Rugby 25 was finally released to the general public on February 13th, much to the relief and excitement of fans who had eagerly awaited the new title for over a year.
After several frustrating delays, the game—originally titled Rugby 24—was renamed Rugby 25 to reflect its updated release date.
This release was supposed to signal the long-awaited return of a truly complete rugby video game — arguably the first since the EA Sports Rugby 08 title. So, has the promise of an all-encompassing rugby simulation paid off?
Fans don’t seem to think so…
Is the new Rugby 25 video game worth the £35 price tag?
— Jack Tunney (@JackTunneyRugby) February 20, 2025
The game, retailing at £49.99 on the PlayStation Store, appears to have disappointed the overwhelming majority of fans, leading many customers to claim that they’ve been misled and miss-sold a game that doesn’t appear to be finished.
Even with a reduced price tag of £35, a simple poll conducted on X has found that 87% of users found the game not worth their hard-earned money. Now, admittedly the poll was not a controlled one as there could have been many factors that could have skewed results…but 87% is still pretty damning.
So, what’s the issue? Why is this game being treated so harshly? And why is it proving to be so irrelevant that no other non-YouTube reviewers seem keen to touch it?
To examine the results, we need to look back at the history of rugby video games.
Rugby fans have been craving a title that combines licenses, likenesses and quality gameplay since the release of Rugby 08 – a game that even now gets dusted off for the odd gaming session.
There have been many rugby video games since, but none have provided the comprehensive experience that the EA Sports title once did.
Jonah Lomu Rugby challenge was a big step forward in game mechanics when it was first introduced in 2011, providing a fun simulation for those wishing to scratch their virtual rugby itch. The issue was the lack of licensing and likenesses in the game. Rugby 22 brought in the intricacies of pod play, but it was full of glitches and once again lacked any true relation to the real-world game.
Rugby 25 was supposed to combine the best of all; great likenesses, exciting gameplay and plenty of licenses. It has done two of the three, so far.
In what was supposed to be a complete game – the actual gameplay appears to be forgotten.
Some players have questioned whether charging £50 for an “incomplete” game is justified, with some message board users comparing it to the Gollum game released in 2023. The publisher in that situation released an apology for the condition the game was in – yet Rugby 2025, with a 1.16/5 rating on the PlayStation store, has been alleged by many players to be further from a finished article.
Updates for #Rugby25 are live now on PlayStation4, Xbox and Steam.
PlayStation 5 will receive another tomorrow.
We have seen an issue with partial installs, please ensure the game is completely installed prior to playing.
— Big Ant Studios (@BigAntStudios) February 16, 2025
It’s easy to get carried away following public opinion, especially when it’s written in angry messages across many forums and social media comment sections, so we decided to speak to four keen gamers to get their thoughts on the game.
“I was super hyped to play the game as soon as it was announced, with player/team licenses, awesome customisation, and pretty decent graphics. I have been playing Rugby League Live 4 for ages, not being a league fan at all, but it did more than scratch the itch for 5+ years” – Kit Riley
Firstly, it was important to understand what exactly the audience was looking for from this game, and what expectations were set.
@BigAntStudios #rugby25 watch and learn! Doesn’t get better than this! #Rugby08 still holding up very well for a 17 year old game!!! Gameplay over licences! pic.twitter.com/Jzr6kEITPJ
— Sam Dearden (@SamDearden92) February 20, 2025
What are your first impressions of Rugby 25, and how does the game compare to previous rugby titles?
William Harrison: “In terms of content the game is fantastic, loads of licensed international and club teams that haven’t ever been matched. The stadiums they have licensed are good and the effort for unlicensed stadiums to at least reflect the real ones is massively appreciated. However, I can’t get far enough through the actual matches to fully engage with the career mode! I’ve only had two games crash on PS5 – it seems like some people have that issue for every game. Regardless, the game is genuinely unplayable at the moment. You can go a whole half without getting the ball thanks to how difficult contacting breakdowns are and lineouts being near enough uncontested.”
Ben Tomkins: “It’s still got a way to live up to the fun gameplay of Rugby 08 and the older Rugby Challenge games. I can definitely see with work this game living up to that if not exceeding them.”
Kit Riley: “It’s actually unplayable. No fluidity, rucks impossible to steal, AI using one-off runners, ball spinning the wrong way, impossible to spread the ball, and in general it really didn’t replicate the game of rugby at all.”
