If you grew up in the ‘80s or ‘90s, there’s a decent chance you can recite 007 373 5963 faster than your own phone number. That ten-digit code — the password to skip straight to Mike Tyson in Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out!! on the NES — might be the most memorized cheat code in gaming history, right behind the Konami code. And for a generation of boxing fans, it was the first time the sport felt personal. You weren’t just watching a fight. You were in one.

Boxing video games have been around almost as long as video games themselves. Sega’s Heavyweight Champ dropped in 1976, just four years after Pong. Since then, the genre has given us arcade classics, console masterpieces, a long drought that felt like the sport itself was on life support — and now, finally, a comeback. With Undisputed landing on PS Plus Essential in February 2026, millions of players are stepping into the virtual ring for the first time since Fight Night Champion went silent in 2011.

This isn’t a gaming site’s ranking. This is a boxing fan’s guide — written by people who know the difference between a check hook and a check mark, and who care whether the in-game Hagler actually fights southpaw. Here’s every boxing video game that mattered, why it mattered, and whether it’s still worth playing today.

The Classics: Where Boxing Games Started

Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out!! (1987, NES)

There is no boxing video games list that doesn’t start here. Nintendo released Punch-Out!! as an arcade cabinet in 1984, but it was the 1987 NES version — with Iron Mike himself as the final boss — that became a cultural landmark. You played as Little Mac, a 17-year-old from the Bronx who was roughly the size of his opponents’ kneecaps, fighting your way through a murderer’s row of cartoonish international stereotypes to reach Tyson.

And Tyson was terrifying. For the first 90 seconds of the fight, every punch he threw was a one-hit knockout uppercut. You had to dodge perfectly — no blocking, no trading — or it was over. The password 007 373 5963 let you skip straight to him, which meant you could experience the joy of getting knocked out in under a minute without wasting 45 minutes getting there first.

The game wasn’t realistic. It wasn’t trying to be. But it understood something fundamental about boxing: pattern recognition, timing, and the nerve to throw when it’s your turn. Every opponent had tells. Glass Joe telegraphed everything. King Hippo had one weakness. Bald Bull’s charge was either your death or your opening. It was a puzzle game disguised as a boxing game, and it was perfect.

Fun fact: When Tyson’s licensing deal expired in 1990, Nintendo replaced him with “Mr. Dream” — a generic white-haired fighter who threw the exact same punches. Nobody cared. The code still worked, just without the name.

Still worth playing? Absolutely. Available on Nintendo Switch Online. The difficulty holds up embarrassingly well.

Super Punch-Out!! (1994, SNES)

The sequel added a stamina meter, a wider variety of special punches, and more fluid animation, but lost some of the brutal charm of the original. The opponents were still creative — Bear Hugger, Aran Ryan, and the infuriating Nick Bruiser — but without Tyson (or even a Tyson-level final boss), it felt slightly less essential. Still one of the best boxing games of its era.

Still worth playing? Yes, especially if you’ve already beaten the NES version and need a new challenge.

Punch-Out!! (2009, Wii)

Nintendo brought the series back for the Wii with gorgeous cel-shaded graphics, motion controls that actually worked, and a difficulty curve that respected your time while still making you earn every win. All the classic characters returned — Glass Joe, King Hippo, Bald Bull — redesigned but faithful. The Title Defense mode, where you refight every opponent with new tricks, was brilliant.

Still worth playing? It’s widely considered the best Punch-Out game ever made. If you have a Wii or Wii U, find it.

The EA Era: Knockout Kings and Fight Night

Knockout Kings (1998–2002)

Before Fight Night, EA’s boxing franchise was Knockout Kings. The first installment arrived on PlayStation and N64 in 1998 with a roster of legends — Ali, Holyfield, Foreman, Lewis — and gameplay that was fun if clunky by today’s standards. Knockout Kings 2000 is the one most people remember, with Ali on the cover and smoother mechanics. The series was never groundbreaking, but it was the first time you could put Ali in the ring with Tyson on a home console, and that counted for a lot.

Still worth playing? Only for nostalgia. The Fight Night series made these obsolete.

Fight Night 2004 (PS2/Xbox)

Everything changed here. EA introduced the “Total Punch Control” system — no more button mashing. You threw punches with the right analog stick, flicking it in different directions for jabs, hooks, uppercuts, and body shots. It felt physical in a way no boxing game had before. The career mode let you train in rundown gyms and work your way up, and the roster mixed legends with active fighters. This was the moment boxing video games grew up.

