EA Sports has fully lifted the curtain on its sixth entry in its long-running UFC franchise, UFC 6. Arriving on PS5 and Xbox Series X/S this June, UFC 6 advertises an increased emphasis on fighters’ movement and striking authenticity. In addition we also learned that the standard edition will feature former middleweight and light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira on the cover, while the Ultimate Edition features former featherweight and BMF champion Max Holloway.
Holloway, who is a huge gamer himself, views appearing on the cover as a huge honor. “It’s huge, man, it’s huge,” Holloway tells Game Informer. “I’ve been played video games forever. I was a big Madden player, even though I like playing first-person shooters, but the Madden cover having all these athletes, as a kid, you’d be like, ‘I wanna be on that video game!’ And that time is here now, and it’s just a blessing. It’s unreal. It’s unreal. What can you really say about it? I’m going to be on the [cover] of a video game, and a huge video game that does numbers, so I’m stoked, man. If you told 12-year-old me that he was gonna be on the cover of a video game, he probably would have given you a little attitude and said, “Yeah, I know!” [laughs] But to actually be here, it’s just amazing.”
Holloway’s cover art captures one of the most iconic moments in a career full of iconic moments: the immediate aftermath of his horn-beating knockout of Justin Gaethje at UFC 300 in 2024. Moments like that – the iconic moves – are an emphasis of UFC 6, as fighters are differentiated from one another through their individual movement and Signature Strikes. This is accomplished through markerless motion capture, which allows for mo-cap without mo-cap suits, and the next generation of Sapien Technology. A new Real-Time Contact system featuring new rag-doll physics helps further the level of realism in the Octagon.
As for new modes, players can step into the shoes of legendary UFC fighters in Hall of Legends, or tell their own story with The Legacy. EA Sports touts immersive storytelling that makes fights feel personal. “EA Sports UFC 6 delivers a deeper, more dynamic fight experience,” lead producer Nate McDonald said in a press release. “Ever element is designed to reflect the individuality of real fighters. Our goal is to capture the sport as faithfully as possible and bring players closer to the Octagon than ever before.”
UFC 6 arrives on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S on June 19. For our thoughts on UFC 5, which came out in 2023, head here.