Highlights
- UFC 4 received a mixed reception due to its lack of immersion, clunky animations, and arcade-like design choices, disappointing fans.
- UFC 2, despite criticisms of moving away from earlier games, had better gameplay and attention to detail with character models and arenas.
- UFC 3 focused more on multiplayer and had a large player base, but repetitive knockouts and lack of ragdoll physics were drawbacks. UFC Undisputed 3 was highly regarded for its realistic gameplay and in-depth career mode.
As one of the fastest-growing sports in the world today, mixed martial arts is receiving increased attention in the video game world. With the upcoming release of EA Sports' UFC 5, fans will be hoping for a stand-out fighting game that emulates sporting realism among a plethora of more fantasy-oriented combat titles. With releases dating back to the year 2000, the sport's premier organization, the UFC, has long been partnered with various developers to create authentic games, but some titles have certainly resonated with fans better than others.
As the series moves progressively into the mainstream and the athletes continue to innovate with new styles and techniques, players will be hoping that this will transfer into future titles. As UFC 5 looks to introduce previously missing features such as cuts and doctor's stoppages, it is worth taking a look back at some of the best titles in the series to figure out what made them so appealing in the first place.
6 EA Sports UFC 4
EA's most recent addition to the UFC series was met with a very mixed reception among fans and critics alike. Despite featuring the largest roster in the series' history, the lack of immersion, clunky animations, and ridiculous "cosmetic" design choices of the developers made the game feel considerably more arcade-like and less realistic than any previous installment.
A sub-par career mode and a focus on celebratory emote dances was, unfortunately, not what any fans were hoping for, and the inclusion of the all-new "Coach Davis" did very little to plug the gaps. Being unable to save fight replays, view extended highlights, or even check to see who other contenders in the division had fought was also a bit of a disappointment.
5 EA Sports UFC 2
Releasing in 2016 at the height of the McGregor-Rousey era, this was seemingly the perfect time for a UFC video game to take the market by storm. The game did sell relatively well but drew criticism for moving even further away from the style of the earlier Undisputed games, and very much receiving the "EA Treatment" with regard to microtransactions and in-game currency.
Gameplay was a slight improvement over its predecessor and still feels significantly better than in UFC 4. The attention to detail in terms of character models and environments, such as the varying global arenas, was also much more in-depth than it has become now.
4 EA Sports UFC 3
Following the success of UFC 2, EA Sports followed up with another entry in 2018. There were few changes in terms of gameplay, although the presentation of UFC 3 certainly focused more on multiplayer than the detailed Career Mode players were used to in the Undisputed series.
Doing away with the ragdoll after knockouts may have been a mistake, and with only a select few animations playing each time there is a knockout, it can be very repetitive to watch and play. Nonetheless, UFC 3 had a large player base and particularly excelled in online match-ups.
3 UFC 2009 Undisputed
Before EA acquired the franchise, the UFC Undisputed series was produced by THQ. UFC 2009 Undisputed was the first game in the UFC series to feature a truly distinctive variety of martial arts with a focus on training progression and technical work on the ground.
While the ground controls and submissions may have been difficult to get used to at the time, they would later become the basis of all future games and have been innovated only slightly since. With a roster of legends including Georges St. Pierre and Anderson Silva, UFC 2009 Undisputed was a true classic.
2 UFC Undisputed 2010
Building on the successful model of the 2009 game, UFC Undisputed 2010 hardly revolutionized the series in the same way that its predecessor managed to, but still brought several quality-of-life improvements including enhanced graphics and more fluid, accurate animations.
The game's roster features names such as Matt Serra, Rampage Jackson, and Mirko Cro Cop, with a focus on promoting the fighters, which led to an authentic experience more connected with the real sport. Despite being produced on a significantly older engine than the EA titles, the Undisputed series had much more realistic and representative character models, as well as recognizably unique fighting styles for the different characters.
1 UFC Undisputed 3
The last of the THQ-produced UFC games, UFC Undisputed 3 retained many of the positive qualities that made the previous games successful, as well as expanding on them with a more in-depth career mode that focused on training and development as much as the fights themselves.
With a range of new techniques and submission possibilities, this title was arguably the most realistic and the most fun out of any game in the UFC series. The inclusion of the "Pride" organization also created further authenticity as a feeder program for the main UFC and featured its own special ruleset, which included the ability to kick grounded opponents. Future games could certainly learn from this title, which is widely recognized as a fan-favorite, particularly among those who are fans of the sport as well as the video games.
UFC 5 is releasing on October 27, 2023 for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S.