EA Sports UFC 5 Review: A Striking Masterstroke Stumbler Beneath Rusty Wheels

A Gorgeous, Striking Game Trapped in Half-Polished Mirrors

First up, UFC 5’s stand-up fighting is still the smartest, most nail-biting dance in sports games. It’s the whole reason the engine even hums, and, lucky you, it’s cooked with just the right grit. Like 3 and 4, EA polishes the strike rhythm until it almost glows, locking you into a rhythm that pays honest tribute to timing, laser-precise hits, and the kind of gritty discipline nobody learns in a hurry, but this time it drops the versions for old consoles, in case you buy cheap PS4 games. Half-hearted haymakers and wild elbows get charged, and the clock on your stamina ticks louder than the crowd’s roar. One bad lunge and you open the door to a clean counter, and the next second you might be the one on your back, staring up at the arena’s bright, indifferent lights.

The combo system is still one of the biggest wins for the game. It makes you pay attention to each fighter’s timing and weak spots. You might bait a jab to land a rear overhand or throw calf kicks to slow someone down—everything links up in a way that really feels like MMA. Defense is a big deal, too; head movement, blocking, and perfect timing on counters all give you layered chances to avoid damage and flip the fight around.

Still, for all that solid feel, the way the game looks doesn’t always keep pace. Some moments are straight-up movie-level—like landing a picture-perfect uppercut on a ducking opponent for a clean walk-off KO. Then you get armpit-high kicks. You know exactly what I mean. Limbs twist like rubber, heads jerk around like bobbleheads, and what should feel like a hard strike ends up looking like a cheap action flick. These handful of weird moments pull you right out of the experience and make some of the fastest, most thrilling exchanges feel a little empty. It’s frustrating because when the animations hit, they hit hard.

The grappling in UFC 5 is a mixed dish. It looks fancy, with a whole menu of transitions that make you feel smart when you learn them. You’ve got to feel the timing, the weight shift, and keep the other guy pinned. But the moment you hit the mat, a lot of folks just want to slam the controller.

The biggest problem is that you’re never really sure what landed. When you’re on the bottom, the guy has you set in a high mount, and you’re eating hooks, the only reads you get are more fists in your face. You try to hit a denial, you try to sneak a sweep, but the game keeps sending you back to the same punchy loop. It’s not about the game being too hard—sometimes that’s fun.

The same bugs show up in the clinch. Knees coming from the Thai tie feel like a mood ring—some rounds, your guard is tight and the ref gives a thumbs up; other rounds, your guy just face-plants like he forgot he had gloves on. Consistency and a fast read on what’s unsafe are the lifeboats in this boat, and right now, the lifeboats keep leaking during every tight scramble.

The new wrestling transitions are a tiny step up thanks to the new animations that change depending on what’s happening, but in practice, you still can’t really steer the grappling unless you know the exact timing of every single move. Right now, the mechanics feel built for vets who’ve memorized the wheel chart rather than for anyone who wants to feel like they’re actually learning. The slope is really steep, and way too often, you feel like you’re hiking it in flip-flops, slipping every other step.

The Rivalry System: A Tap That Misses

If you squint, UFC 5 tries to sprinkle personality in with the Twitter-like rivalry system, so do not squint and try to buy PS5 sports games to satisfy your passion. Fighters trade tweets, throw mini-challenges, and once in a while shut you out of the gym or hype an upcoming fight. The pitch is that it adds tension, that it gives you a reason to care.

The problem is you can see right through it. First, you can’t even pick who you hate—just pick a button and fire back, same three replies every time. There’s no slow-burning feud that you and your rival nurture fight after fight. Knock someone out on Saturday, and they act like it was a hiccup on Sunday. Gym shutouts last for a fight or two, then poof—it’s back to usual. The bickering hung on the wall is just decoration, not the actual meal.

What could’ve been an epic story—full of grudges, ambition, and true fighter spirit—ends up feeling like text you skip before hitting “train again.” In a world where a heated staredown can sell a pay-per-view better than a spinning kick, leaving the narrative so flat feels like leaving money on the table.

Still, I’m not ready to throw in the towel. The current rivalry and promo setups, even if thin, show they know a story matters. Think of them as the rough sketches before the mural. Picture a future where you take a title fight, choose whether to roast your opponent like a roast video, haggle contracts with Dana, and watch a rivalry bloom into a grudge that ends only in a packed arena. Miss a press junket, and your profile tanks; sell the beef, and merch flies off the racks.

That day isn’t pure fantasy. The stage is already laid out. EA has already dug deep into story mode in FIFA and Madden, proving they can weave drama into every passing and every touchdown. Now all they need is the same fire for the Octagon. Keep building, and we’ll have a career mode that breathes fire.

Core Strengths vs. Supporting Cast: Another EA Balancing Act

In the end, EA Sports UFC 5 PS5 is all about the highs and the missing pieces. The stand-up combat is as tight as anything in sports gaming. Every single strike lands like it matters, every knockout hits like a prizefighter’s mic drop. Competitive grinders and casual fans both feel the realness and the depth.

The other stuff? It’s close but not finished. Grappling has the mechanics, but it doesn’t explain itself well enough, and the feel isn’t smooth enough for most people to stick with it. Animations slip now and then, taking the shine off an otherwise slick package. Rivalry and promotion modes? They exist, but they still feel like rough drafts waiting for a polish.

Basically, UFC 5 is that killer striker who still can’t get off the floor. It’s dangerous, it’s pretty to watch, but it can’t completely own the octagon until the whole package tightens up. Here’s hoping the next games keep the stand-up fireworks and finally crank up the support systems.

When the pieces lock, UFC 5 serves up a main-event feel. Now all it needs is the undercard to match the moment.