Is this the best free VR boxing game on the Meta Quest 3?

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While searching for new VR games in the fitness niche, I came across a highly rated title called DuckOrDie, and after seeing it played on social media, I had to check it out.

I’ve played several VR boxing games on the Meta Quest before and found some of them surprisingly good. In fact, fitness-focused games were one of the main reasons I wanted to pick up the Meta Quest 3 in the first place. Titles like Thrill of the Fight offer an intense and rewarding boxing workout. While they aren’t perfect and aren’t always technically accurate from a pure boxing standpoint, they still deliver excellent cardio benefits, especially if you already understand proper boxing technique.

Thrill of the Fight 2 has also recently arrived on the Quest platform and received a new update, which we’ll touch on later in this article. But first, let’s take a closer look at DuckOrDie, one of the best free boxing VR games available right now, and explore what sets it apart and what benefits it brings to players.

DuckOrDie best free VR boxing game?

DuckOrDie – Boxing Minigames is incredibly fun and surprisingly addictive. It feels like a blend between a fitness-focused game such as Beat Saber and a streamlined boxing training experience.

While many boxing VR titles come with a price tag, lengthy tutorials, or complex systems that slow the experience down, DuckOrDie takes the opposite approach. It’s fast, free, and built around core boxing fundamentals, making it one of the best free boxing VR games available on the Meta Quest 3 today.

Rather than trying to be a full boxing simulator with career modes or long cutscenes, DuckOrDie focuses on what matters most in a boxing fitness game: reaction speed, head movement, and clean punches. Once you get the hang of it, the gameplay naturally turns into a solid workout.

During play, you’ll be squatting to duck punches, shifting your weight to avoid incoming attacks, and throwing repeated punches at speed. Before you realize it, your heart rate is up. The game delivers effective cardio while still feeling like a game rather than traditional exercise software.

For players who want fitness without rigid routines or complicated systems, DuckOrDie is a fantastic option, especially considering it’s currently free (though it’s unclear how long that will last).

Who’s it for?

DuckOrDie is easy to pick up but difficult to master. New VR players can jump in immediately without feeling overwhelmed, while more experienced users can chase higher scores, faster reactions, and cleaner runs. There’s no complicated setup, just skill-based gameplay that rewards improvement over time.

The game also features leaderboards, allowing players to compare their scores with others and add a competitive edge to each session.

We’ve found DuckOrDie to be especially accessible for people with little or no VR experience, making it a great choice for a wide range of players. It’s particularly appealing to those interested in fitness-focused gameplay without steep learning curves. And in a space where many boxing VR titles are paid experiences, DuckOrDie stands out by being completely free while still delivering polished mechanics and strong replayability.

What can you do on it?

At the moment, DuckOrDie features two main game modes, and each minigame throws you straight into the action.

In the first mode, the focus is on pure movement and reaction. You’ll be dodging red explosive obstacles while punching incoming yellow balloons. It sounds simple at first, but as the pace increases, the challenge ramps up quickly. One hit ends the run, and missing three punches results in a game over, encouraging accuracy as well as speed.

The second minigame is more technical. Pad combinations move toward the player, requiring you to hit the correct punch sequences while simultaneously ducking bars and avoiding incoming punches. This mode feels much closer to traditional pad work, and as the speed increases, it becomes increasingly intense and competitive.

Across both modes, you’re constantly dodging, ducking, and striking in short, high-energy sessions that feel perfectly suited to VR. The pick-up-and-play design makes DuckOrDie ideal whether you have just a few minutes to spare or a longer session to burn through.

Any downsides?

DuckOrDie is a very straightforward, “what you see is what you get” VR experience. There’s no story mode, no cinematic presentation, and no flashy visuals. Instead, it leans fully into a simple, arcade-style boxing format.

At the moment, the game is limited to just two main modes, which may feel restrictive for players looking for long-term progression systems or varied content. While this could change with future updates, DuckOrDie is currently focused on doing a small number of things well rather than offering a broad feature set.

Overall

Overall, it’s hard to go wrong with DuckOrDie as a free VR boxing game. It delivers an enjoyable, boxing-focused workout while remaining accessible and fun to play.

Rather than aiming to be a full boxing simulator or a story-driven experience like Thrill of the Fight or Creed, DuckOrDie feels closer to a Beat Saber-style game built around boxing fundamentals. The result is a fast, arcade-style experience that prioritizes movement, reaction speed, and cardio over realism or narrative.

For players looking for a free, pick-up-and-play boxing VR game on the Meta Quest 3, DuckOrDie stands out as an easy recommendation.

Thrill of the Fight 2 update

Thrill of the Fight 1 and 2 offer more in-depth boxing VR simulations compared to DuckOrDie. The first game did an excellent job of delivering a realistic VR boxing experience, allowing players to fight AI opponents either in passthrough or inside a virtual boxing ring.

Thrill of the Fight 2 initially launched with multiplayer as its main focus, pushing VR boxing into the online competitive space. In theory, this was a great idea and it certainly provides an intense cardio workout. However, the multiplayer-only approach also introduced some limitations, particularly around inconsistent technique and players exploiting spamming tactics through gameplay loopholes.

Even with those drawbacks, the game remains fantastic for cardio. More recently, Thrill of the Fight 2 has added a new single-player storyline mode, allowing players to create a boxer and progress through the ranks in offline matches. This update adds welcome depth and brings noticeable improvements in punch feedback, visual performance, and overall functionality compared to the original game.

We especially liked the short training minigames used to improve different aspects of your boxer, as well as the coach calling out useful boxing advice from the corner during fights. These touches add immersion and make the experience feel more complete.

But as a heads up, you might want to upgrade your headstrap and consider getting some controller grips so that your setup doesn’t fly off playing these intense fitness games. Make sure to check out our list of top Meta Quest 3 accessories on this link.

Conclusion

With the addition of a single-player storyline mode, Thrill of the Fight 2 has taken a meaningful step forward. The update adds structure, progression, and polish that were previously missing, while retaining the intense cardio-focused gameplay the series is known for.

While it still isn’t perfect from a technical boxing standpoint, particularly in competitive multiplayer, it remains one of the most physically demanding VR boxing experiences available. For players looking for a deeper, more simulation-focused alternative to arcade-style games like DuckOrDie, Thrill of the Fight 2 now offers a more complete and well-rounded package.

Thanks for reading, make sure to check out our similar articles below for more awesome VR titles.