Street Fighter (1987) '' arcade cabinet
Street Fighter, designed by
Takashi Nishiyama and Hiroshi Matsumoto, was released as an
arcade video game in 1987. The player controls martial artist
Ryu to compete in a worldwide martial arts tournament spanning five countries and 10 opponents. A second player can control Ryu's friendly American rival,
Ken Masters. The player can perform three punch and kick attacks, each varying in speed and strength, and three special attacks: the
Hadōken,
Shōryūken, and
Tatsumaki Senpūkyaku, performed by executing special joystick and button combinations.
Street Fighter was converted to many home computers, including
MS-DOS. In 1987, it was released on the TurboGrafx-16 CD add-on console as
Fighting Street by
Hudson Soft. In 2005,
Street Fighter was included in
Capcom Classics Collection: Remixed for the
PlayStation Portable and
Capcom Classics Collection Vol. 2 for the
PlayStation 2 and
Xbox. It is also available in the 2018 compilation,
Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection for the
PlayStation 4,
Xbox One,
Nintendo Switch and
Windows.
Street Fighter II (1991) Street Fighter II was released in 1991 following an unsuccessful attempt to brand the 1989
beat 'em up game
Final Fight as the
Street Fighter sequel. It is one of the earliest arcade games for Capcom's
CP System hardware and was designed by
Akira Nishitani and
Akira Yasuda, who also made
Final Fight and
Forgotten Worlds.
Street Fighter II: The World Warrior is the first one-on-one fighting game to give players a choice from a variety of player characters with different moves, allowing for more varied matches. Each player character has a unique fighting style with approximately 30 or more moves, including new grappling moves and throws, and two or three special attacks. In the single-player mode, the player character is pitted sequentially against the seven other main characters before confronting the final four bosses, exclusively
CPU-controlled. As in the original, a second player can join anytime for competitive matches. The original Japanese version of
Street Fighter II introduced an
African-American boxer boss character that shared the physical characteristics and likeness of real-life boxer
Mike Tyson. (The character was originally named "Mike Bison". To avoid a
likeness infringement lawsuit, Capcom rotated the names of three of the boss characters for international versions of the game. The
final boss, named Vega in the Japanese version, was given the M. Bison name, the
talon-wielding Spanish warrior, named Balrog in the Japanese version, was renamed Vega and the boxer became Balrog. In a 2019 interview, Mike Tyson himself was asked about the "Mike Bison" character design, and revealed that he was "honored by the impersonation".)
Street Fighter II eclipsed its predecessor in popularity, eventually turning
Street Fighter into a
multimedia franchise. It had an unexpectedly phenomenal impact on gaming. More than $10 billion in inflation-adjusted revenue as of 2017 was grossed from all versions, mostly from arcades. A Japanese-only port of
Street Fighter II Dash for the
PC Engine came in 1993. That year, two home versions of
Hyper Fighting were released:
Street Fighter II Turbo for Super NES and
Street Fighter II: Special Champion Edition (
Street Fighter II Dash Plus in Japan) for Genesis. The following game,
Super Street Fighter II, was also ported to the Super NES and Genesis in 1994. That year,
Super Street Fighter II Turbo was released for the
3DO Interactive Multiplayer and for
Windows, released by the now-defunct
GameTek. In 1997, Capcom released the
Street Fighter Collection for the
PlayStation and
Sega Saturn. This is a compilation including
Super and
Super Turbo, and
Street Fighter Alpha 2 Gold (
Street Fighter Zero 2′ (Dash) in Japan), an updated version of
Street Fighter Alpha 2. It was followed by
Street Fighter Collection 2 (
Capcom Generation Vol. 5 in Japan), also released for the PlayStation and Saturn, which includes the original
Street Fighter II,
Champion Edition, and
Hyper Fighting. In 2000, Capcom released
Super Street Fighter II X for Matching Service exclusively in Japan for the
Dreamcast. This version of the game features an online two-player versus mode. In 2003, Capcom released
Hyper Street Fighter II: The Anniversary Edition for the arcades in Japan and Asia to commemorate the 15th anniversary of the series. As the final arcade installment, the game is a hybrid version of
Super Turbo, which allows players to select between versions of characters from all five previous
Street Fighter II games.
