Street Fighter 6: Crossplay, Rollback, Drive mechanics, and other tidbits from Summer Game Fest

Hot scoops rolling out of Los Angeles

Since the official gameplay reveal of Capcom’s Street Fighter 6 at the Sony State of Play presentation last week, there has been almost a tidal wave of news, updates, and tidbits, (both officially and very unofficially), regarding this latest bout of World Warriorism. This weekend, lucky folks over at the Summer Game Fest Play Days event are getting some time with an early build of the fighting sequel, and coming away with very positive opinions and a fistful of interesting and intriguing hands-on updates.

Remember that Street Fighter 6 is a long way from launch, and as such all of the following info is both based on hearsay and also subject to change between now and release day.

Perhaps first and foremost, notable FGC content creator MaximillianDood came out of the gates with the biggest news, stating that Street Fighter 6 will support crossplay. This info was obtained by Maximillian directly from a developer, and is easily one of the most important and most requested pieces of info regarding the new title. Crossplay, naturally, opens up the player pool, and is essential for any modern fighter willing to build a large and long-term community.

He also confirmed, somewhat tongue-in-cheek, that Ryu is, indeed, a shoto character.

Confirmed from the devs directly. Street Fighter VI will have cross play.

— Maximilian Dood (@maximilian_) June 10, 2022

Be Quiet and Drive

In regards to gameplay, all who have had the fortune to check out Street Fighter 6 have come away with the same two core thoughts. The first thought of note is that SF 6 is placing an emphasis on individual player styles, hoping push away from SF V‘s frustrating “All top “X” characters play the exact same way”. Developers have told players that personality is a key element of SF6, from the personality of its characters, stages, and audio/visual style, to the personality of every person who sits at a fightstick or picks up a controller…

…or a Hitbox. If that’s how you choose to live your life.

(Much of the mechanical information presented below was learned from this excellent overview video presented by VG247’s Dorrani Williams. Be sure to check it out for new gameplay footage and full details on SF 6‘s exciting new combat mechanics.)

The second core component — which is key to the “individual player” theme — is that Street Fighter 6‘s gameplay is built entirely upon the management of its all-new meter system, known as “Drive”. Every player begins a match with a six-bar, fully stocked Drive Meter. This meter can then be utilized for EX moves, or a variety of defensive and offensive skills. Blocking attacks drains Drive while attacking a blocking opponent will increase it. Landing punishes and early counters also boosts the Drive gauge.

Almost all forms of attack and defense, counter and reversal, will have an effect on a player’s Drive gauge, either draining their ability to perform parries and EX specials, or stocking them up to let loose with a flurry of offense. Here is the key… If you are completely drained of Drive, then your character enters a sort of “burnout” state, which slightly decreases their damage and speed, as well as limiting both their offensive and defensive options, until it is naturally replenished

As such, Drive is perhaps the most core-rooted Street Fighter system ever, as it places incredible priorities on every single element of a player’s aggressive and defensive tactics, while also offering legitimate in-game limitations to those who either waste it, or fail to strike an economic balance between gaining and losing blocks. It’s a fascinating form of meter mechanic, and the way Drive is implemented in so many exchanges will form the backbone of each player’s personal fighting style.

Can’t Touch This

The universal Parry mechanic returns from Street Fighter III to make its presence felt in SF 6. It appears that parrying comes in two forms: Drive Parry and Perfect Parry. Drive Parry (Hold MP + MK) is similar to Flawless Defense from Guilty Gear Strive, and allows a player to absorb all hits in a string without chip damage, as long as they hold down MP + MK. However, this method of defense severely drains valuable Drive, paying for its “all-in-one block” approach with expensive resources. From Drive Parry, a player can double-tap forward to dash out (Drive Rush), or smack forward and HP + HK to deliver a space-making reversal (Drive Reversal) Think SFV‘s V-Reversal for a similar mechanic.

Perfect Parry (Tap MP + MK) is more like the classic SF III parry system, and will see a player land the parry with frame-based accuracy, rewarding the risk with a huge opening for a combo or Super. Much like SF III, we can expect the Perfect Parry to be a key component of high-level play, providing incredible opportunities for a comeback even when all is lost. It should also be noted that parrying has recovery frames so, if baited out, will leave the pity parry party open for a good smack.

Another defensive option is the Drive Impact (HP + HK), a very cinematic strike that is reminiscent of a fully-charged Focus Attack from Street Fighter IV. The Drive Impact spends Drive to absorb a blow and then deliver a hard-hitting response. Of course, Drive Impact can absorb Drive Impact, so if you read your opponent, you could turn their DI back against them in a wild flash of paint and posturing.

Super Duper

Finally, the obligatory Super meter returns. The SF 6 edition features three stages, with each pertaining to a different Super. Stages one and two vary from character to character, and will include supercharged strikes, grabs, and projectiles as well as buff states. Stage three is a classic, cinematic Super, ala Guile’s step-up somersault kick, as featured in his recent trailer. Spend your super meter early to drop in some major combo enders, or hold the line for a flashy, stage three big finsih.

Phew… That’s a helluva lot to take in, and it calls from people spending just an hour or so with the game. As the year progresses, we’ll be sure to hear much more about the gameplay, mechanics, and individual character tech behind Street Fighter 6. But all of this info gives us more than enough to chew on for the time being. It seems very likely Capcom will eventually release this same demo as a beta at some point in the future, so hopefully we will all be getting back to the streets sooner rather than later.

Here are some other tidbits, as reported from the show floor by those in attendance. Thanks to all who provided this awesome info for the Street Fighter fan community!

The demo contains four characters, (Ryu, Chun-Li, Luke, and Jamie), and two stages, (Genbu Temple and Metro City Downtown).

Using Simple Inputs and Auto Combos puts an additional drain on a player’s meter.

Chip K.O.’s are back, but they are conditional on Drive burnout.

Capcom has officially confirmed SF6 runs on the RE Engine — Official

SF6 will utilize rollback netcode. (Tech details yet to be divulged). — @tamoorh

Almost everybody who played has referenced SF6 as being “heavy”, with meatier blows and more deliberately paced impact on strikes and combos. — @maximilian_

Taunts are in, and maybe be specifically tuned to every opponent — Official

Walkout animations differ depending on whether character is P1 or P2 — @emezie

The character select screen details a character’s general playstyle, as while as their estimated learning curve, ala Guilty Gear Strive — @krembeni

Street Fighter 6 launches 2023 on PlayStation, PC, and Xbox platforms.  Be sure to check out the new theme song, our thoughts on its new protagonists, a quick once over of the returning Guile, and perhaps take a gander at the recent roster leak.

Chris Moyse

Senior Editor – Chris has been playing video games since the 1980s. Former Saturday Night Slam Master. Graduated from Galaxy High with honors. Twitter: @ChrisxMoyse