The game is a fantasy version of gridiron football, with a violent twist in that opponents can be deliberately seriously injured or killed, and without the ability to kick field goals.

PC Gamer US's Dan Bennett called Blood Bowl "an enjoyable game, as long as you don't think too much about how good it could have been."

He criticized the slowness of the game's AI opponent, and the lack of the modem play advertised on Blood Bowl's packaging.

"[3] In Computer Gaming World, Martin E. Cirulis wrote, "Blood Bowl [...] should have benefited from the vast amount of work that has gone into developing [the sports] genre.

"[6] The game sold 40,000 copies within three months of its initial release, bringing in over $450,000 USD in revenue, and experienced slowed sales the following year.