Summary
There's not much else to say about this hot piece of trash, Avoid Rugby 25 at all costs. This isn’t just a bad game—it’s an insult to rugby fans everywhere.
Developer – BigAnt Studios
Publisher – Nacon
Platforms – PS4/5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S|X, PC (Reviewed)
Review copy given by PR Company
Normally, I’ve been known to stay away from BigAnt Studio Games, as many people know the lowest score I’ve ever given a game is Don Bradman’s Cricket 17. However, after playing TieBreak, their Latest tennis game, last year, I thought I’d give them one more try to see if they could improve on making a game that isn’t hot garbage. As noted, BigAnt Studios is widely criticized by both reviewers and fans of Cricket and AFL for failing to deliver quality sports video games.
Well, Big Ant Studios has done it again—delivering yet another broken, uninspired mess of a sports game. Rugby 25 is, without question, one of the worst sports titles ever made. Instead of improving on past mistakes, Big Ant continues to churn out the same outdated, clunky engine year after year, recycling assets while doing the bare minimum—just updating team rosters and calling it a new release.
The gameplay is riddled with bugs and glitches, making it nearly unplayable. One of the most glaring issues is a major AI flaw where, after a tackle, the tackler struggles to get back onside, leading to constant offsides and penalties that completely ruin the flow of the game. Instead of fixing or improving core mechanics, Big Ant somehow managed to remove features—this year, they inexplicably took out 50/22 kicks, a crucial rule in modern rugby.
Animations are stiff, physics are laughable, and the same sluggish, unresponsive controls plague the game once again. It feels like a re-skinned version of their previous disasters, proving that Big Ant has zero interest in creating a quality rugby experience. At this point, their reputation as a developer that Wellruins sports video games is well deserved.
There’s not much else to say about this hot piece of trash, Avoid Rugby 25 at all costs. This isn’t just a bad game—it’s an insult to rugby fans everywhere.
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