EA Sports UFC 6 review – Suitably brutal

Reviewing EA Sports UFC 5 back in 2023, my main issue was how similar it was to the release before it. Now, nearly three years later, we have EA Sports UFC 6. Whether you’re a casual player or a series veteran, the good news is that you’ll find new modes and features specifically for you. And of course, the gameplay has has received some significant upgrades, too.

One of the aims of EA Sports UFC 6 is to make the series more accessible to casual players and newcomers. This has been achieved via numerous innovations, perhaps the most important being the availability of a simplified combat system. If you don’t want to deal with having to manually perform left and right punches and kicks, you can have just one punch and kick button if you wish, making things much easier to manage. And this is just the tip of the iceberg; other options and features are also available, making it easier to perform combos, dodge incoming attacks, and a whole lot more.

There’s better onboarding in EA Sports UFC 6, thanks to the introduction of a new mode called The Legacy. This single-player, narrative-driven story mode puts you in the shoes of Chris Carter, an MMA fighter who dreams of joining the UFC. And he’s not alone: his best friend Danny also dreams of going professional. With their coach fully behind them, they set about to realise their dream, and also put their gym, Believe MMA, on the map. But of course, life doesn’t play out without the odd hiccup along the way.

With Chris just starting his fighting career, The Legacy essentially teaches you the basics. First you’ll get to grips with the controls, learning how to strike, block, dodge, and more. Then, once you’ve somewhat made a name for yourself and joined an organisation, you’ll be introduced to Career mode elements such as managing your hype and fitness. Ultimately, once you’ve had your fill of The Legacy, you’ll have all the knowledge you need to jump into Career mode proper, leading a character of your own creation to legendary status. Or at least trying.

Needless to say, Career mode remains the highlight of EA Sports UFC 6, letting you shape and develop your fighter throughout their time with the UFC. With The Legacy teaching you the basics, this time around you’ll get into the thick of the action much sooner, receiving fight offers from recognisable UFC fighters then deciding how long you want to train for before stepping into the octagon. Each week, you’ll need to take part in sparring sessions, with numerous available each focusing on a certain set of skills, as well as consider taking part in PR events which will raise hype. Strike the right balance and not only will you be fighting fit, but you’ll reap increased rewards should you win.

Throughout your career, you’ll earn skill points in addition to cold hard cash, and these can be used to expand your sparring options, upgrade your stats, learn new moves, and even purchase new perks. With such a vast number of options available, you really can make your fighter your own, making career mode very engrossing indeed.

Outside of Career mode, another new mode here, called Hall of Legends, lets you celebrate some of the UFC’s greatest. Taking control of either Max Holloway, Alex Pereira or Weili Zhang from a behind-the-shoulder perspective, you can explore museums based upon their careers. There are videos to watch and items to interact with, allowing you to learn more about these storied athletes. But that’s not all: there are trio of fights to overcome to with each combatant, each with numerous objectives to be completed. Be successful in your task and you’ll earn rewards.

No matter which mode you jump into, though, whether it’s one of the new additions, or returning staples such as Fight Now or Online Career, it’s the changes to the core fighting experience that you’ll likely be most appreciative of in EA Sports UFC 6. There’s been a real effort here to make this the most authentic and fluid representation of the sport yet. So, alongside the usual improvements such as upgraded visuals, with every fighter looking closer to their real-world counterpart, you’ve got an expanded range of animations, as well as a new physics system which means that collisions and impacts are more convincing then ever.

You’ll wince when you land a powerful blow in EA Sports UFC 6 because it looks so convincing. And alongside other new features, such as multiple blocking styles being available and the introduction of what’s called Flow State, rewarding players for getting in the zone, the action has never looked or felt more realistic while also being thoroughly entertaining. As ever, things only really take a downturn when you end up on the ground, with the grappling options and systems being quite simply bewildering at times. Some will no doubt take the time to get their heads around it though, and will no doubt reap the benefits.

There’s still a little room for improvement, then, but EA Sports UFC 6 offers a notable upgrade over the last game in the series. And with EA intending to provide substantial post-launch support, with new fighters and more being added on a regular basis, it should no doubt keep UFC fans entertained for another few years.