Hyper was released in North America and the PAL region via its ports for the
PlayStation 2 and the
Xbox, released as part of the
Street Fighter Anniversary Collection along with
Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike. In 2005, the three games in
Street Fighter Collection 2 were included in
Capcom Classics Collection Vol. 1 for PlayStation 2 and Xbox. A version of
Super Turbo, along with the original
Street Fighter, was later included in the 2007 compilation
Capcom Classics Collection Vol. 2, also released for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox.
Street Fighter II and
Super Street Fighter II are also available as downloadable games for select
cellular phone services. An updated version of
Super Street Fighter II Turbo came to the
PlayStation Network and
Xbox Live Arcade services in 2008. The game,
Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix, has fully redrawn artwork, including HD sprites 4.5x the original size, drawn by artists from
UDON. This is the first time the
Street Fighter characters have had new sprites, drawn by Capcom, since
Capcom vs. SNK 2 in 2001. The game has several changes which address character balancing issues, but also features the original arcade version gameplay so that players can choose between the two.
Ultra Street Fighter II: The Final Challengers is an updated version of 1994's
Super Street Fighter II Turbo for the
Nintendo Switch. The game features two graphical styles—classic pixel art and updated high-definition art. New gameplay mechanics and modes have been introduced and tweaks have been made to the game's
balance. It has two more characters, who are classic alternate evil form of the classic characters Ryu and Ken, Evil Ryu and Violent Ken, and Akuma is now playable.
Street Fighter Alpha (1995) ''
Street Fighter Alpha: Warriors' Dreams (Street Fighter Zero
in Asia and Mexico), was released in 1995. It uses the same character designs Capcom previously employed in Darkstalkers and X-Men: Children of the Atom, with settings and character designs heavily influenced by Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie. Alpha
expands on the Super Combo system from Super Turbo
by extending Super Combo meter into three levels, allowing for super combos to be stored up and introducing Alpha Counters and Chain Combos, also from Darkstalkers
. The plot of Alpha
is set between the first two Street Fighter
games and fleshes out the backstories and grudges held by many of the classic Street Fighter II
characters. It has a playable roster of ten immediately playable characters and three unlockable fighters, comprising not only younger versions of established characters, but also characters from the original Street Fighter
and Final Fight'', such as
Adon and
Guy.
Street Fighter Alpha 2 has all-new stages, music, and endings for some characters, some of which overlap with those from the original
Alpha. It also discards the Chain Combo system in favor of Custom Combos, which requires a portion of the Super Combo meter to be used.
Alpha 2 retains all 13 characters from the original and adds five new characters to the roster along with hidden versions of returning characters.
Alpha 2 is followed by a slightly enhanced arcade release,
Street Fighter Zero 2 Alpha, released in Japan and Brazil, ported to home consoles as
Street Fighter Alpha 2 Gold and
Zero 2′ Dash in Japan. The third and final
Alpha game,
Street Fighter Alpha 3, was released in 1998 following the release of the original
Street Fighter III: 2nd Impact and
Street Fighter EX.
Alpha 3 introduces three selectable fighting styles and further expands the playable roster to 28 characters. Console versions of the three games, including the original
Alpha 2 and
Alpha 2 Gold, were released for the PlayStation and Sega Saturn, although versions of specific games in the series were also released for the
Game Boy Color, Super NES, Dreamcast, and Windows. The home console versions of
Alpha 3 further expands the character roster by adding the remaining "New Challengers" from
Super Street Fighter II. The Dreamcast version of the game was backported to the arcades in Japan as
Street Fighter Zero 3 Upper. A version of
Upper, titled
Alpha 3 outside Japan, was released for the
Game Boy Advance and added three characters from
Capcom vs. SNK 2. A
PlayStation Portable version,
Alpha 3 MAX, or
Zero 3 Double Upper in Japan, contains the added characters from the GBA version and Ingrid from
Capcom Fighting Jam.
Street Fighter EX (1996) In 1996, Capcom co-produced a 3D fighting game
Street Fighter EX with
Arika, a company founded by
Street Fighter II planner Akira Nishitani. It was developed for the PlayStation-based ZN-1 hardware.
