Compare Rugby League 26 prices across 50+ stores and find the best deal. Developed by Big Ant Studios. Published by Nacon. Released on 7/16/2025. Available on PC, Xbox. Genres: Simulation, Sports.

The only Rugby League sim in eight years showed up broken, patched repeatedly, and still sitting at Mostly Negative on Steam. Hardcore NRL and Super League fans only, and even they should wait for more patches.

I cover shooters for a living, so when I get handed a sports sim to evaluate I come at it purely from a systems and online-performance angle: does the game work, do the controls feel tight, and is the multiplayer worth your time. Rugby League 26 fails on at least two of those three counts, and it fails loudly. The context matters here. This is the first Rugby League game released since Rugby League Live 4 in 2017, meaning Big Ant Studios had eight years to build something worthy. What shipped instead landed to a Mostly Negative rating on Steam, sitting at 35% positive from nearly 500 reviews at the time of writing. The community reaction was not casual disappointment. Multiple reviewers and long-time fans described the launch as unacceptable, with server outages preventing the game from loading for extended periods in the first days after release. For a game with online PVP and a card-collection Pro Team mode at its centre, that is a critical failure right out of the gate. On the pitch, the experience is rough in ways that go beyond cosmetic bugs. Passing, the single most repeated action in any Rugby League match, feels stiff and misdirected, with targeting icons switching at the wrong moment so the ball ends up somewhere unintended. The hooker routinely spawns out of position after a tackle, which cascades into broken play-the-ball sequences. Defenders are nearly impossible to switch between when marking up. The game also implements outdated rules, notably restarting with a scrum after the ball goes into touch, a rule that was changed in 2021 in real life. These are not fringe edge cases. They are core to how the sport works. Career Mode has some surface improvements, the coach version now lets you allocate budget across categories, and the Be a Pro path at least gives your created player a reasonable starting stat line rather than zeroes across the board. But player progression flattens out quickly, squad AI drops known props onto the wing and hands them kicking duties, and there are no individual season stats or trophy tracking despite previous games in the series having those. The Pro Team mode, which is effectively the card-collector fantasy squad builder, works offline and online, but its staying power depends entirely on whether Big Ant can stabilise the servers and keep patching the surrounding game into shape. The presentation is uneven in the way sports games often are when the budget is stretched. Photogrammetry face scans look solid in close-up replays, but player models underneath are largely identical, so once the ball is in motion everyone starts to blur together regardless of who you are fielding. Commentary is misaligned with on-field events often enough to become actively distracting. The licensed clubs span NRL, NRL Women, and both UK Super League tiers, which is a genuine plus for fans of the sport in England as well as Australia, and cross-platform play is supported. The honest read is this: Rugby League 26 shipped in a state that needed several more months of work. Patches are coming, and the underlying sport does translate into something with occasional momentum when a run breaks through the line and actually feels physical. But the fundamentals, passing logic, defensive switching, rules accuracy, and stable online connections, needed to be solid on day one. They were not. If you are a League die-hard with no other option and a high tolerance for ongoing patches, there is a functional game buried in here. Everyone else should stay on the sideline. Fred, Scout Team

Rugby League 26
SimulationSports

Rugby League 26

Jul 16, 2025Big Ant StudiosNacon
GamerScout Says

The only Rugby League sim in eight years showed up broken, patched repeatedly, and still sitting at Mostly Negative on Steam. Hardcore NRL and Super League fans only, and even they should wait for more patches.

PCXbox
Best Price Available
0.00
at N/A
Historical low: $

Compare Prices(0 stores)

Loading prices...

We may earn a commission when you buy games through links on this page — at no extra cost to you. It never affects our rankings or verdicts.

