Gaming I love playing EA Sports College Football 27 — but there’s a major reason you shouldn’t buy it Opinion By Scott Younker Published 11 July 2026 One word: microtransactions When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works . (Image credit: EA Sports) Copy link Facebook X Reddit Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter 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. Latest Videos From Watch full video here: EA Sports College Football 27: $69 at Amazon Look, I don’t recommend you buy College Football 27, but if you feel compelled, please use this link and get the physical edition to stick it to Sony’s decision to discontinue physical media. View Deal Hidden nickel and diming (Image credit: Future) 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 . You may like GTA 6’s Ultimate Edition is the real full game — and the rumors of it costing $100 were true after all I tested the Steam Machine and I really wanted to love it — but I simply can’t for $1,049 Can a budget PS5 headset actually make games sound immersive? I ditched my $299 Razer for the $69 PowerA LucidSound LS500 to find out 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. Tom’s Guide: Direct to Your Inbox Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. Pay-to-win single player? (Image credit: Future) 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
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