Street Fighter is officially back in Street Fighter 6, with Ryu, Chun-Li and friends old and new taking center stage, along with a whole new look for classic fighting graphics. It’s good timing too, with the Street Fighter franchise turning 35 this year and set for a big comeback (Street Fighter 5 launched more than six years ago in 2016).
Interested in learning more? Wondering if Street Fighter 6 will arrive on your favorite gaming platform? Capcom will release more information from now on until launch. In the meantime, here’s everything we know and what you can expect.
day of release
While Street Fighter 6 doesn’t have a specific date yet, Capcom has given us an idea of when to expect. During Sony’s June 2022 State of Play, the developer announced via a new trailer that Street Fighter 6 will arrive in summer 2023.
platforms
Unlike Street Fighter 5, the new entry in this series will no longer be exclusive. Street Fighter 6 will launch simultaneously on PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X / S and PC, great news for Xbox gamers in particular who missed the last chapter.
Jarrar
After a brief countdown in February 2022, Capcom released a trailer to officially announce the upcoming Street Fighter 6, which features a stalemate between Ryu and Luke, likely before the fight. For longtime fans of the series, the trailer was particularly interesting for several reasons, most notably:
New character Luke gets a lot of screen time in the teaser. This can be confusing because it was only added in one of the latest updates made to Street Fighter 5 at the end of 2021. However, he paid close attention to the DLC and it was clear that it had to be part of the future of Street Fighter, maybe moving forward, in a main story. This seems more likely now, but don’t worry – Kane and the gang will still be in attendance at launch.
It’s unclear if the graphics used in the trailer reflect the graphics that will be in the gameplay (there seems to be a bit more detail, but it’s possible), but it does indicate a change either way. Models are more realistic, Ryu looks older (and bearded, a look Capcom has tried before), and the franchise as a whole seems to be moving from the ink brush style that defined many of its previous entries.
The next look at Street Fighter 6 at Sony’s State of Play in June 2022 is where we get a feel for the hip-hop, neon, and street art style this game will have. It features a few characters, including returning fan favorites like Chun-Li and Ryu, but the big reveal was an open world tour mode that takes place in Metro City. There are some pre-game character introduction clips and short clips of some moves, combos, and specials in combat, but the HUD hasn’t been shown yet.
The summer games of 2022 followed State of Play with the first reveal trailer for Street Fighter 6’s individual character, the man whose theme goes with everything, Guile. With a new goatee, we see Guile take on Luke and Ryu at the famous Airship Theater. Show off his iconic Flash Kick and Sonic Boom moves, as well as a host of new techniques and Super before ending the match by fixing his hair.
Play
The essence of Street Fighter 6 should come as no surprise: it’s a fighting game. You will engage in battles, throw combos, perform super moves, shoot bullets and all the typical things you would expect. However, an interesting new feature that can help newcomers is the addition of a second control system. Classic controls will work in the traditional six-button layout that the series has always used, with groups of buttons performing special moves, but the new modern control system makes it easy.
Modern controls don’t require players to memorize or practice complex moves to execute the moves. Instead, the special moves are set to just one button, and by changing the direction you are moving or the position you are in when you press it, you will make a different special move.
Street Fighter 6’s new core mechanic is something called the guidance system, which is somewhat similar to Street Fighter 4’s focus mechanics, at least visually. Drive is a counter that you can use to do one of the following five operations: Drive Impact, Drive Parry, Overdrive, Drive Rush, or Drive Reversal. These all have different inputs but they are all derived from the same command scale which means you will have to ration them depending on whether you want to use them for defense or attack.
a trip around the world
A new form of Street Fighter 6’s single player mode comes in the form of the World Tour mode. When you place your character, which can be customizable, on the streets of Metro City, you are free to run and explore the environment in the open world environment. We saw a lot of environments to explore, barrels to break, and the ability to start battles with NPCs. What the story is, who are you playing with, and what kind of progression or purpose the open world serves here, for now it all remains a mystery.
battlefield
This mode is the basic area against Street Fighter 6, where you will play against other opponents. In addition to the regular matches, there will also be Extreme Battles where players can customize their matches with unique rules and tricks, such as random array of bombs during combat.
Battle center
A new social element for Street Fighter 6 is the Battle Hub. This area is where you can meet, chat and enter the battlefield in a digital environment using the same avatar you created for the World Tour mode. In addition to socializing and starting matches with others, you can also play some classic Capcom games, buy cosmetics and participate in tournaments.
existing
If you remember, Street Fighter 5 has a lot of DLC going on throughout the day, with the addition of many new and returning characters. That ultimately added up to a total of 46 playable characters, more than any other game in the franchise before. Capcom has indicated that players can expect a larger roster for Street Fighter 6 and that it will once again be a mix of old and new characters. This is likely to happen on an extended roll as well, so don’t expect all the options on day one.
After several small discoveries, the official Street Fighter Twitter account confirmed the initial 18-character roster as follows:
Look
Jimmy
But not
Kimberly
Marisa
Lily
JP
bloody
DJ
kami
Rio
And Honda
White
cunning
ken
Chun Li
Zangi
Dear
However, a few hours after the first trailer was released, a leaked list of what appears to be the full Street Fighter 6 roster was released online. Technically, we can’t say this list is 100% legitimate until Capcom announces anything on its own; However, Capcom responded with a tweet via the official Street Fighter account which is basically a wink and nod to its legitimacy, as well as Guile’s leak and then confirmation. Excluding the 18 confirmed launch characters, this lets that be added later:
rightly guided
Like this
Akuma
Marisa
Meme
a
Preorder
As only the 2023 summer window anticipates Street Fighter 6, there are no pre-orders available yet. It won’t be until a confirmed date is announced that they will likely start showing up, but when that happens we will keep you updated.
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