UFC 5

I'm generally not a fighting-game person, and UFC 5 sits close enough to that line that it almost didn't make this list at all. What keeps it here is that the ground game, the clinch work, the actual grappling systems, feel like they're simulating a sport rather than a moveset. Career mode gives you a real progression arc from prospect to champion. Not for beginners. It's punishing to learn, more so than any other game in this ranking, and casual players will get outclassed quickly if they skip the tutorial entirely. For MMA fans specifically, there's nothing close to it on Xbox. For everyone else, this is a harder sell than the golf or baseball picks higher up this list.

EA SPORTS UFC 5 is here because it’s the MMA game you can actually take seriously on PS5. The best fights are tense in a very specific way: you’re managing range, checking kicks, watching stamina, and trying not to panic when someone starts chaining grappling transitions. A good opponent will force you to make real choices, not just throw combos. I wouldn’t rank it higher for one main reason: it’s demanding. Grappling systems take time, and if you’re only playing casually, you might feel like you’re losing to knowledge more than skill at first.