Street Fighter 6 is looking really good so far. Here is everything we know so far about Capcom's upcoming fighting game, including the Street Fighter 6 release date, game mechanics, pre-purchase options, and open beta rewards.

Street Fighter 6 Release Date: June 2, 2023

Publisher: Capcom
Developer:
Capcom
Platforms:
PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X
Release Date:
June 2, 2023

Street Fighter 6 was first announced in February 2023 with a very short teaser trailer showing Ryu's scruffy new look. More details about the game came out during the June 2 State of Play, and even more details have been either revealed or leaked since then. During The Game Awards, we found out that the Street Fighter 6 release date is on June 2, 2023.

Among the new things coming to Street Fighter 6 is its migration to the RE Engine (see a pattern between Ryu and Chris Redfield getting super scruffy faces?) and the introduction of in-game commentary during fights – a first for the Street Fighter series. These commentators include the likes of WWE‘s Zelina Vega (aka Thea Trinidad), who is also an avid gamer and who even cosplayed as Juri in the 2023 Royal Rumble event.

New Game Modes

Street Fighter 6's move to the RE Engine enables the development team to change things up not only the game's graphics and presentation but also the way it is played. As such, Capcom introduces three different game modes that are meant to give players three distinct gaming experiences for Street Fighter 6, which are:

  • Fighting Ground – composed of the different classic game modes like Arcade, Online, Training, and Local Versus, Fighting Ground is where players go if they just want to beat down.
  • World Tour – an immersive single-player story mode that “pushes the boundaries of what a fighting game is and allows players to leave their own legacy with their player avatar.” We're not yet 100% sure what this means but it sure does sound promising and exciting. This game mode will allow players to create their own character and interact with an open world for the first time in Street Fighter history. In this mode, players will be able to study under the tutelage of different masters to learn new moves and increase their stats. More information about this game mode can be found here.
  • Battle Hub – a “destination that provides players with new and unique ways to engage, communicate and interact.” Initially pretty vague, more information about the Battle Hub revealed during the Tokyo Game Show revealed that the Battle Hub is simply a hub for online multiplayer battles where you can show off your created character.

New Mechanic: The Drive Meter

The major new feature in Street Fighter 6 of course affects how players fight and dish out their moves. In this new game, the Drive Meter is introduced – replacing the V-gauge from Street Fighter V. Somewhat similarly, the Drive Meter allows fighters to execute different abilities. The Drive Meter is a color yellow multi-segment gauge that can be found right below the health bar. Among the different things you can do with your Drive Meter includes:

  • Drive Impact: A heavy attack that can absorb an opponent's incoming attack, similar to a Focus Attack. When performed near the corner it can pin the opponent to the wall even if they are blocking, making wall defenses much easier to break.
  • Drive Parry: Deflects an incoming attack and replenishes the Drive meter. A “Perfect Parry” can be performed if an attack is deflected in perfect sync.
  • Overdrive: Replaces EX Special moves. An enhanced special attack that adds hits or improves the properties of its base move.
  • Drive Rush: A fast dash that can be performed out of either a Drive Parry or a cancellable normal strike. Rushing out of a normal move costs more Drive gauge than a parry.
  • Drive Reversal: Akin to an Alpha Counter or V-Reversal — the user blocks an incoming strike and retaliates with a low damage move.

These moves reward memorization of enemy tells and quick reaction speeds, as it's easier to turn the tables with the Drive abilities. However, players will also have to be slightly conservative with their use of The Drive Meter. While it will slowly replenish over time, completely depleting The Drive Meter will send the player to a “burnout” state.

New Mechanic: Calling your mentor in battle

Learning from the masters of different fighting styles is a core aspect of Street Fighter 6's story mode. Hence, the player character will be hard-pressed to seek these masters around the world and learn from them. Building a bond with these masters will unlock new fighting styles and moves to customize your player character with, but apart from that, players will also be able to eventually call upon their mentors and join them in their battles. More information about how this mechanic works will come out later on.

Simplified Control Scheme

In an attempt to make Street Fighter 6 more accessible to new players, a simplified control scheme similar to the one employed in Marvel vs. Capcom 3 has been introduced. With this control scheme, the usual six-button input for attacks will be replaced by a simpler three generic attack buttons, along with a button for Special Attacks, making it easier for newbies to execute complicated attacks.

