Following the whirlwind success of EA Sports College Football 25, its publisher is hoping for a repeat with its successor -- and in terms of initial review scores, CFB 26 doesn't disappoint.
This year's iteration of the series currently stands at a rating of 83 on Metacritic based on 13 reviews on PS5, though the Xbox Series X|S version is noticeably less well regarded with 79 Metascore based on seven reviews. Rival aggregator Opencritic lists CFB 26 with an average top critic score of 84 across platforms, with 95 percent of critics recommending the title.
Interestingly, this is not a major jump compared to last year's explosive return to the scene. CFB 25 had the same Metascore of 83 on PS5 (80 on Xbox Series X|S, so one point more), though it only reached a top critic average of 81 on Opencritic with 84 percent of critics recommending it.
This fits with what critics have been writing about the latest entry into the series: There has been clear improvement in a lot of areas, but they are gradual rather than generational.
Dynasty Mode is once again being hailed as the game's crown jewel and its core gameplay remains excellent. The efforts by EA to improve the game's presentation and atmosphere are already bearing fruits as well, with users being especially impressed by the changes made compared to CFB 25.
Unfortunately, the game's technical state is not up to the same standard. Both critics and users have reported a whole host of issues plaguing the game across modes. Naturally, this is fixable via updates, but might make fans considering a purchase wait for a while longer.
Overall, EA Sports can be content with the reception of College Football 26 -- scores are mostly the same or better than last year, despite the initial honeymoon period for the series being over. Anyone who liked last year's game can be fairly certain that this year's successor delivers more of the same, but with small improvements everywhere, even if some gameplay changes won't be for everyone.