Rogue Foam Games Box – Our Review

During the summer of 2021, my wife and I took a trip to Lisbon. The three things I remember most from the trip are:

• Being pretty underwhelmed by the city (sorry!)
• Getting Corona
• One of our flight’s stewardesses mysteriously knowing that my wife and I do CrossFit

To that last point…she quickly revealed that she noticed our shins (we were in the first row of business so she got a pretty good look at them) and the tell-tale scars on them…the scars of missed box jumps from the past…

The most interesting part was…she wasn’t even a CrossFitter!

Her knowledge and reaction confirmed what I had pretty much always suspected…these scars are more or less “rites of passage” for those who have been in it for long enough…

…but they don’t have to be. If I had always had and used my Rogue Foam Games Box, I likely would been missing these identifiers (for better or for worse).

This box is expensive and doesn’t have any special characteristics or “powers” that set it apart in the way that some new snazzy shoes or functional trainer might. However, it’s as functional as any other plyo box while being infinitely safer than just about any competitor.

Let’s discuss how life is gone since I got mine and how despite still having pieces of evidence of box jump blunders from my past, I at least don’t have any new ones…

Functionality

There is a lot of stuff you can do with a plyo box…but there really isn’t that much stuff you can do with a plyo box.

I know that I totally contradicted myself there, but I’m willing to bet you know what I mean when I say this.

If you’re reading this review, you probably have a pretty good idea of the movements and exercises you already perform with your plyo box and, unless you have some weird illusions of grandeur, you’re going to pretty much do the exact same exercises with this one…if you decide to get your hands (or feet…ha!) on one.

You jump on it, you step on it, you squat down onto it…and that’s pretty much it. Much of the time, mine serves as the place to hold my chalk bag and computer during workouts (don’t lie; if you work out at home, you do the same!)

The Rogue Foam Games Box scores high in this category because it doesn’t really have any serious limitations (other than being a little bit harder to stack in my experience than wooden boxes are) while instilling increased confidence in those who might otherwise avoid or outright refuse any type of plyo box work.

Also, unlike many other soft boxes, it’s heavy enough to remain grounded and stability throughout workouts, something we’ll discuss the paramount importance of in later sections.

Rest assured that you won’t be missing out on much with this box, but don’t expect some type of tangible superior functionality. We’ll discuss the less tangible (but fully appreciated) superior functionality starting in the next section…

Functionality: 95

Safety/Comfort

Let’s be real…this is the reason why you’re considering this box.

You want to preserve your shins.

You want more confidence when you’re jumping up.

You want at least a slightly softer landing…but not always.

All legit desires…all things that the Foam Games Box provides.

Truth be told, I lived over 40 years of my life without a soft box/foam box and have made it through mostly unscathed…but jumping an stepping on this box is just a whole different experience.

Now don’t get me wrong; you can’t jump headlong into this thing and not experience a degree of discomfort. It does weigh 50 pounds, after all. However, “missing” a rep and banging into this box is akin to slight inconvenience where the same exact miss on a wooden or metal box will oftentimes leave lasting scars…literally.

As you can imagine, this material results in a more physically safe training apparatus, but also fosters a safe(r) psychological mindset. I can assure you that there is much less hesitation and “double clutching” as you psych yourself up for a higher jump.

I mean…high jumps can be scary/intimidating regardless of the material, but knowing that you (probably) won’t get punished with a bloody shin for missing can…not even being hyperbolic here…shift an entire workout.

One final important thing to note about that 50-pound figure…it’s not hard to find other foam/soft plyo boxes. However, many (most?) of these lack significant inner stabilizing material. As such, these alternatives only weigh ~15-20 pounds.

This is usually a huge problem.

When boxes are this light, they move all over the place when you’re jumping up onto them. You’re very unlikely to scrape or scar your shins, but you’re much more likely to hurt yourself as the box shifts under you since it is so light…not recommended.

