Rugby League video games have been inexistence for around 30 years, with the earliest game coming out in 1992, and the latest being released just this summer.
Whilst it may not match the likes of FIFA, Madden or NBA in terms of realism and graphics, I think I can speak for all rugby league fans when we say we are just happy that we have games to play, despite their flaws.
Many people reading this will have grown up with some of these games, and be it for a nostalgia trip or you’re curious to see how the games have progressed, have a read as we take a look at every RL video game ever released, and put them in timeline order. Who knows, you may be reading this after getting one of these games as a Christmas present yourself.
Every Rugby League video game ever released
Starting in 1992, ET’s Rugby League was released for PC’s, and it followed Cronulla Sharks and Leeds RL legend, Andrew Ettinghausen, as you played with his side across a season. This was the first recorded RL game to be produced.
It stayed that way until 1995, where Australian Rugby League became the first game of it’s kind to be released on a console, and was available on the Sega Mega Drive. At that point, the Aussie game was made up of 20 teams, all of which you could play with, as well as New South Wales and Queensland in State of Origin. European teams were in the game, however they were unlicensed, meaning correct badges and team names couldn’t be used.
Fast forward to 2003, and the first instalment of the ‘Rugby League‘ video game series was released. This was the first of three games in the series, with the second and third coming out in 2005 and 2010 respectively. The first two editions were available on PlayStation and Xbox, with the third being on the Nintendo Wii. Rugby League 2 was the first game to have online gameplay, with the third featuring iconic commentary lines from Aussie commentator, Andrew Voss, which was always a staple of any game released.
In 2009, Tru Blu Entertainment, the same publishers, released two further games in 2009, ‘NRL Mascot Mania’ and ‘Rugby League Challenge’. Released on the Nintendo DS and PSP respectively, the late noughties, early 2010’s were a good time to be a rugby league video game fan.
In September 2010, a new games series kicked off, as ‘Rugby League Live’ came to our screens. With huge upgrades compared to previous games, including improved tackle mechanics, realistic kit deigns and a replay mode, this would be the first of four under the same title to be released across the decade.
Rugby League Live 2 came in 2012, and is regarded as one of the better games in the series to date. Like with the rest of the games, graphics weren’t as good as other sports games at the time, but there were improved game mechanics, a career mode, and a DLC (downloadable content) for the 2013 season, meaning fans could stay up to date with the latest teams, kits and roster movements.
Rugby League Live 3 was the first to include licensing in competitions below Super League and the NRL, with the Championship, League 1 and the Aussie reserve grades all being playable. The game had all the features of it’s predecessor, but also included training drills, a ‘Be a Pro’ mode where you take control of one player instead of a team, and a FanHub, where community created designs could be shared online.
In 2017, out came Rugby League Live 4, and alongside that came a ‘World Cup edition’ which coincided with the real life event taking place in Australia. This game included English commentator, Eddie Hemmings, alongside Voss, replacing Phil Gould. Reviews dropped for this edition, and the game is actually no long available to purchase, due to the NRL licence expiring.
Coming on to the most recent game, Rugby League 26 was released in July of this year, ending an eight-year wait for a new game. Some aspects of the game are flawed, and that has le to negative reviews of the software, but as I mentioned earlier, it is just nice to have a new video game after such a long wait.
