UFC 5 release date, gameplay & latest news

We'll also be taking a look at the future of the game and deducing if UFC is coming to PC or not.

Presently, though, rated 16 in the UK and M for Mature in the US, EA Sports's UFC 5 has upped the realism when it comes to injuries, which will no doubt be played back in excruciating detail in the replays - with thanks going to the Frostbite engine, the same tech utilised in EA FC 24 and the Battlefield games.

The title has been received well critically, but opinions are split among the fans - so to help inform your decision, read on to get everything you need to know about UFC 5.

When is the UFC 5 release date?

UFC 5 was released on 24th October 2023.

The reveal was on 10th July, making for quite the agonising wait until October.

Fortunately, we've had loads of great games to play this month, like Alan Wake 2, Spider-Man 2 and Super Mario Bros Wonder, with even more still to come in 2023.

Can I pre-order UFC 5?

Pre-orders are over for UFC 5 - because you can, of course, purchase the full game and play it right now.

You can pick up the Xbox Series X/S version of UFC 5 for £53.99 over on CDkeys, making for an £11 saving over retail.

Alternatively, you can buy the UFC 5 Deluxe Edition for £69.99, which includes the following bonuses.

• Base game
• 3-days early access
• Mike Tyson
• Fedor Emelianenko
• Bruce Lee Bundle
• 2 Alter Egos (Jon Jones, Israel Adesanya)
• Origins Bundle (Conor McGregor [2013], Leon Edwards [2015], and 22 Vanity Items)

PlayStation owners don't have such luck, unfortunately, but you can pick up a physical copy of UFC 5 for £64.99 from GAME.

Which consoles and platforms can play UFC 5?

UFC 5 is available to play on Xbox Series X/S and PS5.

When looking at the visuals, this is hardly a surprise, as it's clear that it would take a miracle to get it to run on last-gen consoles.

For those keen for some MMA action, this means you'll be stuck with UFC 4 on PS4 or Xbox One.

Is UFC 5 coming to PC?

No, there are no plans currently that UFC 5 will come to PC.

UFC 4 never made it to personal computers, nor has there been an official announcement or commitment to bring the game to the platform.

Not all hope is lost, however, as speaking to MMANews, EA Sports developer Nate McDonald has this to say.

"With the focus really on nailing this experience of UFC 5 on the current-gen consoles... the entire team has been focused on nailing that experience.

"PC is something that we always talk about, so we'll continue to have those conversations moving forward."

While not a direct statement of intent, it at least doesn't completely douse hopes for a future UFC 5 PC release.

UFC 5 gameplay and story details

UFC 5's gameplay has been a big revamp from the last entry, with injuries having a far more visceral impact on both a visual level, as well on fighters' performance - as can be seen in the 20-minute-long gameplay trailer below.

In career mode, cuts sustained in training or fights can result in you losing money from missing fights or having penalties on your stats.

Head injuries are much more dangerous than before, too, and taking too many knocks to the noggin will see you quickly KO'd.

These KOs are spectacularly highlighted by a rather nasty slow-mo replay showing your nose being crunched in unsettling intimacy.

New to the series is the implementation of doctors intervening to inspect your wounds to see whether you can continue or have to accept defeat.

Your blood and sweat (maybe tears) realistically get sprayed across the octagon too, just in case watching your brow being shattered wasn't gruesome enough.

Gone is the irritating grapple-mechanic from UFC 4 and is replaced by a much more natural feeling flow-based system which gives you greater control and granularity in these high-stakes moments.

Career Mode is where UFC 5 really shines, and you can have more fun with it far quicker than you could in UFC 4.

If you need to redo a specific training session before a fight, you can just simulate it rather than having to go through the whole ordeal again.

Coach Davis, who was one of the highlights of UFC 4, has returned, too - to make sure you're not skipping leg, arms, core, arms, punching and kicking day.

He's genuinely useful in getting to grips with the controls and moves your fighter can learn in his career.

There's real challenge in the training regimen, which makes progression feel a lot more satisfying.

Overall, the gameplay from UFC 4 has been iterated upon into greatness with a whole host of new slick animations.

Going back to the previous title will feel slow and sluggish and there's no real reason to revisit it.

Is there a UFC 5 trailer?

If you don't have 20 minutes, you can check out the official reveal trailer below.

The trailer perfectly captures the heightened anticipation and electricity in the air pre-match.

This is then shattered by the absolute brutality that ensues, with the new damage system on full show, lending credence to the games' tag line: "As real as it gets."

Listen to our One More Life podcast, subscribe to our free newsletter and follow us on Twitter for all the latest gaming intel.

Looking for something to watch? Check out our TV Guide or Streaming Guide.

Try Radio Times magazine today and get 10 issues for only £10 – subscribe now and celebrate the 60th anniversary of Doctor Who with a special issue of Radio Times. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.