🎮 Play Boxing Online (Atari 2600)

Boxing is a top-down sports game published by Activision for the Atari 2600 in 1980, programmed by Bob Whitehead — one of the five former Atari engineers who co-founded Activision, the first third-party console publisher. Two boxers square off in an overhead-view white ring, trading punches over a two-minute round. Land 100 blows for an instant knockout, or hold the lead when the clock runs out. Two-player simultaneous competition is built in, and the game remains one of the earliest home console titles to pull it off in a sports context.

How to play

Move into punching range and press fire to throw a jab. Fighting at close quarters scores faster body blows; staying at the edge of your reach is safer but each punch counts for less. Reach 100 points for the knockout, or outscore your opponent when the two minutes expire.

Tips

• Cut off angles rather than chasing straight across the ring — a diagonal step can corner your opponent and open up a string of hits.
• Two-player is the game at its best: split the keyboard with a partner using the controls above for a genuine head-to-head bout.