EX combined the established
Street Fighter cast with original characters created and owned by Arika. It was followed by an upgraded version,
Street Fighter EX Plus, in 1997, which expanded the character roster. A home version with additional features and characters,
Street Fighter EX Plus Alpha, was released for the PlayStation during the same year. A sequel was released in 1998,
Street Fighter EX2, developed for the ZN-2 hardware. Custom combos were reintroduced and the character roster was expanded upon even further. In 1999,
EX2 also received an upgraded version,
Street Fighter EX2 Plus. A port of
EX2 Plus was released for the PlayStation in 1999. The third game in the series,
Street Fighter EX3, was released as a
launch game for the PlayStation 2 in 2000. This game included a tag team system, a mode that let a single player fight up to three opponents simultaneously, and another mode that allowed players to give the new character, Ace, a selection of special and super moves after purchasing them with experience points. The cast included many characters from the previous game. Some of the Arika-owned characters from the series were later featured in other games developed by the company. The
Namco-distributed arcade game
Fighting Layer featured
Allen Snider and
Blair Dame from the original
EX, while Skullomania would reappear in the PlayStation game
Fighter Maker. A spiritual successor to
Fighting Layer, featuring an initial roster consisting entirely of Arika-owned
EX characters,
Fighting EX Layer, was released in 2018.
Crossover series (1996) Capcom produced fighting games involving licensed characters from other companies and their own properties. In 1994, Capcom released the
Marvel-licensed fighting game
X-Men: Children of the Atom, which features Akuma from
Super Street Fighter II Turbo as a hidden character. It was followed by
Marvel Super Heroes in 1995, which features Anita from ''
Night Warriors: Darkstalkers' Revenge''. Capcom released a third Marvel-licensed game,
X-Men vs. Street Fighter, in 1996, a full-fledged crossover between characters from
X-Men and the
Street Fighter Alpha games with a two-on-two
tag team-based system. It was followed by
Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter in 1997, which expanded the roster to include characters from
Marvel Super Heroes;
Marvel vs. Capcom in 1998, which features characters from
Street Fighter and other Capcom properties; and
Marvel vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes in 2000, which was produced from the Dreamcast-based
NAOMI hardware. Due to Marvel licensing issues,
Marvel vs. Capcom 2 was unavailable for digital purchase until the release of
Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics in 2024. Capcom produced a series of similar crossover fighting games with rival fighting game developer
SNK Playmore. They include
Capcom vs. SNK: Millennium Fight 2000 in 2000, which features characters primarily from the
Street Fighter and
The King of Fighters series. It was followed by a minor upgrade,
Capcom vs. SNK: Millennium Fight 2000 Pro, and a sequel,
Capcom vs. SNK 2: Mark of the Millennium 2001, both released in 2001. All three games were produced for the NAOMI hardware as well. The SNK-produced fighting games of this crossover series include the
Dimps-developed portable fighting game
SNK vs. Capcom: The Match of the Millennium for the
Neo Geo Pocket Color in 1999 and
SNK vs. Capcom: SVC Chaos for the
Neo Geo in 2003. From 2003 to 2008, the
Versus series of Capcom fighting games had no new releases, though Capcom and
Namco produced the crossover tactical role-playing game
Namco × Capcom for the PlayStation 2 exclusively in Japan in 2005. Ryu and Ken are playable in 2012's
Project X Zone, a tactical role-playing game that draws characters from various
Sega, Namco-Bandai, and Capcom franchises.
Tatsunoko vs. Capcom: Cross Generation of Heroes, released in 2008, features characters from both
Tatsunoko Production and Capcom properties, including
Street Fighter characters Ryu,
Chun-Li, and Alex as well as characters like Ken the Eagle of
Gatchaman and Casshern of
Neo-Human Casshern on Tatsunoko's side. Initially released only in Japan, the game received an updated international release,
Tatsunoko vs. Capcom: Ultimate All-Stars, in 2010 in response to fan demand.
Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds was released in 2011 and includes Akuma, Chun-Li, Crimson Viper, and Ryu. The game features completely new visuals and audio, three-on-three gameplay, and online play. The game was also intended to have downloadable content, but the content was disrupted due to an earthquake and tsunami in
Tōhoku and was released along with additional new content in a separate game,
Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3.
Street Fighter X Tekken was released in 2012, featuring over 50 playable characters from both the
Street Fighter and
Tekken fighting franchises.
Street Fighter X Tekken was developed by Capcom, and Namco developed a crossover game,
Tekken X Street Fighter. Akuma has a guest appearance in
Tekken 7.
