Street Fighter 6 Gameplay Shows Off Chun-Li, Open-World Exploration

Following up on its previous promise of a summer reveal, Capcom joined PlayStation during today’s State of Play to share more footage of Street Fighter 6, which launches next year.

Street Fighter 6‘s roster expands with the addition of roster mainstay Chun-Li, newcomer Jamie (who appears to utilize some sort of drunken fighting style), and Kimberly, another fresh-faced fighter who only appears briefly at the end of the trailer. The game will also feature two distinct modes, one focused on the one-on-one fighting you’d expect from Street Fighter and the other an “immersive” single-player story that apparently allows you to traverse an open world in search of battles.

Here’s what Capcom has to say about Street Fighter 6‘s new mechanics:

With every new Street Fighter comes mechanics you can master to rise to the top. Introducing, the Drive System, a gauge you’ll need to manage wisely and one that is ripe with creativity. You can utilize the Drive Gauge to perform five different techniques that can easily enhance your offense or defense.

A Drive Impact is a powerful strike that can absorb an opponent’s incoming attack and can lead to a wall splat. Use Drive Parry to repel your opponent’s attack and refill your Drive Gauge. Cancel out of a Drive Parry or normal attack into a Drive Rush to quickly close in on your opponent. Overdrive Arts are similar to EX Moves from past games that power up your Special Moves. Use Drive Reversal to perform a counterattack to get you out of tight situations. One gauge, five techniques, unlimited possibilities. Use your creativity to choose which technique to utilize and when. It’s all in your hands!

For those who are worried that fighting game inputs are too complicated and just want to unleash your inner fighter, we have a solution in the form of a new control type option.

First off, Classic Control Type is what veterans can expect to use for inputs with its six-button layout.

New to Street Fighter 6 is the Modern Control Type, which allows for easier inputs where a special move can be performed by combining the “Special Move” button with one directional input. This is perfect for newer players or those who may have found classic command inputs a bit too difficult in the past.

With the Modern Control Type, your character will perform some of their flashiest (and best) attacks with just a few button presses. Modern Control Type is optional, but we highly recommend new players give it a try!

Also new to Street Fighter 6 is in-game commentary recorded by popular figures in the fighting game community. This feature was previously seen in indie fighter Yatagarasu and added a lot of personality and excitement to matches, so here’s hoping its utilized well in this upcoming game.

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Capcom first revealed Street Fighter 6 back in February with a cinematic showing off the game’s new aesthetic direction. At the time, the only fighters confirmed for its roster were series poster boy Ryu and Luke, an annoying dork introduced late into Street Fighter V’s life whose said to be the future of the franchise (gag). Reactions were mixed, with many fixating on the terrible logo (which has apparently been updated) and the fact you could see Ryu’s sizable bulge through his gi.

Street Fighter 6 leaked late last year as part of an internal release schedule made public by the Capcom ransomware hack. The leaked corporate document indicated that the game would launch sometime in Q3 2022 (October-December 2022), with Super and Ultra updates slated for Q4 2023 (January-March 2024) and Q4 2024 (January-March 2025) respectively. (Obviously, no information was provided on these planned expansions during today’s reveal.)

The long-running Street Fighter franchise has served as the developer’s flagship fighting game for over 30 years. First debuting in 1987, it changed the genre (and arcades!) forever with 1991’s Street Fighter II. However, the series has definitely had its ups and downs across its overwhelming number of sequels and revisions.

After the release of Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike in 1999, Capcom put the franchise on the bench for almost a decade. It seemed like the developer had fallen out of love with the series entirely until renewing its vows with 2008’s Street Fighter IV, which also spawned several updates and eventually prompted the release of the more esports-focused Street Fighter V in 2016.

It certainly wasn’t the series’ best showing, but Street Fighter V’s longevity allowed the developers to pull it from the brink of disaster and turn it into a pretty competent fighting game, all things considered.

The franchise might not be as dominant as it once was, but Street Fighter’s status as a household name is undeniable. And while Capcom’s hold on the series has been shaky, it’s also shown brief flashes of brilliance, especially since the departure of Street Fighter IV producer and former Capcom executive Yoshinori Ono.

With a new team at the wheel, anything is possible for Street Fighter. And as a longtime fan, I can’t wait to see what the refreshed developers have in store for Street Fighter 6 despite these rough early showings.