So, I got this itch the other day, really wanted to play some UFC on my PC. You know, throw some virtual hands after a long day. Seemed simple enough, right?
Looking Around
First thing I did was hop onto Steam. Searched for “UFC”. Nothing. Okay, maybe EA Play? Checked there too. Found Madden, FIFA, but no UFC. That struck me as odd. Such a big sport, big games on console, but just… nothing for PC folks? Started digging around online, forums, Reddit, places like that.
The Hard Truth
Turns out, EA just doesn’t release their main UFC games on PC. Never have, apparently. That was a bit of a kick in the teeth. So, the official route was a dead end. Saw lots of people asking the same question, “Why no UFC game for PC?”. No real answers, just the way it is.
Trying the Workaround
But you know me, I don’t give up that easy. Folks online kept talking about emulation. Basically, making your PC pretend it’s a console, like a PlayStation 3 or something. Sounded like a hassle, but hey, I wanted to play UFC.
So, I started looking into PS3 emulators. Found one people mentioned a lot, RPCS3. Went and grabbed the software. Then the fun part began. You don’t just run the emulator, oh no. You need the console’s system software, the firmware. Had to track that down from Sony’s official site, thankfully that part was legit.
Next, needed a game. Had an old copy of UFC Undisputed 3 for PS3 lying around from years ago. Had to figure out how to get that game data off the disc and onto my PC in a format the emulator could read. That took some time and fiddling around with my old PS3 and some software I found online.
Getting it Running (Sort Of)
Okay, got the emulator installed, firmware loaded, game file ready. Fired up RPCS3, loaded the game. And… it started! Looked kinda rough at first. Had to dive into the settings.
- Graphics: Tweaked resolution, rendering engine, stuff like that. Took a lot of trial and error. One setting made it look better but run like molasses, another made it faster but glitchy.
- Controls: Had to map my Xbox controller buttons to mimic the PS3 controller. That was fiddly too, getting the sticks and triggers feeling right.
Spent a good couple of hours just messing with settings, booting the game, checking performance, quitting, changing settings, repeat. You get the idea. My PC’s decent, not top-of-the-line, but capable. Still, it struggled sometimes. Frame rates would dip, especially during takedowns or busy moments.
The Final Verdict
After all that? Yeah, I got it running. Played a few matches. It was… okay. Definitely playable, but not perfect. You could feel it wasn’t native. Little stutters here and there, occasional graphical weirdness. It scratched the itch, mostly.
Was it worth the effort? Honestly, it was a real pain. A lot of work just to play a game that should ideally be available directly. It’s cool that emulation exists, big respect to the folks who build those tools. But man, I just wish EA would throw PC gamers a bone and release the UFC games properly on PC. Would save people like me a whole lot of hassle.
So yeah, that was my adventure trying to get UFC running on PC. Possible? Yes. Simple? Absolutely not.
