The sixth installment of the EA UFC 6 video game series releases tomorrow (Fri., June 19, 2026) for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S. And while there is a lot to like compared to the last game, it is not without a few frustrating issues.

Thanks to a pre-release opportunity, I played through career mode — along with several other game modes — to find out if EA UFC 6 is actually a meaningful step forward from its predecessor.

Let’s get the most important part out of the way: gameplay.

UFC 6 feels like a major, highly polished upgrade over the last game. It is honestly more challenging, too, because you have to be smarter with your striking instead of just button-mashing your way through exchanges like you could in UFC 5. The striking is smoother, faster, and much more responsive, allowing you to chain together combinations in a way that actually feels satisfying.

Defensive counter-fighting also matters a lot more this time around. If you are reckless, you will get punished.

Unfortunately, the grappling feels like a carbon copy of UFC 5, but that is not necessarily the worst thing in the world because it still works. Plus, to be fair, it is incredibly difficult for any video game to make MMA grappling feel truly fluid. That said, ground-and-pound is extremely overpowered and can get ridiculous pretty quickly.

Realistic damage is also back and looks better than ever. If you do not defend yourself, the fight can be called off, which adds a nice layer of realism.

The biggest negative I have with the gameplay (and the game) is the new “Flow State” feature. It rewards you for fighting like a fighter does in real life — landing calf kicks with Alex Pereira, shooting takedowns with Khabib Nurmagomedov, and so on. Once the meter fills, it can trigger stat boosts, recovery benefits, or finisher opportunities.

I get what EA was going for, but it feels way too gimmicky. Honestly, it belongs in Street Fighter or Mortal Kombat, not a UFC simulation. It is awful, and I have no idea what the developers were thinking with that one.

But overall, minus Flow State, the gameplay is pretty fantastic.

Beyond the improved striking, the best improvement in the game is the graphics.

UFC 6 looks great, and the fighters actually look like themselves. It is easily the most visually impressive game in franchise history. The lighting makes the character models pop, and the attention to detail is excellent — from scars to lesser-known tattoos.

Another big positive is that a lot of fighters finally feel unique. In UFC 5, too many athletes felt like they were built from the same template. In UFC 6, you can actually feel the difference when using someone like Jiri Prochazka, with his hands-down, head-bobbing, completely chaotic style.

That is a great addition and something the series desperately needed.

UFC 5 felt like a ghost town once you stepped away from the online sweat fests. Thankfully, EA Sports actually listened to the community with UFC 6, delivering the most feature-heavy offline package the series has had in years.

The new career mode, The Legacy, is a standalone, scripted story prologue that plays almost like an old-school Fight Night campaign. You play as Chris Carter, an elite collegiate wrestler dealing with family pressure, outside distractions, and a personal rivalry with Danny Lawrence. The mode takes you from the amateur scene all the way to your UFC debut.

It is basically a movie-style tutorial, designed to introduce the new mechanics before you jump into the traditional career mode. And honestly, it works.

The traditional UFC Career Mode has also finally ditched the outdated weekly point structure. In its place is a real calendar schedule and a narrative system featuring more than 150 randomized storyline events. Your choices matter now. Talking trash online, accepting short-notice fights, or making bad training decisions can derail your camp, lead to injuries, or mess with your sponsors. If you play your cards right, the end game is deeper than ever, with multi-division championship paths and even a dedicated route to the BMF title.

EA also added two wild-card modes: Hall of Legends and The Gym.

Hall of Legends is an interactive, documentary-style mode centered around Alex Pereira, Max Holloway, and Zhang Weili. It mixes real-world footage with gameplay challenges, allowing you to recreate some of their most memorable moments.

Meanwhile, The Gym lets you step into a manager role. Instead of focusing on one created fighter, you build, customize, train, and upgrade an entire team of fighters.

It is a nice change of pace and gives offline players a lot more to do.

The second-biggest negative of EA UFC 6 is, once again, the roster.

Several ranked and relevant fighters are missing, which is unacceptable because almost every fighter on the roster has already been scanned by EA and are seemingly game-ready.

Just to name a few missing ranked fighters: Kevin Vallejos, Lone’er Kavanagh, Josh Hokit, Aaron Pico, Marcus McGhee, Melky Costa, Yaroslav Amosov, Uros Medic, and Joel Alvarez.

Thank the fight gods that Dana White and Bruce Buffer were removed as playable characters, but EA also removed several legends, including Cain Velasquez, Junior dos Santos, Alistair Overeem, Carlos Condit, Nick Diaz, Anthony Pettis, B.J. Penn, and Paul Felder.

And I would be willing to bet some of them return later as paid DLC.

On top of that, several fighters — including Conor McGregor, Islam Makhachev, Aljamain Sterling, and Henry Cejudo — are unavailable in other weight classes, which is just annoying.

For what it is worth, EA has said it will add more fighters every month, just like it did with UFC 5. But if that means one or two fighters per month again, that is not exactly something to celebrate.

Final Score: Should You Buy It?

UFC 6 is a much-improved version of UFC 5 and easily the best EA UFC game in years. The roster is rough right now, and Flow State is a cheesy addition that feels out of place, but the actual fighting is fun, smooth, and more rewarding than it has been in a long time.

The biggest compliment I can give UFC 6 is that it finally feels like EA made a game for more than just online grinders. The offline modes have real depth, career mode has actual consequences, and the improved fighter styles make matchups feel less generic. There are still things that need fixing, but this is the first UFC game in a while that feels like a real step forward instead of a $70 roster update.

For a grade, I’m leaning toward a solid 8 out of 10.

So, should you go out and spend $70 on the game? Compared to UFC 5, yes, I think it is actually worth the money this year. It is fun, about as realistic as an MMA game can be, and there is finally a lot to do once you get tired of fighting online maniacs.

If you buy it, come back and tell us what you think.