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New PS Plus Game Gets Massive Player Resurgence

Published Mar 26, 2025, 10:55 AM EDT

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Summary

EA Sports UFC 5 receives huge player count boost thanks to PS Plus.
The MMA fighting game was added to PS Plus Extra's game catalog earlier this month.
Data suggests EA Sports UFC 5 received a 127.3% player count increase after being added to PS Plus Extra.

EA Sports UFC 5 has seen a massive resurgence in players after it was added to PlayStation Plus Extra earlier this month. The latest entry in the popular mixed martial arts series will officially turn two years old in October, which means many EA Sports UFC 5 fans are patiently waiting for news on a new installment. But with the title now available to play at no additional cost thanks to PlayStation Plus, some seem to be jumping in for the very first time.

Each month, Sony adds a new batch of games to PlayStation Plus. While those subscribed to the Essential tier of the service can still redeem new titles each month, Extra and Premium subscribers have access to a massive catalog of games with new titles coming and going each month. The latest round of games added to the service included EA Sports UFC 5, Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown, Mobile Suit Gundam: Battle Operation - Code Fairy, You Suck at Parking, and more. While there were plenty of great titles added to PS Plus in March 2025, one game in particular seems to have stood out from the rest.

Fight Like Never Before With EA Sports UFC 5 For PS5 And Xbox Now Discounted For A Limited Time

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Fight Like Never Before With EA Sports UFC 5 For PS5 And Xbox, Now Discounted For A Limited Time

Amazon and Best Buy have discounted EA Sports UFC 5 for a limited time! If you haven't yet, now is a great time to get in the ring and fight!

Posts 1

By Michael Akuchie

EA Sports UFC 5 Sees Big Player Resurgence

While rumors surrounding the development of EA Sports UFC 6 continue to circulate, the current entry in the fighting series appears to be still going strong, largely thanks to its recent debut on PlayStation Plus Extra. According to data collected and analyzed by True Trophies, EA Sports UFC 5 received the most attention from players out of all of the titles that were added to PS Plus this month, receiving a huge 127.3% player count increase and jumping right up the number fifteen position in terms of most popular PlayStation games for the week. The popular MMA game is now the second biggest game to hit PlayStation Plus this year, beaten out only by God of War Ragnarok, which joined the service in January.

Industry insiders have claimed that EA Vancouver is now working on the next installment in the UFC series, but that hasn't stopped the studio from regularly releasing new content updates for EA Sports UFC 5. The most recent patch was released back in February, once again adding a new fighter to the game's ever-expanding roster, as well as new alter egos, gameplay adjustments, and more. Although UFC 5 received generally favorable reviews from players and critics, a common complaint from fans was the game's lack of ranked fighters. But thanks to a steady stream of new updates since the game's release, EA Sports UFC 5 now has almost 100% parity with the current UFC top ten rankings.

It may have been good news for EA as UFC 5 saw a massive player count increase, but a recent report claimed that the free games given away for PS Plus Essential subscribers in March 2025 were far less popular than those in January and February. Dragon Age: The Veilguard, Sonic Colors: Ultimate, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Cowabunga Collection looked like a great month for subscribers on paper, but the three titles apparently failed to resonate with fans as there was apparently a 15.2% player count drop when compared to February and a 10.8% drop when compared to January.

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EA Sports UFC 5 Tag Page Cover Art

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Fighting

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PlayStation-1

Xbox-1

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OpenCritic Reviews: Top Critic Avg: 79 /100 Critics Rec: 74%

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Released: October 27, 2023
ESRB: M For Mature 17+ // Blood, Strong Language, Violence
Developer(s): Electronic Arts
Publisher(s): Electronic Arts
Engine: Frostbite
Multiplayer: Online Multiplayer, Local Multiplayer
Franchise: EA Sports UFC

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Genre(s): Sports, Fighting

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