After eight years in development and a last-minute delay earlier this year, UFL is finally available and adds much-needed competition on the football sim market to EA Sports—but there’s still plenty of work to be done.
UFL launched in early access on Nov. 28 ahead of a full, free-to-play release on Dec. 5, giving players a brand-new entry into a market that has been dominated by EA FC, and previously FIFA, for over a decade.
There’s plenty of reasons to be excited about what UFL has to offer and what’s in store for the future, but for now, the gap to EA FC 25 is vast, and anyone wanting a genuine killer for the title will be disappointed.
Free-to-play promise
Undoubtedly the biggest draw to UFL is its free-to-play promise, with no purchase of the title required and no ability to directly buy or “pack” players like you would in other titles. Instead, players have to be earned—there’s no way to get the best players like Cristiano Ronaldo immediately.
Although there has been some discourse in the community surrounding the microtransactions and the ability to purchase Credit Points (CP), UFL‘s primary currency, the fact of the matter is this won’t help you skip the grind significantly as purchasing players on the Transfer Market requires Reputation Points (RP).
As a result, the grind to getting a better team is longer and genuinely more enjoyable, providing a true “Road to Glory” approach. I’ve already begun my mission of assembling the best-possible Arsenal squad, safe in the knowledge that there won’t be any uber-expensive promo cards released that I can only dream of knowing.
Each match, players earn experience that goes towards their level and increases their Overall Rating. Every five levels, Skill Points are earned that can be distributed as you please, improving everything from strength in aerial duels to shooting stats. As a result, you can truly craft the team of your dreams—and the Skins mechanic adds flair to your players alongside on-field boosts.
The option to stick with lower-rated players and turning them into megastars is appealing, though it will take some time. Off the field, this is where UFL truly shines and offers something different to the monopoly EA Sports has built, though it’s a different story on the field.
Gameplay falls short
UFL was initially planned to launch in September, but a last-minute delay provided the developer with much-needed time to work on the gameplay mechanics. And while gameplay issues have improved significantly since the last open beta sessions, there’s still a long way to go.
Gameplay feels very arcade-like and can be incredibly frustrating at times. I’ve had players score 40-yard screamers but then fail to find a teammate with a five-yard pass, while defending is a lottery and is incredibly difficult to master.
It’s no secret that I am not a fan of the gameplay in EA FC 25, but unfortunately, UFL is inferior to its main rival. Although not surprising given how long EA Sports have dominated the market, it’s difficult to truly enjoy a game when the core gameplay is lackluster—and I’m certainly not going to be the only one feeling this way.
This is the bread and butter of any football sim and without getting it right, it may be difficult to retain the attention of players. UFL was always facing a challenge in this regard given the long-standing dominance EA Sports have on the market and the abundance of licenses under their belt, but I and many others hoped for more.
Plenty more to come
UFL‘s saving grace is the fact this is far from the end of the road. Regular updates are promised to continuously improve a game that will essentially be a live-service title. There’s no yearly new-title releases and no starting from scratch each time. Instead, you’ll get seasonal content to keep players occupied.
This is merely the tip of the iceberg, however, as UFL has plenty on the cards. At the launch event in November, I was shown some of the content that is planned for the future including a Draft mode, “Legends” that bring former players into the game, and offline modes. On top of that is the long-awaited PC version due to launch some time in 2025.
I truly hope UFL is given the time to cook that it needs, but the gaming market is unforgiving. Launching with just one game mode, online ranked play, could be a massive mistake, but it’s the frustrating gameplay that could deal a decisive blow.
