For over a decade, college football diehards that are big into gaming have been forced to play a college football game that’s outdated — until now.
EA Sports NCAA Football 25 is on the horizon. After over 10 years without a new version of the game, one of the most popular electronic contests to play is back with the latest edition, giving gamers a new option to play college football.
The last time there was a new NCAA football video game, the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One weren’t even out yet. At the time, the PS3 and Xbox 360 were the most up-to-date consoles offering the college football game.
So when was the last NCAA football video game? Here are more details on the last time gamers got the chance to experience a new college football gaming experience.
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When was the last NCAA football video game?
It’s been over a decade since gamers have been treated to an NCAA football video game.
The last college football game to come to consoles was released in 2013 — NCAA Football 14. That game had former Michigan quarterback Denard Robinson on the cover, making him the first Wolverines QB and third Michigan member to grace the front of the game. He joined Desmond Howard and Charles Woodson with that honor.
Robinson beat out Texas A&M wide receiver Ryan Swope to be named the cover athlete for NCAA Football 14. The two were the finalists in a field that also consisted of Alabama running back Eddie Lacy, Notre Dame tight end Tyler Eifert, Georgia linebacker Jarvis Jones, Oregon running back Kenjon Barner and Florida State quarterback EJ Manuel.
Even though the game is over a decade old, since it’s the last version, users still play the game to this day. There have been unofficial roster updates that have been released to reflect the subsequent season following its initial campaign, but no updates to the game itself.
In total, there were 126 FBS programs in the game. That number is now at 134, as of the 2024 college football season.
Due to the legal issues with name, image and likeness with college athletes, EA Sports stopped creating the game after the 2013 version.
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NCAA Football covers by year
| Year | Player | School |
| 1993 | Bill Walsh* | |
| 1994 | Bill Walsh* | |
| 1995 | None** | |
| 1996 | Tommie Frazier | Nebraska |
| 1997 | Danny Wuerffel | Florida |
| 1998 | Charles Woodson | Michigan |
| 1999 | Ricky Williams | Texas |
| 2000 | Shaun Alexander | Alabama |
| 2001 | Chris Weinke | Florida State |
| 2002 | Joey Harrington | Oregon |
| 2003 | Carson Palmer | USC |
| 2004 | Larry Fitzgerald | Pittsburgh |
| 2005 | Desmond Howard | Michigan |
| 2006 | Reggie Bush | USC |
| 2007 | Jared Zabransky | Boise State |
| 2008 | Owen Schmitt (PSP)*** | West Virginia |
| DeSean Jackson (PS2) | California | |
| Matt Ryan (PS3) | Boston College | |
| Darren McFadden (Xbox 360) | Arkansas | |
| 2009 | Brian Orakpo (PS2) | Texas |
| Brian Johnson (PS3) | Utah | |
| Mark Sanchez (PSP) | USC | |
| Michael Crabtree (Xbox 360) | Texas Tech | |
| 2010 | Tim Tebow | Florida |
| 2011 | Mark Ingram | Alabama |
| 2012 | Robert Griffin III, Barry Sanders | Baylor, Oklahoma State |
| 2013 | Denard Robinson | Michigan |
| 2024 | Several players | Several schools |
* — The earliest editions of the game were initially named for Bill Walsh.
** — The 1995 edition of the game did feature players, but they were only small images that were, in some cases, unidentifiable. No standalone cover athlete was chosen until 1996.
*** — EA College Football produced different covers for different gaming systems in both 2008 and 2009.