Screenshots & Media

Screenshot

About Rugby League 26

I cover shooters for a living, so when I get handed a sports sim to evaluate I come at it purely from a systems and online-performance angle: does the game work, do the controls feel tight, and is the multiplayer worth your time. Rugby League 26 fails on at least two of those three counts, and it fails loudly. The context matters here. This is the first Rugby League game released since Rugby League Live 4 in 2017, meaning Big Ant Studios had eight years to build something worthy. What shipped instead landed to a Mostly Negative rating on Steam, sitting at 35% positive from nearly 500 reviews at the time of writing. The community reaction was not casual disappointment. Multiple reviewers and long-time fans described the launch as unacceptable, with server outages preventing the game from loading for extended periods in the first days after release. For a game with online PVP and a card-collection Pro Team mode at its centre, that is a critical failure right out of the gate. On the pitch, the experience is rough in ways that go beyond cosmetic bugs. Passing, the single most repeated action in any Rugby League match, feels stiff and misdirected, with targeting icons switching at the wrong moment so the ball ends up somewhere unintended. The hooker routinely spawns out of position after a tackle, which cascades into broken play-the-ball sequences. Defenders are nearly impossible to switch between when marking up. The game also implements outdated rules, notably restarting with a scrum after the ball goes into touch, a rule that was changed in 2021 in real life. These are not fringe edge cases. They are core to how the sport works. Career Mode has some surface improvements, the coach version now lets you allocate budget across categories, and the Be a Pro path at least gives your created player a reasonable starting stat line rather than zeroes across the board. But player progression flattens out quickly, squad AI drops known props onto the wing and hands them kicking duties, and there are no individual season stats or trophy tracking despite previous games in the series having those. The Pro Team mode, which is effectively the card-collector fantasy squad builder, works offline and online, but its staying power depends entirely on whether Big Ant can stabilise the servers and keep patching the surrounding game into shape. The presentation is uneven in the way sports games often are when the budget is stretched. Photogrammetry face scans look solid in close-up replays, but player models underneath are largely identical, so once the ball is in motion everyone starts to blur together regardless of who you are fielding. Commentary is misaligned with on-field events often enough to become actively distracting. The licensed clubs span NRL, NRL Women, and both UK Super League tiers, which is a genuine plus for fans of the sport in England as well as Australia, and cross-platform play is supported. The honest read is this: Rugby League 26 shipped in a state that needed several more months of work. Patches are coming, and the underlying sport does translate into something with occasional momentum when a run breaks through the line and actually feels physical. But the fundamentals, passing logic, defensive switching, rules accuracy, and stable online connections, needed to be solid on day one. They were not. If you are a League die-hard with no other option and a high tolerance for ongoing patches, there is a functional game buried in here. Everyone else should stay on the sideline. Fred, Scout Team

Tags

singleplayermultiplayerpvponline-pvpcooplocal-coopcross-platformachievementscloud-savestier:aaaCareer ModeBe a ProPro Team ModeCard CollectionLicensed LeaguesNRLSuper LeagueCross-Platform MultiplayerPatch-Dependent

