Been able to SIM thru a few seasons in career and it has some legs, games maybe 35% crash for me on PS4
Had one game I entered 125 rucks and won 15, very hard indeed - best chance to win the ball back is to hang around offside or push up early and guess the way the AI will pass!
Career mode was interesting, nobody came available of any decency to sign first season, second season got loads Dupont, M Smith and maybe 5 other worldies - another few seasons and nothing else really, player development works though, Jac Morgan was a 96 on 4th year!
In November 2027 I did get into a ârugby world cupâ tournameant just 8 internationals which was interesting.
Team of the season interesting as all over the place, Dan Cole (prop) was the full back of the year hmmm
Just managed to finish 5 games in a row on EAFC 25 ⌠and guess what no crashes , so definitely not a hardware issue , and still no known issues or feedback on Rugby 25 . this is looking ominous for the game Iâm afraid
First off thanks for continuing your work on Rugby 25, itâs great we have a team trying to deliver a new rugby game for fans to enjoy. Some of the new additions like the career mode show why your games are known for their career mode depth and creation options.
I will say, this feedback is just initial, I will probably add more as I play more to be honest I was a bit shocked with the state that the game has released in. This feedback is really just the tip of the iceberg as there is so much that needs work it is almost too daunting to try and include it all. Some of the game is in such a poor state it is at times unplayable and I am not so sure I would not have asked for a refund until these issue were fixed had I not got this game from a competition.
In saying that I know Big Ant support and update their games long after release so I still have faith this game will end up just as good as the others in your catalogue.
Below is a reorganized and developer-focused summary of my feedback, broken down into key categories. Shout out to CHATGPT.
UI & Presentation
Photogrammetry & Visual Fidelity
Current photogrammetry techniques appear to be high quality.
The improved detail and polish in presentation elements lend the game a more AAA feel.
Menu Structure & Navigation
Having the 6 Nations listed separately under âPlay Nowâ and also in âCompetitionsâ may be confusing.
Consider merging or linking the 6 Nations license into the primary Competitions menu to improve discoverability.
Avoid duplicating single competitions in multiple locations; a single, clear path to each licensed event is more intuitive.
Competition Customization
Expand the options for creating custom competitions:
Support for league formats, knockout cups, pool play, and multi-tier leagues with promotion/relegation.
Accommodate a large number of teams (at least matching the World Cup and Champions Cup).
Add the ability to include custom logos for newly created competitions (for both UI and in-game presentation).
Naming/Numbering Issues
Some team lineups contain incorrect position numbers (e.g., Highlanders #13 labeled as #3 in Super Rugby competition mode).
Certain UI elements display placeholders or generic text instead of the correct player names (e.g., Hurricanes wing shows âWinger Leftâ instead of the playerâs name in career mode).
Multiple similar errors indicate the need for thorough data validation or an additional QA pass.
Gameplay Mechanics
Ball Physics & Interactions
Ball behavior shows significant improvement, especially when making contact with players (e.g., partial charge downs, knocking the ball loose during offloads).
These physics lend realism but may require tuning to ensure balance and playability.
Passing System
Passing has regressed, possibly due to updated ball physics.
Too many passes fly at unnatural angles or appear to have no valid target.
If the intention was to allow for occasional misdirected passes, additional tuning is needed for a more realistic success/failure ratio.
Intercept Frequency
AI defenders frequently position themselves for interceptions.
Adjust logic to reduce intercept occurrences or ensure they happen under appropriate circumstances rather than constantly.
Breakdown Mechanics
A dedicated âlatch onto ballâ action and a separate ârip ballâ action would offer more nuanced ruck contests.
âLatchâ represents initial possession contest, while âripâ simulates efforts to wrestle the ball free from the opposition.
Lineouts
Lineouts should revert to being fully contestable.
A timed or real-time mechanic (e.g., flicking the right stick to disrupt the opponentâs throw) could mirror real-life lineout battles.
Incorporating the current ball-physics system in lineouts would increase realism and unpredictability.
Goal Line Defense
Players can currently dive over from ~2 meters out without contest.
Introduce collision or tackle animations at the try line, with multiple possible outcomes (held up, ball lost, successful score, etc.).
Support Runner & AI Intent
Offensive and defensive runners lack clear purpose; they often move only by proximity rather than strategy.
Introduce team playstyles or set-play logic to guide CPU decisions (e.g., territory-focused, possession-focused, crash-ball near the line).
Even a simplified system with a handful of set plays chosen randomly each phase would enhance variety and strategic depth.
Goal Kicking
Failed goal kicks frequently result in the ball traveling only ~10 yards, even in non-extreme cases.
Adjust the kick failure mechanic to avoid unrealistic outcomes (e.g., a professional kickerâs attempt rolling lamely on the ground).
