6 Best UFC and MMA Games for Mobile, PC, and Consoles

Hi there! As an avid gamer and martial arts enthusiast, I wanted to share my thorough breakdown of the top video games that let you experience the hard-hitting action of the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Overview

In this 2000+ word guide, I’ll be naming the 6 best titles spanning mobile, PC and major consoles that capture the intensity of UFC mixed martial arts. For each game, you’ll get details on:

• Original release timeframe
• Platforms supported
• Top gameplay features and fight mechanics
• Standout modes and additional content
• Developer support and post-launch updates
• Critical reception and review highlights

My selections stem from in-depth testing coupled with analysis of critic scores and fan community reception. Through side-by-side comparisons, I’ll objectively showcase what excels, what disappoints, and what factors to weigh when picking your top UFC/MMA gaming choice.

Let’s enter the octagon!

A Brief History of UFC Gaming

Before diving into specific titles, it helps to understand a bit of background on the sport’s journey into the virtual realm.

UFC-based video games have existed for 20+ years with the earliest attempts predating the promotion’s current mainstream prominence. During the 2000s, Japanese developer Yuke’s and publisher THQ partnered on an “UFC Undisputed” series that focused on technical gameplay for hardcore fight fans.

Things shifted in 2010 when Electronic Arts (EA) entered the scene by first launching an MMA-focused title (EA Sports MMA) featuring fighters from multiple promotions. They later secured exclusive UFC rights, replacing THQ/Yuke’s from 2012 onward while retaining the UFC name for their renewed “EA Sports UFC” collection.

EA’s titles emphasized user accessibility that made MMA gameplay more approachable to the casual market yet retained enough nuance for veterans. However, some longtime fans still revere the older Undisputed entries as superior simulations.

Now with the context established, let’s explore my top suggestions split between past and current-generation consoles.

1. UFC Undisputed 3 (PS3, Xbox 360)

Overview

With a 92% critical rating, UFC Undisputed 3 marks the pinnacle of the respected franchise from veteran studio Yuke’s and publisher THQ. It also ends their tenure working with UFC rights, but the game still represents what many view as the best MMA title ever produced – blending technical depth with excellent presentation and a content-rich career mode.

Gameplay & Modes

UFC Undisputed 3 stays true to its sports sim DNA with gameplay focused on mastering distance control, combos, parries, and transitions across each fighting discipline – striking, clinching, wrestling and jiu-jitsu. Matches feel like dynamic, violent chess matches demanding quick reflexes and strategic choice-making.

The game shines brightest in its Tournament career progression as you aim to capture UFC glory. It spans amateur bouts to championship crowns while allowing extensive customization down to tattoos. Unique training mini-games keep things fresh while teaching technique mastery.

Pride Mode also stands out for importing rules, aesthetics, and fighters from the Japanese MMA promotion to faithfully recreate pivotal overseas battles.

Post-Launch & Studio Status

While Yuke’s occasionally updated Undisputed 3 with roster additions post-launch, more substantial support ceased as they lost UFC gaming rights to EA in 2012. However, their technical craftsmanship ensures Undisputed 3 remains popular on PS3 and Xbox 360 through the present day.

Critical Reception

Critics praised nearly every aspect of Undisputed 3 – from graphics to reactive impacts to fluid striking/grappling transitions:

Fan reception matched with many calling Undisputed 3 the best MMA/combat sports title ever made – a status that holds up 10+ years later.

2. EA Sports UFC 3 (Xbox One, PS4)

Overview

Serving as EA’s best effort in their UFC gaming run, UFC 3 dialed up fight realism and customization tools leading to strong reviews and sales that dominate the current console generation baseline.

Gameplay & Modes

EA deserves praise for an upgraded animation system with over 5,000 new moves added to UFC 3. This massively diversified striking combinations and reactive impacts while enabling smoother transitions between positions. Matches appeared more fluid and variable compared to scripted sequences in prior games.

The excellent career mode also got restructured into a deep G.O.A.T format with eras spanning UFC’s origins to a modern landscape. Training exercises now provide boosts to key attributes like Health that enable better matchup strategy.

Online play retains fun through ranked divisions and Ultimate Team (UT) card collecting chasing iconic athletes and moments. Post-launch DLC routinely adds new fighters and cosmetics.

Post-Launch & Studio Status

EA continues supporting UFC 3 through roster updates while also releasing iterative sequels (i.e UFC 4). However, UFC 3 marks the highest point of critical acclaim and content depth that keeps many players anchored to it over subsequent releases built on the same foundation.

Critical Reception

Strong review scores praised EA’s evolving mechanics and presentation mastery:

3. EA Sports UFC Mobile (iOS, Android)

Overview

Considering gameplay and feature scope limitations around mobile ports, EA UFC offers shockingly robust MMA action distilled nicely for touch controls across iPhone and Android devices.

