Street Fighter 6 is a legendary entry in a legendary fighting game franchise. Carrying on from the excellent momentum that the initially beleaguered Street Fighter 5 managed to accrue after its “Arcade Edition” re-release, Street Fighter 6 presented one of the best playing, best tuned, best balanced fighters of all time, that came stuffed with an inordinate amount of content (far more than is usual for the genre), and has some of the best onboarding a fighting game has ever had. Between its incredibly high skill ceiling, its concessions to newcomers to the game, series, or even genre, and its abundance of high quality content, Street Fighter 6 has frequently been cited as among the greatest fighting games ever made.
Now the developer has brought the game over for the Switch 2 launch, and it is an incredibly impressive transition. The entire game has made it over as is, with all the DLC and season pass so far included, with extra modes added, full cross-platform multiplayer supported, and pretty much no hit to the graphics or performance.
“The Switch 2 version features Calorie Contest mode, an offbeat feature that uses the Joy-Con’s motion sensors to transform your real-world movements into in-game actions.”
Yes, obviously it won’t look or run as well as it does on a high end PC or a PS5 Pro, but it can be almost difficult to distinguish the graphical differences between the Switch 2 version of this game, and most others. Particularly with how frenetic and dynamic the action on screen can be, a lot of the relatively small cutbacks are barely noticeable unless you pause the screen and have it be pointed out to you. In many cases, the Switch 2 version outright looks better than comparable hardware – Street Fighter 6 on Switch 2 is a far more impressive port than the Series S version of the game, and it is far better optimized than the Steam Deck (or any PC handheld) version of the game is.
The Switch 2 version features Calorie Contest mode, an offbeat feature that uses the Joy-Con’s motion sensors to transform your real-world movements into in-game actions. Whether you’re throwing punches or trying to mash out a combo, every move contributes to your Calorie Gauge. It’s kind of weird, yes, but it also pushes your endurance in the best possible way. Then there’s Tabletop Mode, which is perfect for players who are into on-the-go competition. Two players can throw down just about anywhere and engage themselves in long-haul flights. It’s a small but brilliant touch that leans into the Switch 2’s strength as a portable handheld console.
Street Fighter 6 on Switch 2 also really benefits from how well the format and style of game lends itself to the Switch 2 hardware. Support for local wireless multiplayer, or even multiplayer on a single system via support of Joy-Cons as individual controllers, are fairly straightforward features that several, if not most, Switch releases with multiplayer support include.
However, they absolutely contribute to the value of this version of the game compared to the others – with full cross-platform play, little to no perceptible graphical cutbacks, and a bunch of perks that, however small, do legitimately add value to the offering make this an exceptionally easy version to recommend. The Switch 2 version also supports Amiibos for minor cosmetic unlocks. The debut of amiibo figures for Luke, Jamie, and Kimberly, alongside the collectible amiibo Card Starter Set (featuring all 22 characters from Year 1), gives players more to unlock. Scanning these amiibo into the game grants access to in-game content, a feature which is totally missable for someone like me, but which I can imagine being a big deal for completionists, and it has a special mode exclusive to it that involves motion controls.
“Street Fighter 6 on Switch 2 also really benefits from how well the format and style of game lends itself to the Switch 2 hardware.”
This does not work. I am telling you right now, do not try to play Street Fighter 6 with the motion controls, unless you intend to play it as a party game (in which case, there are several other titles that would be better suited to being a party game than this one, go look into one of those). It’s the kind of gimmicky addition the developer frequently includes in its Nintendo launch games – Ultra Street Fighter 2 on the original Switch had a similar mode included – and it simply doesn’t work. Given how well the game controls, and given the existence of the Modern Controls, which simplify the inputs without putting players using them at a disadvantage, there is honestly little to no utility to these motion controls – other than to have a marketing bullet point as an “exclusive” feature.
The only other complaint I have with this version is not a complaint with this version, but with Street Fighter 6 as a whole – its lack of cross-save and cross-progression means that even players who may have already sunk inordinate hours into this game will be starting from scratch on the Switch 2. It is to the developer’s credit that all the DLC and updates ever released for this game are included, and at such a reasonable asking price, so to their credit, they have tried to soften that blow. But I imagine that will give a lot of fans at least some pause.
For those who can reconcile with that, however, or for those who are jumping into it for the first time ever, the Switch 2 version of Street Fighter 6 is absolutely fantastic, a version of the game that can easily be recommended to others, even over the other systems.
This game was reviewed on the Nintendo Switch 2.