System Requirements

Minimum

0
<
1
s
2
t
3
r
4
o
5
n
6
g
7
>
8
M
9
i
10
n
11
i
12
m
13
u
14
m
15
:
16
<
17
/
18
s
19
t
20
r
21
o
22
n
23
g
24
>
25
<
26
b
27
r
28
>
29
<
30
u
31
l
32
33
c
34
l
35
a
36
s
37
s
38
=
39
"
40
b
41
b
42
_
43
u
44
l
45
"
46
>
47
<
48
l
49
i
50
>
51
R
52
e
53
q
54
u
55
i
56
r
57
e
58
s
59
60
a
61
62
6
63
4
64
-
65
b
66
i
67
t
68
69
p
70
r
71
o
72
c
73
e
74
s
75
s
76
o
77
r
78
79
a
80
n
81
d
82
83
o
84
p
85
e
86
r
87
a
88
t
89
i
90
n
91
g
92
93
s
94
y
95
s
96
t
97
e
98
m
99
<
100
b
101
r
102
>
103
<
104
/
105
l
106
i
107
>
108
<
109
l
110
i
111
>
112
<
113
s
114
t
115
r
116
o
117
n
118
g
119
>
120
O
121
S
122
:
123
<
124
/
125
s
126
t
127
r
128
o
129
n
130
g
131
>
132
133
W
134
i
135
n
136
d
137
o
138
w
139
s
140
141
1
142
0
143
144
o
145
r
146
147
W
148
i
149
n
150
d
151
o
152
w
153
s
154
155
1
156
1
157
<
158
b
159
r
160
>
161
<
162
/
163
l
164
i
165
>
166
<
167
l
168
i
169
>
170
<
171
s
172
t
173
r
174
o
175
n
176
g
177
>
178
P
179
r
180
o
181
c
182
e
183
s
184
s
185
o
186
r
187
:
188
<
189
/
190
s
191
t
192
r
193
o
194
n
195
g
196
>
197
198
I
199
n
200
t
201
e
202
l
203
204
i
205
5
206
207
6
208
6
209
0
210
0
211
K
212
213
(
214
3
215
.
216
5
217
218
G
219
H
220
z
221
)
222
223
/
224
225
A
226
M
227
D
228
229
R
230
y
231
z
232
e
233
n
234
235
5
236
237
1
238
6
239
0
240
0
241
X
242
243
(
244
3
245
.
246
6
247
248
G
249
H
250
z
251
)
252
<
253
b
254
r
255
>
256
<
257
/
258
l
259
i
260
>
261
<
262
l
263
i
264
>
265
<
266
s
267
t
268
r
269
o
270
n
271
g
272
>
273
M
274
e
275
m
276
o
277
r
278
y
279
:
280
<
281
/
282
s
283
t
284
r
285
o
286
n
287
g
288
>
289
290
8
291
292
G
293
B
294
295
R
296
A
297
M
298
<
299
b
300
r
301
>
302
<
303
/
304
l
305
i
306
>
307
<
308
l
309
i
310
>
311
<
312
s
313
t
314
r
315
o
316
n
317
g
318
>
319
G
320
r
321
a
322
p
323
h
324
i
325
c
326
s
327
:
328
<
329
/
330
s
331
t
332
r
333
o
334
n
335
g
336
>
337
338
N
339
V
340
I
341
D
342
I
343
A
344
345
G
346
e
347
F
348
o
349
r
350
c
351
e
352
353
G
354
T
355
X
356
357
1
358
6
359
6
360
0
361
362
T
363
i
364
365
(
366
6
367
368
G
369
B
370
)
371
372
/
373
374
A
375
M
376
D
377
378
R
379
X
380
381
5
382
7
383
0
384
0
385
X
386
T
387
388
(
389
8
390
391
G
392
B
393
)
394
<
395
b
396
r
397
>
398
<
399
/
400
l
401
i
402
>
403
<
404
l
405
i
406
>
407
<
408
s
409
t
410
r
411
o
412
n
413
g
414
>
415
D
416
i
417
r
418
e
419
c
420
t
421
X
422
:
423
<
424
/
425
s
426
t
427
r
428
o
429
n
430
g
431
>
432
433
V
434
e
435
r
436
s
437
i
438
o
439
n
440
441
1
442
2
443
<
444
b
445
r
446
>
447
<
448
/
449
l
450
i
451
>
452
<
453
l
454
i
455
>
456
<
457
s
458
t
459
r
460
o
461
n
462
g
463
>
464
N
465
e
466
t
467
w
468
o
469
r
470
k
471
:
472
<
473
/
474
s
475
t
476
r
477
o
478
n
479
g
480
>
481
482
B
483
r
484
o
485
a
486
d
487
b
488
a
489
n
490
d
491
492
I
493
n
494
t
495
e
496
r
497
n
498
e
499
t
500
501
c
502
o
503
n
504
n
505
e
506
c
507
t
508
i
509
o
510
n
511
<
512
b
513
r
514
>
515
<
516
/
517
l
518
i
519
>
520
<
521
l
522
i
523
>
524
<
525
s
526
t
527
r
528
o
529
n
530
g
531
>
532
S
533
t
534
o
535
r
536
a
537
g
538
e
539
:
540
<
541
/
542
s
543
t
544
r
545
o
546
n
547
g
548
>
549
550
8
551
5
552
553
G
554
B
555
556
a
557
v
558
a
559
i
560
l
561
a
562
b
563
l
564
e
565
566
s
567
p
568
a
569
c
570
e
571
<
572
b
573
r
574
>
575
<
576
/
577
l
578
i
579
>
580
<
581
l
582
i
583
>
584
<
585
s
586
t
587
r
588
o
589
n
590
g
591
>
592
A
593
d
594
d
595
i
596
t
597
i
598
o
599
n
600
a
601
l
602
603
N
604
o
605
t
606
e
607
s
608
:
609
<
610
/
611
s
612
t
613
r
614
o
615
n
616
g
617
>
618
619
T
620
h
621
o
622
u
623
g
624
h
625
626
n
627
o
628
t
629
630
r
631
e
632
q
633
u
634
i
635
r
636
e
637
d
638
,
639
640
S
641
S
642
D
643
644
f
645
o
646
r
647
648
s
649
t
650
o
651
r
652
a
653
g
654
e
655
656
i
657
s
658
659
r
660
e
661
c
662
o
663
m
664
m
665
e
666
n
667
d
668
e
669
d
670
.
671
<
672
/
673
l
674
i
675
>
676
<
677
/
678
u
679
l
680
>