Still worth playing? The controls still feel innovative. The graphics, not so much.

Fight Night Round 3 (2006, PS3/Xbox 360)

The game that sold next-gen consoles. When the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 launched, Fight Night Round 3 was the game people showed off to their friends. The character models looked photorealistic for the time, the impact physics made you feel every punch, and the slow-motion replay of a knockout uppercut warping someone’s face was genuinely jaw-dropping. The first-person mode — where you fought from inside the boxer’s eyes — was disorienting and incredible.

Still worth playing? The graphics have aged, but the gameplay core holds up better than most sports games from that era.

Fight Night Round 4 (2009, PS3/Xbox 360)

Many Fight Night loyalists consider Round 4 the sweet spot of the series. The physics engine was overhauled — punches had real weight, and body positioning actually mattered. The roster was massive. Ali, Tyson, Foreman, Leonard, Hearns, Hagler, Duran — plus modern fighters like Pacquiao, Hatton, and Calzaghe. The online community was rabid, and the created-fighter mode ate hundreds of hours.

Still worth playing? Absolutely. Still has a loyal following. Some fans consider it superior to Champion.

Fight Night Champion (2011, PS3/Xbox 360)

The pinnacle. The undisputed (no pun intended) greatest boxing video game ever made — at least until recently. Fight Night Champion did something no sports game had done before: it told an actual story. The Champion Mode followed Andre Bishop, a fictional middleweight who goes to prison, comes back, and fights for the title. It was dark, cinematic, and surprisingly emotional for a game about punching people.

Beyond the story, the gameplay was the most refined version of EA’s analog-stick system. The full-spectrum punch control gave you granular accuracy. The damage system was visceral — cuts opened, eyes swelled shut, and body shots accumulated until fighters crumbled. The roster featured over 50 real boxers spanning every era.

Then EA stopped making boxing games. For thirteen years, Fight Night Champion was the last word in boxing gaming. Fans begged for a sequel. EA never delivered. The official reason was licensing complications across multiple promoters, but the real answer was probably simpler: the UFC game was cheaper to make and sold enough copies.

Still worth playing? Players were still active online in 2024. That tells you everything. Hunt for a copy.

The Wilderness Years (2011–2023)

For more than a decade, boxing fans had… nothing. No major studio released a boxing game between Fight Night Champion and Undisputed’s early access. The void was filled by mobile games (Real Boxing, which was decent), VR experiments (Creed: Rise to Glory, which was genuinely fun), and a lot of disappointment.

Creed: Rise to Glory (2018/2023, PSVR/Quest)

The best VR boxing game and a legitimate workout. Based on the Rocky/Creed franchise, it put you in Adonis Creed’s gloves and made you physically throw punches, slip, and weave. Fighting Ivan Drago in VR while your arms burn from exhaustion is an experience no traditional controller game can replicate. The sequel, Creed: Rise to Glory – Championship Edition (2023), expanded the roster and refined the mechanics.

Still worth playing? If you have a VR headset, it’s essential. You’ll be sore the next day.

Big Rumble Boxing: Creed Champions (2021)

An arcade-style game featuring Rocky and Creed characters. Accessible and colorful, but shallow. Fun for a few hours, forgettable after that. Think of it as Ready 2 Rumble with a Rocky skin.

Fitness Boxing Series (Nintendo Switch, 2018–2024)

Not really a boxing game — more of a rhythm-based workout using Joy-Con motion controls. Fitness Boxing 3: Your Personal Trainer (2024) is surprisingly effective cardio. If you want to throw punches to pop music and track calories, it works. If you want to feel like a boxer, look elsewhere.

The Comeback: Undisputed (2024–Present)

Undisputed (PS5/Xbox Series X|S/PC)

After thirteen years in the desert, boxing fans finally got what they’d been asking for. Developed by Steel City Interactive — a small UK studio of actual boxing fans — Undisputed launched in early access on Steam in January 2023 before its full release on October 11, 2024. It was the first licensed boxing video game since Fight Night Champion.

The game features over 70 licensed fighters across multiple eras and weight classes. You can finally run Ali vs. Tyson, Crawford vs. Leonard, or Katie Taylor vs. Claressa Shields with fighters who look and move like their real-life counterparts. The WBC, WBO, and IBF are officially licensed, Jimmy Lennon Jr. handles introductions, and CompuBox tracks your punch stats.

