The Thrill of the Fight 2 – VR Boxing
$19.99
⚠ PEGI 12 • Age 12+
Meta Quest 2/3/3S/Pro
Ranked • Casual Multiplayer
Halfbrick Studios • Full v1.0 November 19, 2025 • Career • Multiplayer • Coach Berg • Box Fan Expo endorsed
Thrill of the Fight 2:
VR Boxing
The sequel to VR's most beloved boxing experience. Shaped by over one million Early Access players and built with full multiplayer, adaptive AI career mode, and Coach Berg's 2,000+ voiced lines. Real professional boxers at Box Fan Expo Las Vegas said it felt like being back in the gym without the impact.
7.5
/10
XR School Score
Recommended
Genuine fitness workout • Multiplayer innovation • Coach Berg voiced with 2,000+ lines • Real pro boxers endorsed at Box Fan Expo • Body-effort detection and roomscale issues need work
Mixed community reception
ThumbCulture Gold Award
UploadVR: needs refinement
UploadVR: needs refinement
Overview
The original Thrill of the Fight by solo developer Ian Fitz became a VR boxing landmark — ranked second of all VR games for calories burned (9.74 to 15.32 per minute according to VR Space), with a 4.8-star Meta store rating and a devoted community. Halfbrick Studios, the Australian mobile games company behind Fruit Ninja and Jetpack Joyride, acquired the IP and rebuilt it from the ground up, with Fitz remaining involved in the project.
The full v1.0 released on November 19, 2025, a year after Early Access launched, and adds a complete career mode to the multiplayer infrastructure that was the Early Access focus. Career mode features adaptive AI that reacts to your individual fighting style, a rookie-to-world-champion progression arc, and Coach Berg — voiced by Dave Rivas with over 2,000 fully voiced lines covering training, corner advice, and post-fight analysis. Memorial Hall arena was added for career and multiplayer matches.
Box Fan Expo Las Vegas: Pro Boxers' Reaction
Earlier in 2025, Thrill of the Fight 2 appeared at Box Fan Expo in Las Vegas — one of the sport's major annual events. It was the first time many real professional boxers had stepped into the virtual ring. Halfbrick reported their reactions were immediate: "The realism, responsiveness, and physicality of the experience made it feel like being back in the gym without the impact." CEO Shainiel Deo has personally played the game with the community throughout development, and his hands-on involvement in the physics calibration is evident in the career mode's technique demands.
Game Modes
Career Mode
Start as a rookie and rise through amateur ranks to the world tournament. Adaptive AI reacts to your individual style. Opponents vary in height, reach, and fighting approach. Coach Berg guides each fight with voiced analysis.
Multiplayer (Ranked + Casual)
The headline addition over the original. Skill-based lobby matchmaking, ranked progression, and casual matches. Refined through millions of Early Access bouts. Cross-session opponent variety.
Training Mode
Dummy sessions showing damage and punch velocity per hit. Sparring with adjustable round length and difficulty. Tutorial videos teaching proper punching form — linked to the TOTF YouTube channel in-headset.
Avatar Customisation
Fully personalise your boxer: gloves, shorts, shoes. A more detailed customisation system than the original, reflecting the production upgrade Halfbrick brought to the series.
What Works and What Needs Work
What Works: Genuine Fitness, Multiplayer, and Production Quality
The fitness credentials are real and documented. The original TOTF ranked second of all VR games for calorie burn, and reviewers of TOTF2 consistently report sore muscles the next day. The career mode's technique-first design — ThumbCulture noted you need "proper technique" and that "improving your physical abilities will let you be better at the game" — is exactly what VR sport should aspire to. The multiplayer infrastructure, refined across millions of Early Access matches, delivers genuine competitive boxing online. Production values are a significant step up: HDR lighting, dynamic shadows, a voiced coach, and detailed venues.
What Needs Work: Body-Effort Detection, AI Clipping, Roomscale
UploadVR's review identified three genuine issues at v1.0 launch. The body-effort scoring system that grades how much physical force goes into a punch "needs further work to detect when you put your body into a punch." The AI opponent occasionally clips into the player during exchanges, causing foul calls that feel unearned. And the game "repeatedly fails to detect how much space I have around me to fight in roomscale mode," pushing some players into the more limited standing mode. GamingTrend was blunter: "a sequel with lofty intentions that didn't quite land." Community reception is genuinely divided, with TOTF1 veterans often preferring the original's tighter focus. Post-launch updates are planned and Halfbrick has committed to continued development.
Curriculum Value
What Critics Say
"A game where improving your physical abilities will let you be better at the game is exactly what VR should allow. I'm going to keep playing, working out, trying to improve my own abilities."
"What's working for this title are beautiful graphics and a great choice in how you choose to play. This game can eventually be an all-timer with some improvements, just like the first installment is."
"A sequel with lofty intentions that didn't quite land... fails to achieve a champion belt this time around. Enthusiasts will likely enjoy the career mode campaigns simply for the pursuit of glory."
"When you are standing in the ring, throwing real punches, you can feel when something is right or off, and that level of care is what drives the team."
Strengths and Limitations
Strengths
- Genuine fitness pedigree — calorie burn comparable to jogging
- Technique-first design rewards proper boxing form
- First TOTF with full online multiplayer (ranked + casual)
- Coach Berg: 2,000+ voiced lines, excellent voice acting
- Adaptive AI reacts to individual fighting style
- Professional boxers endorsed realism at Box Fan Expo
- Significant production upgrade: HDR, dynamic shadows, venues
- Post-launch development roadmap committed
Considerations
- Body-effort punch detection needs further refinement
- AI clipping inside player causes erroneous foul calls
- Roomscale detection inconsistent — may force standing mode
- Community divided vs TOTF1 veterans who prefer the original
- PC VR version not yet released (described as "very likely")
- PEGI 12 — secondary school minimum for school deployment
- Space: minimum 6.5×6.5ft, 8ft ceiling recommended