Anon: “The game seems completely unfinished and although regular updates are promised, the gameplay is pretty much unplayable. Constantly defending, the ruck dynamic isn’t great and I can never seem to win the ball back. The opposition never seems to make mistakes; i.e. no knock-ons, never in touch, and no other way to get the ball back other than hoping they kick back to you – which if they’re outside their own 22 never happens. I can’t seem to steal lineouts. The scrum on my own feed is very easy to lose. The little possession you do have, players run awful lines and end up throwing passes in ridiculous directions, sometimes directly behind to no one. It’s very hard to motivate myself to get through a game, with some halves going to around 77 game minutes before a break for HT.
“Rugby 08 is still the best rugby game going. Had everything you could ask for, if it was remastered with Rugby 25 graphics, gameplay would still be better and more playable than anything that’s been out after in my opinion. I hope the patches will continue to improve it.”
It’s not a great start for those who had saved up their money for this title, but perhaps the very obvious kinks can be ironed out over time. It’s important to note, however, that at the time of purchase, the game did not meet these customers’ expectations.
Honestly #Rugby25 should get flagged for false advertisement. This game is by far the worst sports game I’ve ever played.
— ¥ardman 🇬🇭🇯🇲🏴 (2%) (@TheRealYardman) February 21, 2025
Do you feel like you’ve possibly been mis-sold a full game, only to be provided with an incomplete one? Or is it worth the price tag? (RRP £50). Do you hope the patches will continue to improve it, or can you only see a certain limit to the gameplay?
Ben Tomkins: “As for the price tag, I do think in the future yes. If the work is done, it is worth it, but for now, I feel like we’re still in a testing phase and building on foundations that the early access has laid out. But no, the game is definitely not finished yet. I believe if the patches keep coming and they keep building on the foundations they have this game could go anywhere.”
William Harrison: “I do feel like I have been mis-sold a game as it is unplayable at the moment, which is really frustrating as I paid £49 for the digital version on PS5. If the gameplay improves in the next couple of months, then I’ll be really happy with the price tag…it’s just a big IF”
Kit Riley: “I think that the patches so far have improved gameplay a lot, but I do believe that’s purely because the gameplay was so bad that it would have been a challenge to not make it better. I will hold out hope, as Cricket 24 had a famously bad release, and the developers did patch it a lot to make it playable.”
Anon: “I think I’ve paid a premium price for an incomplete game with potential. However, we’re yet to see if the end result will ever be what the consumer and target audience want.”
With the obvious frustrations in mind, the developers have had to work double time to ensure their product starts to match the price tag.
So, what messages would you have for developers?
Ben Tomkins: “One message for Big Ant is please don’t give up on the game like previous developers and at least give us the best game to the best of their ability.”
William Harrison: “I feel like the developers can fix Rugby 25 but it will take a lot of work. I just hope and pray they won’t give up, as the rugby community is crying out for a good game.”
Anon: “A lot has gone into the stadium creation which is a waste of resources, should prioritise the gameplay before things like that.”
Get ready for Rugby 25! 🎮#Rugby25 hits the field on February 13th on PC, Xbox and PlayStation! 🏉
Watch the trailer now: https://t.co/zvcX6g4hxx pic.twitter.com/Qs8MWRQZC7
— RUGBY 25 (@rugbythegame) January 31, 2025
The response from players comes across as disappointed, but hopeful.
The developers, Big Ant Studios, have gained quite the following on X and have been particularly vocal through their Founder and CEO, Ross Symons.
Patches do appear to be making a major difference. In fact, one released the day before writing this article has gained plenty of recognition and support from fans. The question is though, why are these patches needed so desperately in the first place? Should a £50 game not already at least resemble a full and complete game?
This article was not published after the first run-through as it was unreadable, so why should a game be released when it’s unplayable?
The only way is up for Rugby 25, and although this sums up just how poor a showing the initial product was – it is backed by a plethora of supporting fans.
A final message to players from Ben Tomkins: “Stay patient, even if this one isn’t the one and Big Ant aren’t the developers, we need to support them and that builds interest for higher-budget games. I believe that Big Ant could produce a great game when all the bugs are ironed out.”
Rugby’s best of the best, ranked by experts. Check out our list of the Top 100 Men's Rugby Players and let us know what you think!
Sign In