Street Fighter 6: Classic controls explained

In an attempt to make it easier for players to get into fighting games, Capcom has implemented two different control schemes. We'll explain to you classic controls in Street Fighter 6 and why you should use them.

Essentially, we are going to mention all advantages and disadvantages of classic in Street Fighter 6 compared to modern controls. Each of them has its own niche and you should try both.

And if you want to read more articles, please check our AEW Fight Forever controls guide. We also have a WWE 2K23 combos guide for you!

How do classic controls work in Street Fighter 6?

Classic in SF6 is the basic scheme old-school fans know and love. If you happen to have played older SF games, then you probably know how it works.

Credit: Capcom

Here’s a brief description of the basics of classic controls in SF6.

Standard attacks

Classic gives you access to six different attacks. These are Light/Medium/Heavy hits divided into punches and kicks. It makes the control scheme more complicated, as the modern one gives you only offers three attacks.

The controls are as follows:

• Square/X = Light Punch
• Triangle/Y = Medium Punch
• R1/RB = Heavy Punch
• Cross/A = Light Kick
• Circle/B = Medium Kick
• R2/RT = Heavy Kick

Special moves

If you choose classic, you will have to perform special moves by combining different buttons and doing different motions. So, there will be no separate button dedicated to them, as with the modern scheme.

Super Arts

Super Arts will have their own difficult inputs, and you won’t be able to perform them with a simple combination of two buttons.

Why should you use classic controls in SF6?

You may be wondering what advantages the classic controls in SF6 give you. At first glance, it may seem too complicated. However, it allows you to control your character more precisely. Also, it doesn't cut your moveset like modern controls.

Modern controls allow you to perform only three attacks, which removes certain abilities from fighters. The biggest issue is special moves. Street Fighter games are known for different versions of specials that you can choose from.

Credit: Capcom

For example, if you perform a Hadoken with light punch, you will most likely get a faster and shorter version. The same move performed with the heavy punch will be more powerful and slow.

So, the classic controls scheme does not limit the arsenal of your character and allows you to do exactly what you want. But that doesn’t mean it has no disadvantages.

First of all, it’s more complicated and requires you to memorize the inputs of special attacks. So, you have a chance to fail if you can’t perform them properly. Modern controls simplify all these moves and allow you to try out any character without learning all the inputs.

Also, the classic scheme requires you to use a lot of buttons. Six of them are dedicated to your attacks, which can be uncomfortable if you play with a standard gamepad.

We would recommend using modern when you start to learn a new character and don’t know all of their moves. Later on, you should switch to classic controls, as it gives you access to different tricks and moves that you cannot use with the modern scheme.

However, you are not forbidden to use the scheme you like the most. Good luck and hopefully, our guide will help you improve your SF6 gaming experience!

Read more: WWE 2K23 Controls Guide: The ULTIMATE Guide