decade-long hiatus. Previously, college football games were released annually, but licensing issues forced a lengthy break from the market. The launch of College Football 25 marks a highly anticipated revival, with EA taking extra steps to secure real college athletes’ likenesses. Over 11,000 college players agreed to be featured in the game, receiving a flat payment of $600 and a copy of the game as compensation. This approach brought realism to the game, resonating well with fans and enhancing its appeal.
Beyond player likeness, EA Sports College Football 25 includes unique features that bring the college football experience to life. From iconic mascots to diverse stadiums across the U.S., the game offers a “Homefield Advantage” feature, a new injury system called “Wear and Tear,” and various skill levels, making gameplay dynamic and exciting, depending on the team you play against. These features differentiate the game from NFL titles, creating an authentic college atmosphere that has been praised by critics.
The game’s critical reception has been favorable, with a Metacritic score of 83%, marking it as a strong revival of EA’s college football series. EA’s Q1 2025 earnings report further highlighted the game’s success, revealing that over 5 million players engaged with EA Sports College Football 25 in its first week alone. This momentum continues with the game surpassing titles like Helldivers 2 in August to become the best-selling game in the U.S. at the time.
According to a recent report by Newzoo covering the U.S., U.K., France, Germany, Italy, and Spain, EA Sports College Football 25 led the gaming market in Q3 2024, capturing an impressive 18% of total revenue among the top 10 games. Other EA Sports titles like EA Sports FC 25, Madden NFL 25, and EA Sports FC 24 also ranked in the top 10, indicating a strong year for EA Sports.
It remains to be seen whether the game can maintain its momentum in the years to come, especially given some of the challenges the NFL game series has faced in retaining its audience.
For now, the game received a new update today that introduced 718 new NIL players, Nissan Stadium, a ‘Play A Friend’ mode to College Ultimate Team, Adobe Express integration into Team Builder, and much more.
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