Recommended

0
<
1
s
2
t
3
r
4
o
5
n
6
g
7
>
8
R
9
e
10
c
11
o
12
m
13
m
14
e
15
n
16
d
17
e
18
d
19
:
20
<
21
/
22
s
23
t
24
r
25
o
26
n
27
g
28
>
29
<
30
b
31
r
32
>
33
<
34
u
35
l
36
37
c
38
l
39
a
40
s
41
s
42
=
43
"
44
b
45
b
46
_
47
u
48
l
49
"
50
>
51
<
52
l
53
i
54
>
55
R
56
e
57
q
58
u
59
i
60
r
61
e
62
s
63
64
a
65
66
6
67
4
68
-
69
b
70
i
71
t
72
73
p
74
r
75
o
76
c
77
e
78
s
79
s
80
o
81
r
82
83
a
84
n
85
d
86
87
o
88
p
89
e
90
r
91
a
92
t
93
i
94
n
95
g
96
97
s
98
y
99
s
100
t
101
e
102
m
103
<
104
b
105
r
106
>
107
<
108
/
109
l
110
i
111
>
112
<
113
l
114
i
115
>
116
<
117
s
118
t
119
r
120
o
121
n
122
g
123
>
124
O
125
S
126
:
127
<
128
/
129
s
130
t
131
r
132
o
133
n
134
g
135
>
136
137
W
138
i
139
n
140
d
141
o
142
w
143
s
144
145
1
146
0
147
148
o
149
r
150
151
W
152
i
153
n
154
d
155
o
156
w
157
s
158
159
1
160
1
161
<
162
b
163
r
164
>
165
<
166
/
167
l
168
i
169
>
170
<
171
l
172
i
173
>
174
<
175
s
176
t
177
r
178
o
179
n
180
g
181
>
182
P
183
r
184
o
185
c
186
e
187
s
188
s
189
o
190
r
191
:
192
<
193
/
194
s
195
t
196
r
197
o
198
n
199
g
200
>
201
202
I
203
n
204
t
205
e
206
l
207
®
208
209
C
210
o
211
r
212
e
213
214
215
i
216
7
217
-
218
1
219
1
220
7
221
0
222
0
223
K
224
225
/
226
227
A
228
M
229
D
230
231
R
232
y
233
z
234
e
235
n
236
237
238
7
239
240
3
241
7
242
0
243
0
244
X
245
<
246
b
247
r
248
>
249
<
250
/
251
l
252
i
253
>
254
<
255
l
256
i
257
>
258
<
259
s
260
t
261
r
262
o
263
n
264
g
265
>
266
M
267
e
268
m
269
o
270
r
271
y
272
:
273
<
274
/
275
s
276
t
277
r
278
o
279
n
280
g
281
>
282
283
1
284
6
285
286
G
287
B
288
289
R
290
A
291
M
292
<
293
b
294
r
295
>
296
<
297
/
298
l
299
i
300
>
301
<
302
l
303
i
304
>
305
<
306
s
307
t
308
r
309
o
310
n
311
g
312
>
313
G
314
r
315
a
316
p
317
h
318
i
319
c
320
s
321
:
322
<
323
/
324
s
325
t
326
r
327
o
328
n
329
g
330
>
331
332
N
333
V
334
I
335
D
336
I
337
A
338
339
G
340
e
341
F
342
o
343
r
344
c
345
e
346
347
R
348
T
349
X
350
351
3
352
0
353
7
354
0
355
356
(
357
8
358
359
G
360
B
361
)
362
363
/
364
