The Best Boxing Games
There is something about boxing that really sparks the imagination, with dozens of hit Hollywood movies chronicling the rise and fall of characters like Rocky. This interest translates into other parts of popular culture, including gaming – since there has been games, you have been able to fight.
Gamers have always had wide variety of choice when it comes to the way they can spend their time. With games in every genre, from the best online slots to huge, open world fantasy role playing games, there has always been something fun and exciting to try. For those who love watching (or even taking part in) boxing, there are several games that have been created to allow you to get involved.
Best Boxing Games
Aside from the games you could find in early arcades, for console gamers the first real boxing game was a straightforward, arcade-style button smash game called Punch Out!!!
Other games soon followed suit, and the below is a list of some of the greatest titles of the last thirty years or so.
Super Punch-Out!!
This sequel to the original Punch-Out!! Game was released in 1994 for the Super Nintendo, and SNES owners had the opportunity to take a character named Little Mac through his journey to become World Champion.
Again, this game featured arcade-style graphics, and was simple to control. The camera is centred behind the back of your character, and from this perspective you would need to knock out each opponent in three minutes to win.
While this game might seem repetitive, the combination of cartoon colours and outlandish opponents give it great replay value – and those who love an arcade-style game might find it still stands up today (if you have a SNES to play it on, of course).
Fight Night Champion
One of the newest games on this list (released in 2011), Fight Night Champion was the last game to be released in the popular Fight Night series from EA.
The Fight Night series was recognised as being one of the best series for boxing fans because of the realism in the game, and Fight Night Champion took this to another level with the gritty and dark atmosphere that was part of the design. In fact, this game also featured a level of violence and strong language that gave it a higher age rating everywhere it was released.
In this game, you can play through the career mode with your fighter, or you can take part in some quick fights if you just want to get your pugilism on without doing a bunch of training.
The representation of blood and sweat as well as the new concept and direction led to this game having favourable reviews and being nominated for Fighting Game of the Year.
Ready 2 Rumble Boxing: Round 2
Ready 2 Rumble was a boxing game that encouraged players to land heavy punches to light up the word RUMBLE at the bottom of the screen, and this sequel continued that when it was released in 2000 for the Dreamcast, the N64, PlayStation, and Game Boy Advance.
If you managed to spell the word RUMBLE in this game, you’d knock your opponent down – and if you could do it three times in a round, you would be able to launch your opponent out of the ring for an instant victory.
This was a popular game not only for the fun gameplay, but also for the unlockable characters – Michael Jackson, Shaquille O’Neal and Bill and Hillary Clinton featured in the game. You also had the honour of the voice of boxing Michael Buffer as the ring announcer.
Prize Fighter
Prize Fighter was a game released in 1993 on Sega CD. These types of games were interactive movies that used full motion video as part of the game, and you played in first-person perspective which was a bit of a novelty for the time.
Prize Fighter was shot in black and white, which helped give it a graphic look that was effective and led to reviewers comparing it to the movie Raging Bull.
In the game, you are controlling an upstart young boxer known as ‘The Kid,’ and you need to fight various opponents to build your knowledge and ability (and win championships).
Creed: Rise to Glory
Originally released in 2018 with an updated version brought out in 2023, Creed: Rise to Glory is a VR game that was released for the HTC Vive, Oculus, and PlayStation VR.
As you might expect, this is a game based in the world of Rocky Balboa, but you are playing as Adonis Creed as you fight against other legendary boxers to establish your boxing legacy.
Bringing a pop culture twist to the ever-popular boxing game found on the Nintendo Wii, in this game you can work through the career mode, complete training, and take part in online PvP bouts that are the most fun part of the game.