Overall, you can still ding yourself up on one of these, particularly since they are almost as heavy as standard wooden boxes, you are still landing on (and from) a hard-ish surface, and the outer material is slightly slicker than wood is, but…again without being hyperbolic…the Foam Games Box is simply on a different level.

Safety/Comfort: 95

Materials

I’ll admit that, for some strange reason, I didn’t think that there was any difference in the material(s) that went into foam plyo boxes…that is until I got back from a stay at the Crowne Plaza Budapest where the hotel gym happened to be stocked with a Technogym Soft Plyo Box.

The box was awesome and doing burpee box jump overs on it felt a lot nicer than other, non-branded soft boxes I had used before. Granted, that box may be the only soft box that is more expensive than the Foam Games Box (and it is by a lot…), which may have had something to do with it…

(Maybe I do have to start focusing more on the European audience with these reivews…y’all must be rich!)

Anyways, the Rogue Foam Games Box’s materials aren’t quite 3,300-euro quality, but are definitely an upgrade from the some PVC ripoff and a few stacks of EVA foam inside. Don’t get me wrong; this box is constructed of these materials, but has a significant amount of internal material with a tightly applied vinyl outer.

This combination allows for the Foam Games Box to be both firm and stable while still allowing for soft landings and for low-consequence whiffs. The tightness of the outer material also limits slippage and the potential to lose footing in a manner that looser materials do not.

Finally, the materials composition does not suggest that there will be any significant scuffing, yet alone abrasions to the box itself. After thousands of jumps, step-ups, and…tens of “box loads” with the 150-pound sandbag, the only wear my box has experienced is the round/rep chalk marks that I was too lazy to erase from a previous workout.

Ultimately, materials make a difference and while the Foam Games Box’s aren’t that special, their application and the general engineering of the box makes them/it a winner(s).

Materials: 95

Price

This is it.

This is the category where the Foam Games Box really gets smacked down.

Some people hesitate and agonize over dropped $275 on a new, shiny barbell that they’re going to use every day. This is understandable as dropping this amount of money constitutes a rather decent investment.

Now…imagine spending this amount of money on a plyo box…

There really isn’t any way to spin it; this box is expensive. So expensive that besides the odd alternative here and there, you pretty much have to opt for one of those steel ones (you know…the ones that every kid skinned their knees on at some point in high school) to find a more expensive plyo box option.

We can talk about “quality” and “can’t put a price on piece of mind/safety” until we’re blue in the face, but that doesn’t change the fact that this piece of equipment, which you might use twice a week for more niche exercises, is almost $300…

…and this fact is by far the Foam Games Box’s biggest weakness.

Price: 50

Customer Reviews

As you can probably tell, I’m pretty high on the Rogue Foam Games Box and have come to really appreciate its combination of functionality, comfort-enhancing capabilities, and safety. Still, shelling out over $270 for a plyo box is a big ask for just about anybody.

Knowing how expensive this box is, I figured that reviewers would be relatively critical of it, expecting some kind of over-sized returns on their investment. To my surprise, the box scores really well with a collective review score of 4.8-out-of-5.

At a little under 100 reviews, the sample size isn’t the largest, but is sufficient to make some decent inferences about the Foam Games Box’s quality. Of these only 3 are 3-star reviews or lower with nothing really standing out or being a consistently-stated negative about the box. One of the negative comments is downright wrong to me.

“Great addition, but limited use

These are a great addition to our gym for those who fear box jumps. That being said, they are really only usable on the 20” setting. Any higher and they are too unstable. Also, as others have said, handles would be nice. Very awkaward (sic) to carry.”

Overall, the Rogue Foam Games Box, despite its premium price point is a fan favorite, even among more casual trainees.

Customer Reviews: 96

Customer Service

In my experience, Rogue is like a lot of the “better” fitness companies when it comes to customer service. They aren’t overly…”expressive” when you’re dealing with them, don’t really favor long-winded conversations or messages, and reply in a not-overly-fast, but more than acceptable window.

