Undisputed review

Boxing fans have been neglected for years now when it comes to video games, but Undisputed by Steel City Interactive aims to address that. Released into early access on Steam in January 2023, the game is now ready for the limelight. And as well as a full release on PC, console gamers are going to be able to get in on the hard-hitting action, too.

Authenticity is what Undisputed aims for, and it goes a long way to achieving it. This is a serious boxing game where managing your stamina is paramount; swing your arms around wildly, and chances are you’ll simply be left out of breath and then laid out on the canvas of the ring. And so, you need to study your opponents, develop your own boxing style, and carefully choose your punches to capitalise on openings.

Anyone that has played a boxing game in the past such as Fight Night will be somewhat familiar with the control scheme here. The face buttons can be used to throw jabs and hooks with both the left and right arms, and pressing both the jab and hook buttons for the same arm together produces an uppercut with the respective arm. The shoulder buttons, meanwhile, act as modifiers, allowing you to target the body and put more power into your punches.

When it comes to defense, the left and tight triggers are used to block as well as duck and weave. Flick the left stick and you can quickly dodge in a direction, too. Put everything together, including some additional less important manoeuvres at your disposal, and you have a combat system that’s easy to pick up, hard to master, and provides you with a wealth of options. Oh, and if you don’t like using the face buttons to throw punches, you can use the right analogue stick, too.

The boxing action on offer here isn’t quite perfect, however. My main gripe is that the actions feels a little slower than you’d expect: throwing punches and simply moving around the ring can appear a little lethargic, which doesn’t make for snappy, exciting gameplay. It can also be hard to chase down your opponents when you have them rocked, and there’s no sense of being at an advantage when you have them cornered.

Still, beggars can’t be choosers, and Undisputed does offer a good opportunity to get in the ring playing as and going up against a huge roster of boxing professionals. From Tyson Fury to Frank Bruno, the roster here is comprehensive, and there are even some surprising faces thrown into the mix, like strongman Eddie Hall. There are some notable omissions, however, such as Mike Tyson and Chris Eubank. Hopefully they can be added post-launch, as well as more iconic boxers that are missing.

When it comes to modes, Undisputed has plenty. Jump into career mode and you’ll find that you can either create your own boxer and lead them glory, or take control of an existing pro. Whichever you choose, you’ll find yourself having to manage your staff, negotiate fights and train effectively if you want to move up the rankings across various organisations and ultimately become a champion. Outside of career mode, a number of weekly prize fights are on offer, and it’s also easy to set up exhibitions matches or take the action online.

Playing on PS5 for review, one thing that has disappointed me about Undisputed is that it’s visually quite a downgrade compared to the PC version. It’s not an ugly game — far from it — but while on PC the action almost looks photo-realistic with the settings turned up, on PS5 it’s just a little underwhelming. From ring textures that look a bit naff to character models that just aren’t as convincing, it all adds up to rob the game of some visual splendour and atmosphere.

There’s plenty of room for improvement, then, but if you’re a boxing fan it’s definitely worth picking Undisputed up. Not that you have much choice, anyway, given the lack of competition — especially on consoles. In any case, while Undisputed isn’t perfect, it does get a lot right, and has plenty of content for players to sink their teeth into. And if it doesn’t get better after launch thanks to updates, there’s a great base here for an improved sequel.