EA Sports UFC 3 Reviews

EA Sports UFC 3 is ranked in the 71st percentile of games scored on OpenCritic.
7.5 / 10.0
Feb 1, 2018

EA went back to the gym with UFC 3 to work on many of the weaknesses that had the previous two games struggling to find their footing. A fantastic new striking system and a much-improved career mode lead the charge, but UFC 3 is still hamstrung by a cumbersome ground game, weird collision issues, and the straight-up terrible Ultimate Team Mode. It's still not a knockout, but Round 3 is UFC's best yet.

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Metro GameCentral
GameCentral
Top Critic
6 / 10
Feb 6, 2018

It definitely looks the part, and the striking is excellent, but stodgy controls and a weak ground game makes this far from the ultimate MMA game.

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8.8 / 10.0
Jan 30, 2018

With an exceptional career mode and improved gameplay on top of its predecessor's already-strong offerings, UFC 3 is the best MMA game ever released

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8 / 10
Feb 5, 2018

UFC 3's overhauled striking is wince-inducingly brilliant, but its cumbersome grappling continues to lag behind.

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Polygon
Top Critic
7.5 / 10.0
Feb 2, 2018

Even with simplified grappling and submission controls carried over from the last edition, EA Sports UFC 3 is probably the least pick-up-and-play game in the sports genre. It takes real dedication, and understanding of one's fighter, to draw out the game's virtues. But they can be found in the anticlimax of a career bout that ends in a fraction of the time spent training for it. For those who can take a staggering punch and remain focused on their game plan, EA Sports UFC 3 is as close as it comes to professional fighting, without the bruises and welts.

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Unscored
Feb 2, 2018

EA UFC 3 is closer to nailing this whole UFC video game thing than the comparatively thin EA UFC 2, but while this one has plenty of meat on its bones, it lacks connective tissue.

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83 / 100
Feb 7, 2018

EA Sports UFC 3 is the best MMA simulator we have seen. It is not perfect, but its elaborate combat system transmits all the tension of UFC and its technical section makes it look like we were watching fights on TV.

Review in Spanish | Read full review

8 / 10
Feb 6, 2018

EA UFC 3 is a good representation of the sport franchise, offering a well put together fighting game that represents the different styles and weight classes found in MMA. The action in the octagon mimics reality very well, with a decent career mode helping people to learn the ropes. On the online front, there's a divide between Ultimate Team and standard online divisions with the latter winning out in both accessibility and fairness. If you're a UFC fan in general, then this is a good game to pick up.

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8 / 10.0
Feb 2, 2018

EA Sports has delivered the most complete UFC game ever. This fighting simulator features an amazingly realistic combat gameplay and one of its few flaws is that the Career Mode is a little bit repetitive. Essential for those who love fighting games or enjoy the sport.

Review in Spanish | Read full review

Forbes
Top Critic
8.4 / 10.0
Jan 26, 2018

With a focus on depth and functionality, the EA UFC 3 development team has created the strongest version in their series. A few minor missteps and the reluctance to embrace or include a true-sim component keeps it from GOAT status. However, there's no question it's a titleholder.

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Shacknews
Top Critic
8 / 10
Jan 31, 2018

The heart of the game is in its fighting and that's as good as it's ever been.

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8 / 10.0
Feb 8, 2018

EA UFC 3 offers a surprisingly deep experience with complex mechanics and many features for both single and multiplayer.

Review in Italian | Read full review

7.8 / 10.0
Feb 2, 2018

Probably the best MMA game ever done, but it includes a few failures on almost every corner of the game that make this games less excellent and more so-so.

Review in Spanish | Read full review

9 / 10.0
Feb 1, 2018

It's about as complete an experience as it can be, and MMA fans will love what EA has done with UFC 3.

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Jan 24, 2018

UFC 3 very well may be EA's best release in the series, but it's only by a small margin that they've improved on their previous effort.

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85 / 100
Jan 30, 2018

EA Sports UFC 3 provides a staggering amount of improvements in nearly every area. EA Canada could have played it safe and iterated, but instead they overhauled major systems, addressing almost every complaint I had about its predecessors. Better striking mechanics, movement, and animations are joined by a fantastic career mode, and a whole host of additional attractions. I've still got a few axes to grind on submissions and AI balance, but the rest of the game is an embarrassment of riches.

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Feb 1, 2018

The game is a real step forward for the series, adding new elements and refining the already good combat system into something really quite special. There is something here for fans of fighting games, and UFC fans alike.

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Drew Leachman
Top Critic
8 / 10.0
Feb 9, 2018

Once again, being a fighting game fan really helped me get into this game a lot more than what I originally thought. It is a competent fighting game where I feel the standing game is still a better experience then the ground and submission game.

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8.5 / 10.0
Feb 23, 2018

EA UFC 3 is EA's best UFC game yet, and while there a lot of improvements, there are still some things like the ground game and the career mode that still could use some fine tuning.

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7.8 / 10.0
Feb 26, 2018

Ea Sports UFC 3 is a pretty good mixed martial arts sim, deep and spectacular enough. The gameplay feels a little bit unbalanced, the Career has some unconvincing moments, and the multiplayer forces the Ultimate Team mode on the player. The game is intense and satisfying, but there's still room for improvement.

Review in Italian | Read full review