Normally, I would start an impressions piece with a general overview of what's new in EA Sports College Football 27, and perhaps a cute pun on what junior year means for the revived franchise.
And this year, there are plenty of upgrades to talk about: Dynasty has been nearly rebuilt with a new NIL and Blueprint system that requires some strategic thinking about building your program. Road to Glory added new playable positions that are fun to play and gameplay tweaks that make them more viable one-on-one. And the game day presentation is more immersive with dynamic weather and additional school traditions.
It's all good stuff added to an already solid foundation. However, all the improvements in this annual sports sequel are drowned out by one unsavory decision that means I can't recommend College Football 27.
Hidden nickel and diming
For years, even before EA shut down the original NCAA Football franchise in 2013, microtransactions were limited to the Ultimate Team mode. As in its sibling Madden series, UT lets you pay real money to unlock card packs to improve your team for online play.
On the whole, Ultimate Team is not my preferred way to play, and beyond review purposes, I largely ignore this popular mode. However, EA makes a ton of money from Ultimate Team across Madden, CFB, FC, and NHL series. In 2025, EA reported $4.4 billion in revenue, with nearly half of it coming from Ultimate Team.
Until CFB 27, those microtransactions were relegated solely to Ultimate Team. But now, EA has sneakily added them to both Dynasty and Road to Glory, the two main single-player modes in the game.
I attended several marketing briefings, and this was never mentioned. EA didn't exactly place this unwelcome news front and center in the game's pre-release marketing, which made discovering them a nasty shock.
Pay-to-win single player?
In College Football 27, EA Sports has removed the faster option for Coach XP in dynasty mode and added skill points microtransactions in Road to Glory, a mode that takes three to four seasons to complete per player.
When I first tested out Road to Glory and Dynasty, I didn't immediately notice the pay-to-win options. However, once I tried to upgrade a skill when I didn't have enough points, a screen popped up that would have allowed me to pay real money to upgrade. It's the same for coach levels in Dynasty.
No, you don't have to pay, but you can't naturally upgrade a top-level coach even 20-plus years into a dynasty. And that's before considering that EA dropped the fast and faster XP coach gain sliders. If you played perfectly and won every national championship for 10 in-game seasons, you wouldn't even hit half the level cap.
This means that numerous coach perks and archetypes are essentially locked behind a ponderous grind unless you're willing to open your wallet.
Here's the rub, though: buying the college points to bring your coach to max level would cost you $100 for one dynasty run. If you start a new dynasty and want your coach to hit level 100, you have to pay $100 again. It's the same for Road to Glory, which again, typically only lasts three to four seasons, five at most.
Plus, EA has introduced a new "Rainmaker" archetype to the coaching tree tied entirely to NIL deals that you can only get if you buy the MVP subscription — this gets you Madden 27 as well — which costs $150.
The NBA2K problem
This type of nickel-and-diming is gross and reminds me of NBA2K. Virtual Currency (VC) debuted in NBA 2K13 and was almost immediately problematic. It didn't truly invade the MyPlayer mode until 2016, but it's functionally broken the single-player modes in the only and most popular NBA game.
I haven't played or purchased NBA2K in years solely because of the VC problem. Even back in 2012, 2K players were begging fellow gamers to stop buying virtual currency, and the issue has only gotten worse ever since.
As NBA2K proves, there are too many gamers out there who don't care or have accepted the status quo and will fork over the extra cash to upgrade their players or coaches to the desired star level. Which means this flaw likely won't go away.
Still, with whatever influence I may have, I can't recommend you buy CFB 27. It needs to be stopped now before EA goes even further next year.
Like NBA2K, what sucks is that this decision ruins what should be a football game I'm happy to recommend. The gameplay and framework are there for an excellent sports simulation, but it hides a slimy underbelly.
Should you buy College Football 27?
If it weren't for the sneaky microtransactions, I would recommend checking out College Football 27.
With NIL and Blueprints added to Dynasty, it makes recruiting and building more strategic. You have to think about how you'll allocate resources as you try to rebuild that single-star school into a five-star powerhouse. Road to Glory added the ability to play as a tight end, edge rusher or safety, all of which are surprisingly fun additions.
Plus, the presentation received immersive upgrades with dynamic weather and day-to-night transitions. The crowds seem smarter, actually reacting to poor play and big moments. The pageantry has been updated for some schools, with more songs making sessions feel like a true game day.
Sadly, the extent of the microtransactions is predatory and wasn't disclosed ahead of launch. For that reason, I don't think you should buy CFB 27.
Follow Tom's Guide on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our up-to-date news, analysis, and reviews in your feeds.
More from Tom's Guide