Ensure mis-hits still appear believable with respect to power input and typical real-world errors.
Career Mode
Depth & Competition Integration
The inclusion of multiple competitions in Career Mode adds variety.
Features such as receiving international offers and detailed recruitment systems contribute positively to the gameâs depth.
Player Customization
Editing Player Abilities
Users should have the option to edit player attributesâeven for licensed players.
This prevents frustration when users disagree with default ratings and helps maintain long-term engagement.
Summary of Key Needs
Polish and Validation: Address bugs in names, numbers, and UI labels to ensure accurate data presentation.
Gameplay Tuning: Refine passing, ball physics, intercept frequency, and breakdown mechanics for balanced play.
Expanded Customization: Offer robust competition creation features and player attribute editing.
AI Improvement: Implement more strategic AI logic, especially in support running and defensive behaviors.
User Experience Improvements: Streamline menu structures, reduce duplication, and ensure special features (e.g., 6 Nations) are integrated intuitively.
Stability has remained a real issue for me as well. I struggle to complete any matches even after the most recent patch.
Thanks again for giving rugby a shot. There is such great potential still in this game and there is enough in there to see this will eventually be the best rugby game on the market. At times the game is fun with many many parts of it done really well, but it is seriously over shadowed right now by the missing or broken features which are numerous to say the least. Surprising for a game that has made full release.
Looking forward to when everything finally gets tied together.
So I really want this game to work. The presentation, licenses, player graphics etc are top notch. The gameplay needs considerable work but I think the potential is there. Currently the games are very random and control is all over the place. The gameplay of rugby challenge 4 was more entertaining. Passing and rucks need work.
But Big Ant please keep going. You have the framework for a great product here and looking forward to seeing what you can do with it. Iâm keeping the faith as we rugby fans need a decent game!
The game looks great but, as others have said, it feels months from being the finished product. I do, however, think that it is possible to get there and give the studio my full moral support in that endeavour.
Just a few points I would like to make off the top of my head are:
The sensitivity of the controls at the ruck regarding options for moving the ball on is too high. It is quite natural when you bind players into the ruck to move the L stick in the direction of the ruck to bring surrounding forwards closer. However, it feels like if you have the L stick outside of the neutral position by the time the player is on the ground, the 9 automatically picks and goes. So the 9 is always picking it up, it feels, every phase of play. It should not be until the ball is playable from the ruck that the game should read what your decision is.
I am, and am sure many others are, used to O being the PlayStation button which selects the player closest to the ball and X being the button which tackles. The inversion of this for this game makes every single aspect of defending feel counter-intuitive. If this cannot be made a default setting, then an option to change this manually and save the setting should be added.
There needs to be a tutorial for the Logo Create feature. I was selecting the pre-set shapes and it was still in free draw and there was no option or clear way to pick a pre-set shape. I found the whole thing confusing, although that may be something that is going to be fixed with upcoming patches and is still an incomplete feature.
What an absolute let down. Basically not rugby at all and just a money hungry attitude releasing a game no way near finished to cash in for the 6 Nations and Super Rugby. P poor effort.
Have watched from afar during early access and just downloaded the game to PS5. Managed to get a quick game in whilst its installing and a few of things were immediately apparent:
The passing just isnât responsive at all. Itâs almost impossible to string more than 2 passes together, bringing up the icons to pass is also sluggish meaning getting basic miss passes and 2 on 1s is difficult and spreading the ball wide is frustrating.
At one point I had a great break down the right with my number 7 with the winger in support. I depressed the sprint button to allow the winger to catch up, the winger was in a great supporting position on my outside to take an easy pass, and just as the fullback was about to tackle the 7, I released a perfectly timed pass using the right trigger and where did the pass go, straight into touch. Absolutely basic for a rugby game but a total fail.
The rucks, as many have said need work. Is there a jackal animation, as numerous times when I isolated the ball carrier and had the tackler plus one more player around him and was in an ideal position to steal the ball there was nothing, and no turnover despite me repeatedly hitting the jackal button.
There is also way too much teleporting going on which makes the game just look messy and leads to unrealistic situations adding to the frustration.
Iâll no doubt have a lot more to add in the coming days and will submit as many support tickets as possible to aid the ongoing development, but it is a good looking game!
Rosters/Squads with added players downloaded from Fan hub will not save any players in the squads added once the game is shut down. This is on PS5 after the patch overnight.
Squads will go back to default once the game is opened again.
Ok, ive been playing a couple of games tonight and it seems the game logic is completely broken now. I canât win the ball. Opposition rucks me off constantly. They even push me off their own ball, I canât then get onside and am pinged. Over and over again! Only way o can get the ball is to force the hem back to kick!
And no way to steal line out?
Getting pretty frustrated with this.
And keeps crashing at 60 mins or so.
Come on Big Ant, you can sort this, please!