365
A
366
M
367
D
368
369
R
370
X
371
372
6
373
8
374
0
375
0
376
377
X
378
T
379
380
(
381
8
382
383
G
384
B
385
)
386
<
387
b
388
r
389
>
390
<
391
/
392
l
393
i
394
>
395
<
396
l
397
i
398
>
399
<
400
s
401
t
402
r
403
o
404
n
405
g
406
>
407
D
408
i
409
r
410
e
411
c
412
t
413
X
414
:
415
<
416
/
417
s
418
t
419
r
420
o
421
n
422
g
423
>
424
425
V
426
e
427
r
428
s
429
i
430
o
431
n
432
433
1
434
2
435
<
436
b
437
r
438
>
439
<
440
/
441
l
442
i
443
>
444
<
445
l
446
i
447
>
448
<
449
s
450
t
451
r
452
o
453
n
454
g
455
>
456
N
457
e
458
t
459
w
460
o
461
r
462
k
463
:
464
<
465
/
466
s
467
t
468
r
469
o
470
n
471
g
472
>
473
474
B
475
r
476
o
477
a
478
d
479
b
480
a
481
n
482
d
483
484
I
485
n
486
t
487
e
488
r
489
n
490
e
491
t
492
493
c
494
o
495
n
496
n
497
e
498
c
499
t
500
i
501
o
502
n
503
<
504
b
505
r
506
>
507
<
508
/
509
l
510
i
511
>
512
<
513
l
514
i
515
>
516
<
517
s
518
t
519
r
520
o
521
n
522
g
523
>
524
S
525
t
526
o
527
r
528
a
529
g
530
e
531
:
532
<
533
/
534
s
535
t
536
r
537
o
538
n
539
g
540
>
541
542
8
543
5
544
545
G
546
B
547
548
a
549
v
550
a
551
i
552
l
553
a
554
b
555
l
556
e
557
558
s
559
p
560
a
561
c
562
e
563
<
564
b
565
r
566
>
567
<
568
/
569
l
570
i
571
>
572
<
573
l
574
i
575
>
576
<
577
s
578
t
579
r
580
o
581
n
582
g
583
>
584
A
585
d
586
d
587
i
588
t
589
i
590
o
591
n
592
a
593
l
594
595
N
596
o
597
t
598
e
599
s
600
:
601
<
602
/
603
s
604
t
605
r
606
o
607
n
608
g
609
>
610
611
T
612
h
613
o
614
u
615
g
616
h
617
618
n
619
o
620
t
621
622
r
623
e
624
q
625
u
626
i
627
r
628
e
629
d
630
,
631
632
S
633
S
634
D
635
636
f
637
o
638
r
639
640
s
641
t
642
o
643
r
644
a
645
g
646
e
647
648
i
649
s
650
651
r
652
e
653
c
654
o
655
m
656
m
657
e
658
n
659
d
660
e
661
d
662
.
663
<
664
/
665
l
666
i
667
>
668
<
669
/
670
u
671
l
672
>

Reviews & Ratings

No ratings available

Game Info

Developer
Big Ant Studios
Publisher
Nacon
Release Date
Jul 16, 2025

Price Alert

Get notified when the price drops below your target!

Create Alert

More from Big Ant Studios