Tom Brady retires from the NFL again – here are his first and last video game appearances

Tom Brady has retired from the NFL for the second time at age 45. Here are his first and last video game appearances.

Tom Brady on the cover of Madden 22

Contents

1. Tom Brady’s first video game appearance – NCAA Football 99
2. Tom Brady’s last video game appearance – Madden 23

Tom Brady has announced for the second – and apparently final – time that he is retiring from the NFL. Brady announced the news via a video on his Twitter feed.

Brady is considered to be one of the greatest athletes of all time, and the winner of seven Super Bowls – an NFL record. He was the oldest active player in the NFL during this season, and still played with the best in the world. He retires shortly before the latest Super Bowl 2023.

Tom Brady has left a mark on NFL and sports as a whole, but he’s also had a significant impact on video games, one that dates back to 1998.

Tom Brady’s first video game appearance – NCAA Football 99

It's fair to say the NCAA Football 99 players looked similar to one another

NCAA Football 99 released in August 1998, and it was the very first NFL game to have Tom Brady as a playable character. He played as a quarterback for Michigan, #32. You’d be hard-pressed to spot him in-game though, aside from his number. This is an original PlayStation game, so although all the names and numbers are right, the players basically look the same. Brady was about 21 years old at the time.

Tom Brady’s last video game appearance – Madden 23

The latest Madden NFL games look incredibly realistic, and do the players justice

Now playing with the Buccaneers, #12 Tom Brady is now 45 years old, marking and incredibly accomplished career that every athlete should aspire to. Brady’s video game appearances have progressed just as much, as you’d expect. Not only is Brady an incredibly imposing figure in the game – a realistic one, too – but he started as the highest-rated quarterback in the game. Naturally.

Brady has had a historic career, and that’s marked by his dozens of video game appearances over the course of the last 25 years. Assuming this really is the end this time, it’s been an amazing run.