Of course, mastering the game's complex controls for combos and special moves would still trump anyone using the simplified control scheme. This won't be up for debate. The Simplified Control Scheme is just here to make it easier for newbies to get into the fun of fighting games, and for single-player enjoyers who just want to go through Street Fighter 6's plot.

Cast of Characters – Roster of Available Fighters

There isn't a comprehensive list of officially confirmed characters, but so far, the confirmed fighters include:

  1. Chun-Li
  2. Luke
  3. Ryu
  4. Ken
  5. Guile
  6. Jamie (new)
  7. Kimberly (new)
  8. Juri
  9. E. Honda
  10. Dhalsim
  11. Blanka
  12. Dee Jay (new)
  13. Manon (new)
  14. Marisa (new)
  15. JP (new)
  16. Zangief
  17. Cammy
  18. Lily (new)

As for the rest of the roster, there's a leaked image that purportedly shows the rest of the cast. However, upon the reveal of Manon during The Game Awards, it's become clear that this image is not 100% accurate – at least there could be more characters not yet included here that will eventually find their way to the game. Included in the list but have not yet been officially revealed are:

  1. Rashid
  2. Ed
  3. Akuma
  4. Mimi
  5. A.K.I.

The leak has since been acknowledged by Capcom in a tweet, saying:

“As residents of Metro City, we've all seen things we weren't supposed to see, but we're all in this together. We appreciate all the positive reactions. Thank you for the support!”

So, there we are. It seems like the leak is legit, especially since leakers later also released in-game footage of the characters in action. And with Capcom actually acknowledging the leaks? Well, that's as legit as we can get until we receive official confirmation.

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Street Fighter 6 Setting, Stages, and Story

Street Fighter 6 will be set after the events of Street Fighter III and will be set in Metro City, a recurring setting in the Street Fighter franchise. We do hope that the free-roaming moment we saw in the trailer meant that the game will actually feature an explorable Metro City. It doesn't have to be an open world, god no. But explorable levels with interactive elements and NPCs you can talk to would be a fresh new direction for Street Fighter to have. Metro City has been the setting of many Capcom games before, but we've never had the opportunity to actually explore the area. If we finally get to do that here, then Metro City will have the opportunity to cement it as an iconic game location.

What are Drive Tickets in Street Fighter 6?

Perhaps players who have already seen the different purchase bonuses (as detailed below) would already be asking what Drive Tickets are for.

During the Open Beta, Drive Tickets were used as in-game currency and were used to purchase cosmetics for your in-game avatar. It doesn't seem like there's anything purchasable using Drive Tickets that would give players any competitive advantage. It also appears that Drive Tickets could be obtained through gameplay, so it doesn't always have to be purhcased using real money.

Street Fighter 6 Pre-Order Bonus: Deluxe Edition, Ultimate Edition, Mad Gear Box, and Street Fighter 5 Save Rewards

Street Fighter fans will also have the opportunity to add cool stuff to their collections. Street Fighter 6 can now be pre-ordered through the game's official website, which also shows what players can expect to receive from the game's different versions as well as the reward for pre-ordering the game.

  • Pre-order bonus: Exclusive alternate outfits for Chun-Li, Jamie, Manon, Dee Jay, Juri, and Ken
  • PlayStation-only digital-only pre-order bonus: 18 Special Player Titles and Chat Stickers
  • Deluxe Edition: Year 1 Character Pass which will include 4 additional characters and alternate outfits for them, and 4,200 Drive Tickets
  • Ultimate Edition: Year 1 Character Pass which will include 4 additional characters and alternate outfits for them (more outfits versus Deluxe Edition), 2 additional stages (not indicated which ones), and 7,700 Drive Tickets
  • Mad Gear Box: Exclusively available as a physical collector's edition at GameStop, the Mad Gear Box contains a Standard Edition copy with Ultimate Edition digital rewards and pre-order bonuses, a Mad Gear Box, POP UP Parade Figures Luke & Kimberly, Artbook, Sticker Set, and Figure Diorama Boards

Finally, Street Fighter V players will also get an additional incentive for staying true to their loyalty to the franchise. Players can link with the platform account they use to play Street Fighter V to receive a special bonus for Street Fighter 6. The bonuses include a definitive version of Street Fighter II within Street Fighter 6's gallery, as well as 46 “Longtime [Character] Player” Player Titles for each one of the characters present in Street Fighter V.