Gameplay & Modes

Core gameplay foundation in EA UFC Mobile splits across three phases:

• Striking: Gesture swipes target punch/kick aim along with block/parry timing
• Clinch: Thumb taps initiate collar ties, knees, and takedown catches
• Grappling: Touch points toggle between positions – guard, half guard and side mount along with submission holds

The streamlined moveset enables pick-up accessibility while retaining enough variety to stay fresh across multiple fights. Training camp and championship career options offer long-term motivation with microtransaction shortcuts that fortunately don’t feel necessary.

Post-Launch & Studio Support

EA continues supporting UFC Mobile through live events, content updates and new DLC workout programs focused on strength gains and improved fight camps. The install base likely makes it a solid revenue stream for EA justifying extended maintenance.

Critical Reception

Critics praised EA UFC’s depth and smooth adaptation to mobile limitations:

Fans agree it joins the upper echelon of mobile sports titles. Controls feel great once passing an initial learning curve. It captures core MMA flow and strategy in a genuinely fun pocket-sized package.

4. UFC Undisputed 2010 (PS3, Xbox 360)

Overview

The progenitor of 2009’s UFC Undisputed reboot, this sequel sticks to a similar template – prioritizing complex mechanic mastery over flashy flair. The excellent career mode and competitive online scene kept players hooked for months.

Gameplay & Modes

Like its predecessor, Undisputed 2010 adopts a serious simulation approach with strict stamina limits and unforgiving injury impacts that force conservative fight management. Mastering “sway” evasion and learning opponent tendencies becomes vital to perfecting stand-up exchanges.

TheGYM facility houses inventive training games improving clinch control and sub defense along with extensive fighter customization. Online competition thrives across weight classes while Tournament mode enables unique bout rule variants.

Post-Launch & Studio Status

Yuke’s/THQ maintained solid support through 2010 by adding fan requested features along with roster updates. However, the UFC partnership dissolution soon after hampered long-term sustainability.

Critical Reception

Critics praised the refined mechanics and career mode hooks while noting visual/commentary limits:

Fans valued the high skill ceiling and complex fighting dynamics enabling closely contested battles decided through granular techniques.

5. UFC Tapout 2 (Xbox)

Overview

Exclusive to Microsoft’s original Xbox console, UFC Tapout 2 captured the ferocious speed and violence intrinsic to early MMA events. While light on modes and polish, its hyper aggressive style still holds nostalgic appeal.

Gameplay & Modes

Don’t expect tactical finesse here – Tapout 2 prioritizes wild exchanges with fights often ending suddenly via abrupt knockouts or neck crank taps.Rules prove loose with elbow strikes and soccer kick knockouts landing frequently.

Sparse single player options get offset by amusing cameos from the likes of Ice T. Otherwise, quick beatdowns rule the day for an authentic old-school experience.

Post-Launch & Studio Status

With DreamFactory defunct since the mid-2000s and Crave Entertainment shuttering shortly after Tapout 2, no meaningful updates or sequels ever materialized. It exists now as more of a retro arcade curiosity.

Critical Reception

Mediocre reviews critiqued the limited scope but acknowledged some niche appeal:

Raw and rough yet still a fascinating time capsule for the UFC’s lawless early days.

6. EA Sports MMA (PS3, Xbox 360)

Overview

Preceding their UFC deal, EA experimented with a 2010 multi-promotion MMA title featuring Strikeforce, Dream and amateur league fighters omitted from THQ’s rival Undisputed series at the time.

Gameplay & Modes

EA MMA introduced some novel ideas like mid-fight “protection” where refs pause bouts to check fighter cuts or evaluate knockdown counts. Rules and cage types also flex – contrasting the UFC’s octagon with hexagonal and circular ring options.

Career mode incorporates global travel to camps in California, Japan and Brazil with training exercises tied to mastering specific disciplines like Brazilian jiu-jitsu and kickboxing informed by regional specialties. Performance progression proves fun and addictive the further you climb the circuit ranks.

Post-Launch & Studio Support

Signing exclusive UFC rights by 2012 steer EA to shift focus away from EA MMA that unfortunately lost online functionality in the process. No significant post-launch support materialized either.

Critical Reception

Critics praised EA’s inaugural MMA foray but expressed hesitation on deeper investment absent UFC branding:

Despite being swept under the rug when EA acquired UFC rights, EA MMA deserves appreciation for trying new things that UFC games later adopted.

Key UFC/MMA Game Comparisons

Before closing, I wanted to highlight some objective differentiation points that distinguish highlights across the major UFC/MMA games mentioned:

Critical Reception

Gameplay Style Emphasis

Platform Optimization Fit

Final Verdict

Hopefully this guide gives you a comprehensive sense of MMA gaming highs both past and present. Although dominance has shifted to EA’s UFC entries this decade, I believe Yuke’s earlier Undisputed releases represent untouchable pinnacles for nuanced design along with the Undisputed 3 standing on the mountain peak.

That said, EA deserves massive credit as well for downscaling things successfully to the mobile realm while steadily improving animation, career scope, roster updates and general UI polish with each subsequent release. UFC fandom shows no signs of abating, so the virtual octagon continues offering exhilarating interaction points with the sport we love.

Do you agree or disagree with my takes? Which UFC/MMA video game is your personal favorite and why? Let me know in the comments below!