All College Football 25 difficulty levels, explained

Gridiron grinds our gears.

trophy in college football 25
Image via EA

Finding the right level of challenge for you is crucial in College Football 25 to make the football title enjoyable, so here’s a quick rundown of the different difficulty levels and what they mean.

Recommended Videos

College Football 25 is a welcome return for college American Football to the video game world. The pageantry, the theatrics, and the unbridled passion associated with college football are alive and well once more—thanks to College Football 25.

It’s considered an entirely different beast from EA’s Madden franchise, with new mechanics and core principles. However, one thing similar is the idea of tailored difficulty levels, and you need to know the ins and outs.

Every College Football 25 difficulty level

The Field Goal Accuracy Mini Game in College Football 25.
Better oil up the old kicking leg. Screenshot by Dot Esports

There are four difficulty levels in College Football 25: Freshman, Varsity, All-American, and Heisman.

I’m sure you have already guessed the difficulty associated with each setting, but if not, here’s an easy way of identifying each one using our bespoke system:

  • Freshman: Easy
  • Varsity: Normal
  • All-American: Hard
  • Heisman: Very Hard

Freshman

This is the standard beginner’s mode for those who are completely unfamiliar with the world of video games, anyone under or over a certain age who has trouble understanding controllers and inputs, or an individual learning the world of American Football. The AI is very gentle, scoring Touchdowns is like taking candy from a baby, and defending isn’t too difficult.

Varsity

Moving up to Varsity in College Football 25 is for those starting to feel confident in their understanding of mechanics and are looking for increased difficulty. Expect the computer to be more resilient. Additionally, don’t be surprised if you’re not scoring a touchdown with every drive and the AI is throwing out inventive plays to break your line.

All-American

All-American is likely the cutting-off point for even hardened College Football 25 fans. This difficulty requires you to have an extensive knowledge of the playbook, know when to throw a Slant, when to call a Shotgun, and more importantly—how to defend. You have to be fully coherent and fluent in both arts with All-American; otherwise, scoring points is an issue, and opposition teams mercilessly hit you with multiple-play drives—or both.

Heisman

Heisman is borderline unfair. In the same way that EA FC players struggle with Ultimate difficulty or Madden players with All-Madden, Heisman requires utmost precision, concentration, and great skill to stand a chance. The AI is practically flawless and can telepathically read every play you cook up, intercept you, and carve through you like a hot knife through butter. This is for those who want the hardest challenge possible.

For more on College Football 25, check out our best tips for mastering Dynasty mode, the best passing settings, and how to graduate early.

Author
Image of Andrew Highton
Andrew Highton
Andy is a Game Guides Writer at Dot Esports with a host of experience working at Dexerto, Twinfinite, Keengamer, and more. He's about as passionate a gamer as you're likely to find and spreads that love across a ton of different titles, but will also talk everything football, golf, and wrestling! Be sure to follow his thoughts and ramblings over at @AndyHighton8 on Twitter.