Controls are important in any video game, as they’re how we interact with an interactive medium. However, no genre benefits from tight, responsive controls like fighting games. Without epic narratives or elaborate level design, they entertain by enabling skillful combat.
Fighting games are their controls, and therefore gain much of their depth by making their controls more complex. What other category offers multiple buttons for punching and kicking? However, casual players might find this complexity a frustrating turn-off that prevents them from having a good time. Fortunately, Street Fighter 6 has the perfect solution.
Street Fighter 6 is a masterpiece, and one of the smartest things it does is recognize that today’s fighting games must serve mainstream audiences. It does this through its three control options: Classic, Modern, and Dynamic. If you want to play Street Fighter 6 on a fight stick, you can. If you just want to mash buttons on a gamepad and pull off cool moves, that's possible, too. There's even a setup that falls somewhere in the middle.
If you're unfamiliar with Street Fighter 6's various control schemes, check out our breakdown of the three layouts so you can toss fireballs and unleash dragon punches in ways that best fit your play style.
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Classic Controls: The Layout for Fighting Game Veterans
As the name implies, Classic Controls is the same six-button layout that Street Fighter has offered since the original arcade days. It gives you the ultimate competitive control over your fighter, with dedicated buttons for light, medium, and heavy punches and kicks. On a gamepad, the left triggers provide convenient button combos for Drive Impact and Drive Parry moves. However, you must memorize the correct inputs and tricky control stick motions for fireballs (quarter circle forward + punch), sonic booms (charge back, forward + punch), and other special moves and Critical Arts.
Modern Controls: The Scheme for Intermediate Players
Modern Controls attempt to bridge the gap between old-school fighting game depth and casual convenience. Street Fighter 6 recommends this style so much that it’s the default option. It should feel familiar if you've played the Marvel vs. Capcom 3 or Super Smash Bros. series.
Instead of dedicated punch and kick buttons, this control scheme has light, medium, and heavy attacks. You also gain a button specifically for special attacks, and can easily activate them by simply holding the control stick in different directions. No more motion inputs. For example, you can easily launch Ryu's fireball by pressing the special attack button, or pop a dragon punch by pressing the special attack button and holding right on the stick. Charge characters like Guile still need to hold the stick for a few frames, though.
In addition, the Assist button lets you bust out automatic combos, which is especially useful since Modern Controls removes some techniques. You can use Modern Controls online and in major tournaments, such as Capcom Cup and Evo.
Dynamic Controls: The Setup for Noobs
If you don’t know anything about fighting games, this is the control scheme to check out. Like Modern Controls, Dynamic Controls boils things down to attack strength, but it's so simplified that it lacks a special move button. Your character does cool attacks whenever the game thinks it would be useful depending on where you are on the battlefield. In fact, you can activate powerful Critical Arts with a single button press.
Having so little control over your fighter is pretty frustrating for serious players, but casual players may enjoy these ultimate training wheels. Note, however, you can’t use Dynamic Controls online or in tournaments.
How to Change Street Fighter 6’s Controls
Street Fighter 6 opens with a tutorial explaining its three main control options, letting you get a taste of each one before making a choice. Still, you may want to bounce between them during your time with the game, depending on your mood. You can’t change controls in the middle of a match (pausing during a fight is bad manners anyway). Beyond that, you can change controls at any other time. Here's how to do it.
Enter the Multi Menu
Open the Options Menu
Select Controls
Change Control Type
Under this menu, you can also remap controls to different buttons. These global control preferences apply across all single-player and multiplayer modes. However, before a match, you can also change your controls as you pick your character. Just select Control Settings and change Control Type.
For more on Street Fighter 6, read how Street Fighter 6 hype proves the franchise is bigger than fighting games, learn why Guile’s facial hair matters, and appreciate the game’s wonderful Final Fight homage.
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