The gameplay prioritizes tactical boxing over arcade action. Footwork matters — there’s a “loose movement” toggle for ring cutting and a “flat-footed” state when stamina drops. The damage system is procedural: cuts, swelling, and bruises accumulate realistically throughout the fight, telling the story on the fighter’s face. The career mode takes you from amateur tournaments to undisputed champion.

Is it perfect? No. Reviews have been mixed — Steam reviews sit around 59% positive, with complaints about AI behavior, online desync, and punches that don’t always connect with satisfying impact. It’s not Fight Night Champion 2. But it’s the only serious boxing simulation being actively developed, and the team has been pushing regular updates (the 2.0 update added significant gameplay improvements and free fighters).

The biggest recent development: Undisputed landed on PlayStation Plus Essential in February 2026, making it free for all PS Plus subscribers. That’s millions of new players entering the ring. For a game that sold over a million copies at launch, this could be the moment its community explodes.

Still worth playing? If you’re a boxing fan with a PS5, Xbox Series X, or gaming PC — yes. It’s the only real option for current-gen boxing gaming right now, and it’s only getting better.

The Forgotten Gems

Ready 2 Rumble Boxing: Round 2 (2000, Dreamcast/PS2/N64)

Pure arcade fun with exaggerated characters and over-the-top special moves. Afro Thunder, Butcher Brown, and — inexplicably — Michael Jackson and Shaquille O’Neal as unlockable fighters. It didn’t take itself seriously, and that was the point. The Dreamcast version was the best.

Rocky Legends (2004, PS2/Xbox)

A surprisingly deep game that let you play career modes as Rocky, Apollo, Clubber Lang, and Ivan Drago. The prequel storylines added genuine narrative weight to the franchise. Underrated and overlooked because it launched the same year as Fight Night 2004.

Victorious Boxers: Ippo’s Road to Glory (2001, PS2)

Based on the beloved Japanese manga and anime Hajime no Ippo, this was a cult classic with remarkably deep boxing mechanics. If you were into anime and boxing, this was your holy grail. Difficult to find now, but worth it if you can track down a copy.

What’s Next for Boxing Video Games?

The genre is in a strange place. Undisputed proved there’s a market — it sold over a million copies and just hit the biggest subscription service in gaming. But the licensing problem hasn’t gone away. Getting Ali, Tyson, Crawford, and Canelo in the same game still requires navigating a maze of promoters, managers, and estates that makes Don King look straightforward.

VR boxing continues to grow quietly. Creed: Rise to Glory showed the potential, and as headsets get cheaper and more mainstream, someone will eventually make a VR boxing game that combines Creed’s physicality with Undisputed’s roster and depth. When that happens, it could be the best boxing game ever made.

For now, boxing video game fans have more options than they’ve had in over a decade. Whether you’re punching in 007 373 5963 for old times’ sake, loading up Fight Night Champion on a backwards-compatible console, or downloading Undisputed on PS Plus this month — the sweet science has never been more playable.

Every Major Boxing Video Game at a Glance

Game	Year	Platform	Style	Still Worth Playing?
Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out!!	1987	NES	Arcade/Puzzle	Absolutely
Super Punch-Out!!	1994	SNES	Arcade/Puzzle	Yes
Knockout Kings 2000	1999	PS1/N64	Sim	Nostalgia only
Ready 2 Rumble Round 2	2000	Dreamcast/PS2	Arcade	For laughs, yes
Victorious Boxers	2001	PS2	Anime/Sim	Cult classic
Fight Night 2004	2004	PS2/Xbox	Sim	Controls still hold up
Rocky Legends	2004	PS2/Xbox	Movie tie-in	Underrated gem
Fight Night Round 3	2006	PS3/Xbox 360	Sim	Still impressive
Punch-Out!! (Wii)	2009	Wii	Arcade/Puzzle	Best Punch-Out ever
Fight Night Round 4	2009	PS3/Xbox 360	Sim	Loyal community still active
Fight Night Champion	2011	PS3/Xbox 360	Sim/Story	The GOAT — find a copy
Creed: Rise to Glory	2018/2023	PSVR/Quest	VR Sim	Essential for VR owners
Fitness Boxing 3	2024	Switch	Fitness	Great workout, not a game
Undisputed	2024	PS5/Xbox/PC	Sim	Yes — now free on PS Plus

For more boxing history, culture, and insider coverage, visit BoxingInsider.com.