UFC 5’s release is right around the corner, which has MMA fans psyched for the highly anticipated sequel. Read on to learn more about the release date and times for UFC 5, pre-order information, and other details.
UFC 5 Release Date and Time
Releases October 27, 2023
UFC 5 will release for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S on October 27, 2023. It will release at 6:00 PM globally, regardless of your location.
UFC 5 Pre-Orders
UFC 5 will come in two different versions: Standard Edition and Deluxe Edition.
Standard Edition
The Standard Edition costs $69.99 and will include the following bonuses:
•2 Alter Egos (Alexander Volkanovski, Valentina Shevchenko)
•30th-Anniversary Vanity Bundle (4 Vanity Items)
•Online career mode XP boosts (x5)
•Muhammad Ali
 PS Store |
 Xbox Store |
| $69.99 | |
Deluxe Edition
The Deluxe Edition costs $99.99 and will include the following bonuses:
•3 days of early access
•Mike Tyson
•Fedor Emelianenko
•Muhammad Ali
•Bruce Lee Bundle
•4 Alter Egos (Jon Jones, Israel Adesanya, Alexander Volkanovski, Valentina Shevchenko)
•Origins Bundle (2013 Conor McGregor, 2015 Leon Edwards, and 22 Vanity Items)
•30th-Anniversary Vanity Bundle (4 Vanity Items)
•Online career mode XP boosts (x5)
UFC 5 Review
UFC 5 First Impressions
MMA fans are in for a next-generation experience with UFC 5, with the tagline for this game, "As Real As It Gets," proving to be quite accurate. The game is powered by the Frostbite engine, which is the same engine being used by EA’s other top-tier sports games like the recent iterations of FIFA, Madden, and NHL. This, paired with industry-leading facial animation technology, create a visually pleasing gaming experience.
The game doesn’t just look real, but feels and plays more realistically too. UFC 5 features a new Authentic Damage system, where cuts, bruises, and swelling not only look real, but appear exactly where they’re supposed to be. The injuries sustained during fights will affect the fighter’s attributes, like if you have blood running down your eye, you’ll be less capable of defending attacks on that side of your body. Referees will also intervene when a fighter’s injury is particularly bad, and will get the doctor to check on them.
Other content coming with UFC 5 features, a brand-new Fight Week mode, which is packed with new features and challenges, all synced with real-world UFC events. These challenges will reward players with cool stuff, like the also newly introduced Alter Egos. These Alter Egos are playable versions of fighters during some of their most iconic moments in their career.
All these upgrades and new features together are sure to satisfy the needs of a true MMA connoisseur.
Everything We Know About UFC 5
UFC 5 Story Plot
UFC 5 features a brand new story to go along with your journey to become the best fighter the world has ever seen. You’ll be accompanied by some familiar faces, being trained by Coach Davis from UFC 4’s Career Mode and ex UFC Women's Flyweight Champion, Bullet Valentina Shevchenko. There will be new cutscenes and locations, with the story putting more emphasis on the UFC onboarding process.
The game will also feature an Online Career mode which "brings skill-based matchmaking, division progression, and title chases across four divisions." It’s currently unclear how this will work, but hopefully, these changes will be enough to elevate the game’s Career Mode from how it was in UFC 4, where most of your playthrough is spent preparing for your next opponent, who you’ll knock out in less than 30 seconds after the lengthy preparation grind.
UFC 5 Gameplay
The gameplay in UFC 5 looks like a massive upgrade from UFC 4. The graphics look stunning and the new animations look crisp and fluid. The new damage system meanwhile adds an additional touch of realism and complexity as hurt fighters must protect their injuries from further damage or else the doctor will stop the fight, while opposing fighters should capitalize and target the injury. With pain, stress, and damage being a bigger factor than ever, the gameplay more realistically captures the modern gladiator arena we know today as the octagon.
Submission Holds in the game have also been revamped, completely dropping the minigames that it used to feature, which always kind of felt out of place anyway. Instead, a submission will play a lot more like an extension of the ground game where you’ll use the right stick to decide how you want to transition the hold. This leads to a faster paced, more seamless submission experience.
Overall, we can expect UFC 5 to have a similar but definitely upgraded fighting experience to its predecessors. It attempts to master the same general concept from previous games where you choose from a variety of real (or created) fighters, get in the octagon, and then beat each other up until someone wins.
Rated M for MMA
For the first time in franchise history, UFC 5 has an ESRB rating of M for mature, rather than T for teen. This means that the game no longer has to hold back on the more mature themes that come with the sport, like violence, blood, and language. UFC 5 will feature much more realistic depictions of graphic violence and blood, which is undoubtedly present in the real-life MMA scene.
This is very interesting news, as the last time EA Sports released a game rated M was for Fight Night Champion, a critically acclaimed and well-received game that we all wish had a sequel. EA discontinued the franchise due to them losing their rights to make boxing games. The game was successful because it was able to effectively provide a realistic portrayal of the sport, lifestyle, and culture of boxing, even the ugly parts. The game featured a masterclass of storytelling, which included sequences for mature audiences. The story did not shy away from topics like prison, crime, corruption, and violence. Its gameplay was so advanced and realistic for its time, and perfectly captured the essence of boxing.
We hope that with the newly acquired freedom of UFC 5, they are able to capitalize on it and emulate the success of Fight Night Champion.
Hasbulla is Here
21 year old Dagestani internet sensation and UFC icon, Hasbulla, is confirmed to be in UFC 5. In a tweet featuring gameplay footage reposted by the official EA SPORTS UFC account, Hasbulla can be seen walking alongside his good friend, Islam Makhachev, during their team's entrance. It's safe to say that Hasbulla will always be around for Islam's fights in the game. What we don't know is if he'll be accompanying the other fighters he's associated with, like Khabib Nurmagomedov in the game. Although minor, we thought we'd mention this given how crazed the world is for the young social media star.
UFC 5 Trailer
Official Reveal Trailer
First Look Trailer
UFC 5 Product Information
 |
|
| Title | UFC 5 |
|---|---|
| Release Date | October 27, 2023 |
| Developer | EA SPORTS |
| Publisher | Electronic Arts |
| Supported Platforms | PS5, Xbox Series X|S |
| Genre | Sports, Fighting |
| Number of Players | Single Player, Local and Online Multiplayer (2) |
| ESRB Rating | Mature 17+ |
| Official Website | UFC 5 Website |