They are knowledgeable of their products and policies and you can tell that personnel aren’t just randos who have never worked out before, but I wouldn’t say they are necessarily “excited” to answer questions about gear.

With that being said, all of my questions have been answered by Rogue employees in a timely manner and my stuff has arrived fast and in pristine condition. On the one occasion where I had to cancel an order that was halfway through the shipment process (charged, order being prepared, not yet shipped), the employee I was dealing with was able to give me a number of options when I ultimately altered the order.

(I was afraid that I was going to have to ship the unwanted items in the order back at this stage in the game, but his work saved me this hassle).

Different Rogue items have different warranty policies and, to be fair, the Foam Games Box has one of the worst (it falls into the 90 days “upholstery/foam category”), but given the nature of the item, especially in comparison to something like a steel-framed rack, it’s understandable.

Rogue’s employees take care of business in an efficient and effective manner. Just don’t expect to become best friends with the guy in the chat box.

Customer Service: 95

Who is the Rogue Foam Games Box really for?

It would be easy enough to answer this question with “everybody!11!!!!!111!” since it’s hard to find, outside of people who constantly stack their boxes, someone who wouldn’t appreciate this box. Regardless, let’s take a closer look at who the most appreciative people would likely be…

Gun-shy box jumpers

Anybody who regularly does box jumps would appreciate the Foam Games Box, but those who have a more pronounced…hesitation to box jumping (we’ve all been there) should feel a lot more comfortable with it. Granted, you’re going to have to be willing to jump at least 20 inches…but I have faith in you!

High-level CrossFit athletes

I use “high-level” here very deliberately since the truly elite separate themselves by shaving fractions of a second off of each rep with boxes like this in workouts like that:

However, for the people who are taking things seriously, but aren’t quite at the level of finishing CrossFit Open 17.1/21.2 in 8:52, the Foam Games Box will help you to hit box workouts with greater intensity and confidence than you would with a wooden box.

Just trust me on this.

Not for those looking for an inexpensive plyo box

It goes without saying that the Rogue Foam Games Box is an expensive piece of an equipment and a very expensive plyo box. We highly recommend the box; we don’t recommend taking out a second mortgage to do so!

How we reviewed the Rogue Foam Games Box

I ordered the Rogue Foam Games Box in February of 2025 in anticipation of the upcoming CrossFit Open.

Naturally, the Open didn’t include any box-related exercises that year.

Nevertheless, I have not jumped on a wooden box since then, exclusively using it for all box jump and box step-up exercises. Additionally, I have used it as a “high” box when performing exercises like box squats and I used it in the initial stages of my pistol “rebuild”, for which it worked perfectly (when I couldn’t squat very low).

For all intents and purposes, this is my plyo box now.

Foam Games Box Alternatives

The Foam Games Box is an excellent choice, but its price tag is going to be off putting for a lot of people. Let’s take a look at some other options that aren’t quite as good (for various reasons), but won’t break the bank…at least not as badly!

Frequently Asked Questions

I know I’ve addressed both of these questions a few times already in this review, but maybe you skipped it all and just care about these, admittedly, 2 most important questions. If so…have at it…

An expensive box…but a great box…

Interestingly enough, the week I was writing this review, this thread popped up on Reddit:

I can’t say I’ve ever gotten it that bad, but it seems like there is a fair few people who would benefit (or would have benefitted) from a soft plyo box at some point.

I’m sure the Rogue Foam Games Box is overpriced for what it physically is (a bunch of EVA foam and some vinyl or PVS outer)…but is it overpriced for what it provides…?

A $275 plyo box or bloodied shins and months (or years) of mental blocks…

…I can’t make the decision for you and only you can assign value to these things.

I personally think it is an excellent addition to my home gym and can attest that it has made a definitive difference in how I approach (and perform during) box jump and even step-up workouts.

Also, (almost) all of those mental blocks I once had are gone now.

I don’t know how much that’s worth to you, but I’m okay with my decision.