To the surprise of absolutely nobody, College Football 25 — the first college football game released since 2013 — had quite the year. For one, we absolutely loved it over here at Operation Sports! And the OS community adored it as well, as College Football 25 won the Operation Sports’ Game of the Year award in landslide fashion. And not only was it showered with praise, the game set tons of milestones as it pertains to sales.
Back in November, it was announced that College Football 25 was the highest-selling sports game ever in the United States, showing that there was a real hunger for a college football game after an 11-year layoff. And as it turns out, it was among the best-selling games in the United States in 2024 outright.
As reported by the Sports Business Journal, data provided by Circana determined that College Football 25 was the second-highest selling game last year in the States, surpassed only by Call of Duty: Black Ops 6. It was also the highest-selling game on Xbox platforms, which was attributed to the latest Call of Duty title being available for any player with a Game Pass subscription.
Though its exact sales numbers weren’t disclosed, College Football 25 finishing second in US-based sales only to the latest entry in what is arguably the most popular franchise in gaming is a monumental feat. And it goes to show just how huge the appetite has become for college sports games since their disappearance in the mid-2010s.
Outside of College Football 25, it seemed to be a good year for sports titles across the board, with many finishing quite high in terms of US sales. NBA 2K25 finished fifth, Madden 25 finished sixth, and EA FC 25 finished eighth. Elsewhere, WWE 2K24 and MLB The Show 24 finished in 13th and 14th, respectively.
Take a bow, College Football 25. Here’s hoping that College Football 26 is a worthy successor.
Published: Jan 24, 2025 10:20 am