It's been a while - Street Fighter 5 came out all the way back in 2016, for all its re-releases and sustained competitive scene, so the community is unsurprisingly enthused about Street Fighter 6.
The game is still a ways off, releasing on 2 June 2023, but Capcom is playing a canny game in the run-up, with repeated closed betas to get people familiar with the series hands-on. We played in the most recent test, and came away thoroughly impressed.
With this long to go before release, we're seriously impressed by what we've played of Street Fighter 6 - Capcom still has a decent chunk of time to refine it, but the raw materials are already in great shape.
It looks crisp and vibrant, and makes it easier than ever for new players to get to grips with its gameplay. It could be a shot in the arm for a community that's already in rude health, and potentially an ideal tonic for the wider fighting game genre.
We can't wait to learn from its school of hard knocks once it comes out.
A new scene
The closed beta we participated in was limited pretty strongly, which is no surprise - it allowed for online arcade matchups with a small selection of fighters, and that's it.
Still, that's the core of the game here, so it's also a perfect approach, and we were able to get time behind the reins of classics like Ryu and Chun-Li as well as slightly newer options including Luke and Jamie.
The main mode in this case is called Battle Hub, and it's a really cool way to lay out matchmaking in a fighting game, replicating some of the buzz of an actual arcade.
You control an avatar that you can heavily (ridiculously) customise to your own desires, running around an arcade full of cosmetic shops centred around an array of game cabinets.
Approach one with an empty seat opposite an opponent to kick off a match, sit at one on your own to invite challengers, or simply spectate an ongoing match by approaching.
It feels great (although menus are there for those who want to cut to the chase), and replicates that social feeling that can sometimes be lost away from LAN tournaments.
To Recap:
From our time with it, Street Fighter 6 is shaping up really nicely - but these are early days, and there are a lot of modes and characters still to come!