Street Fighter 6 - What We Know So Far

"Street Fighter" fans haven't felt loved by Capcom in quite some time. After the issues that "Street Fighter 5" had, and Capcom's less-than-stellar updates to the game, it's been quite some time since series fans had something to get excited about. However, a new installment to the series has many excited about what's next.

When "Street Fighter 5" was first released in 2016, issues with rage quitters almost lost the game its entire fan base within the first few matches. While problematic players were eventually dealt with, fans were let down again as a massive update widened the gap between overpowered characters and those that needed a bit more help — in fact, the update was so bad that many thought it was an April Fool's joke.

The rough journey caused many people to give up on the game, but it seems like Capcom finally has an answer: "Street Fighter 6."

While Capcom released DLC for years to keep "Street Fighter 5" alive, fans were ready to see a new game after six years went by. However, Capcom hasn't announced when the new title will be released just yet. In fact, the only information on the website for the game says to come back in Summer 2022 for more info. 

While the website doesn't have a release date for the game, there are some ideas as to when it could be released. According to IGN, the 2020 Capcom data breach held information about upcoming game releases. "Street Fighter 6" was one of the games that had a tentative release date, even though the game hadn't been announced yet. The questionable release date was for Q3 2022, which spans from July 1 to Sept. 30. IGN also noted that sources hinted that the release date for "Street Fighter 6" was incorrect, so it's still just an unconfirmed rumor for now. 

The only thing close to a trailer that's been released for "Street Fighter 6" is the teaser trailer. However, there was a lot for fans to unpack in the 30-second long video. The trailer showed the longtime series icon Ryu getting ready to fight Luke, who was the most recent addition to the series' roster.

Fans quickly began speculating about parts of the trailer that could hint about where the game falls in the series' story. For example, one Reddit user pointed out that Ryu's beard gives away the fact that it's set after Third Strike.

The teaser trailer also showed off the logo for "Street Fighter 6," a detail that had the internet up in arms as it was seemingly a slightly altered version of a stock image. That's not the only thing that had fans upset, either – graphics were also a hot topic.

The graphics in the teaser trailer are quite different than what most fans might have expected, as the characters took a realistic turn compared to the more stylized designs from previous games. Some fans were excited to see what a new direction could look like, but others were concerned about how a more realistic art style would work with characters like Zangief and Chun-Li.

One user pointed out that while the graphics in the trailer were clearly upgraded, it still captured some details from the older games – mainly, the size of Ryu's head compared to the width of his body.

It's also worth pointing out that the teaser trailer may have been a cinematic preview instead of a direct vision of what "Street Fighter 6" will look like. As more information is released, fans will be able to get a gauge of what Capcom's new engine will look like in a "Street Fighter" game.