Street Fighter 6's Modern Controls Aren't Just for Beginners

Using modern controls in Street Fighter 6 may be a stronger option than anyone thought.

Capcom's Street Fighter 6, the latest installment in one of the most iconic fighting game franchises, has generated considerable buzz for its innovative approach to controls. Players can use the same classic inputs they were using in the '90s when they popped their first quarter into the Street Fighter II arcade cabinet, or they can also use the new modern control scheme that simplifies the game a bit. The control scheme was aimed at beginners who may be intimidated by all the input commands. Modern controls make the game more accessible to players and remove the steep learning curve many experience when trying to learn a Street Fighter game.

The optional modern control style swaps out the typical six-button layout of three punches and three kicks with four buttons: light attack, medium attack, heavy attack and special move. Special attacks that used to be a sequence of commands can now be unleashed with the press of a button. Gamers lose some versatility by choosing modern controls, but competitive players are beginning to see how modern controls could give them a leg up on the competition. Originally thought to be an option for casual players or beginners, modern controls are quickly becoming a legitimate way to win against competition at the highest levels of Street Fighter 6.

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The key to winning in a fighting game can come down to making a decision just milliseconds faster than the opponent. Modern controls cut down the time needed to react to what players see on the screen, and that could make all the difference in the heat of battle. For example, Zangief is a grappler character who has some of the more challenging classic control inputs in the game. The wrestler’s iconic Screw Pile Driver (SPD) requires a 360-degree rotation on the directional pad or stick before pressing an attack button. In the past, players may have seen an opponent leave themselves open for an SPD but flub the input or fail to react in time. With modern controls, players can input an SPD with the press of a single button. The competitive edge comes when a veteran chooses modern controls knowing they have the ability to react faster than their opponent.

As a way to balance the ease of modern control inputs within Street Fighter 6, Capcom reduced the amount of damage for each move by 20% on modern controls. In competitive play, this would have likely been a deal-breaker for the modern option, but all is not lost for players using the control scheme. If players input the classic command, the moves still work and do their full damage. Being able to react almost instantaneously with a special move while having the ability to input the same move for maximum damage is a layer of versatility that cannot be ignored. Players essentially have access to two sets of special moves -- one for speed and one for damage. High-level players on modern controls can rely on their years of experience and muscle memory while gaining the ability to punish opponents' mistakes faster than ever.

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While selecting modern controls can possibly improve players' results, mileage may vary depending on what character they select. With one button assigned to special moves in modern controls, players go from having six punch-and-kick options to three, leaving characters with only half their attacks. A few characters have so many special moves that the modern control scheme does not have access to all those moves either. Some characters are not able to function in the same way and are just too limited. For instance, JP, a new villain character in Street Fighter 6, loses some functionality when moving from classic to modern controls. JP uses projectiles to control the stage but also has the ability to rack up damage with his combo game. When choosing modern, some of the moves he is missing slow down his combo potential. JP still benefits from quickly inputting commands, but the loss of a few key tools prevents him from being a powerhouse on modern controls.

A staple of Street Fighter games are characters who have to charge up their special moves before using them, commonly called charge characters. These characters, like E. Honda or Blanka, frequently require players to hold back or down for up to two seconds before pressing the opposite direction and an attack button. Unfortunately, charge characters on modern controls do not get the benefit of one-button special moves. They still have to charge their moves before hitting the button, meaning there is not as much benefit to using them as there is with other members of the roster. If charge characters were able to use modern inputs without charging their moves, they would be some of the strongest characters in the game, but developers felt it was too strong to remove the charge requirements for their special moves.

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The ultimate indicator of how viable modern controls can be in competitive play is the results of competition. The Evolution Championship Series, known as EVO, is the largest fighting game event in the world. At EVO 2023, more than 7,000 fighting game players from across the world traveled to Las Vegas to fight against the best competition available. By the end of the weekend, six players remained, and one of them used modern controls. Haitani, a fighting game veteran from Japan, made waves with a fifth-place finish using his Chun Li with modern controls. Haitani is not a beginner or casual player using modern controls because he struggles with classic inputs; he has played Street Fighter competitively for more than a decade. His performance at EVO 2023 is proof that modern controls are an option even at the highest levels of competition.

Street Fighter 6's modern controls are a great way for new players to acclimate themselves to the fighting game grind. These games are notoriously hard for new players to pick up and succeed without some heartache or broken controllers. Modern controls lower the barrier of entry, making Street Fighter 6 a game that many people can enjoy. Competitive players looking for any advantage have seen the benefits of modern controls at the highest level and have the results to back it up. Look for more players to use their fight stick with modern controls at the next local tournament.

Nathan is a fighting game commentator and RPG enthusiast. He will gladly mix you with no questions asked.