Street Fighter X Mega Man is an all-star platform game that was originally supposed to be a fan game developed by Seow Zong Hui, but Capcom distributed and released the game for the PC in 2012. Based on the classic
Mega Man games, the free game has players control
Mega Man as he battles against various
Street Fighter characters and obtain their techniques.
Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite was released in 2017.
Infinite features two-on-two fights, as opposed to the three-on-three format used in its preceding games. The series' traditional character assists have been removed; instead, the game incorporates a tag-based
combo system, which allows players to instantly switch between their two characters to form continuous combos. It introduces a new gameplay mechanic in the form of the
Infinity Stones, which temporarily bestow players with unique abilities and stat boosts depending on the type of stone selected. Beyond
Street Fighter, Capcom franchises make guest appearances in the 2014 Nintendo crossover-fighting games
Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U, with protagonist Ryu appearing alongside fellow Capcom representative Mega Man. The
Street Fighter content was released as extra in-game
downloadable content in 2015 and includes Ryu and Suzaku Castle, a stage inspired by Ryu's stage from the
Street Fighter II series. Mega Man and Ryu returned in the following game,
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, with Ken as the latter's Echo Fighter.
Street Fighter III (1997) Street Fighter III: New Generation debuted in the arcades on the
CPS3 hardware in 1997.
Street Fighter III discards most of the character roster from previous games, keeping only Ryu and Ken, introducing several new characters in their place including the grappler
Alex, who was designed to be the new lead character of the game, and
Gill, who replaced
Bison as main antagonist.
Street Fighter III introduced the "Super Arts" selection system and the ability to parry an opponent's attack. Several months after
Street Fighter III: New Generations release came
Street Fighter III: 2nd Impact, adjusting the gameplay, adding two new characters, and returning Akuma as a playable character.
Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike, released in 1999 as the third and last iteration of
Street Fighter III, brings back Chun-Li and adds four new characters. The first two
Street Fighter III games were ported to the Dreamcast as a compilation,
Double Impact. Ports of
3rd Strike were released for the Dreamcast as a standalone game, then included in the compilation
Street Fighter Anniversary Collection for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox. Gill became a playable secret character in the console versions. In 2010, Capcom announced
Street Fighter III Third Strike: Online Edition.
Street Fighter IV (2008) The original
Street Fighter IV game concept,
Street Fighter IV Flashback, never made it past the proposal stage. In 2007, more than eight years since the release of
Street Fighter III 3rd Strike for the arcades, Capcom unveiled
Street Fighter IV at a Capcom Gamers Day event in London. Conceived as a direct sequel to the early
Street Fighter II games (particularly
Super Street Fighter II Turbo),
Street Fighter IV features the return of the original twelve world warriors and recurring hidden character Akuma, along with four new characters (as well as a new
boss character) in a storyline chronologically set between
Street Fighter II and
Street Fighter III. The gameplay, while still 2D, features
cel-shaded 3D graphics inspired by
Japanese sumi-e paintings. The Super Combo system, a
Street Fighter mainstay since
Super Turbo, returns along with new counter-attacking techniques called "Focus Attacks" ("Saving Attacks" in Japan), as well as new "Ultra Combo" moves, similar to the
Rage Gauge seen in games from
SNK Playmore. The arcade version, which runs on the
Taito Type X2 hardware, was distributed in Japan in 2008, with a limited release in North America and the United Kingdom. A home version was released in 2009 for the
PlayStation 3,
Xbox 360, and Windows PC. This features an expanded character roster, as well as all-new animated segments that show each character's backstory, and a training mode similar to the Expert Challenges in
Street Fighter EX. The cast includes six characters new to the
Street Fighter series.
Super Street Fighter IV includes ten additional characters including two characters new to the franchise:
Juri and Hakan. Capcom implemented character balance adjustments and added second Ultra moves for each character. The game features an improved online experience with new modes of play. The game was released in 2010 for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 at a discounted price point. A portable conversion of
Super Street Fighter IV for the
Nintendo 3DS,
Super Street Fighter IV: 3D Edition, features 3D stereoscopic technology, multiplayer, and all 35 characters from the original
Super Street Fighter IV release.
Super Street Fighter IV: Arcade Edition was released in 2010, containing all of the content from the console release, and featuring four additional characters: Yun and Yang from
Street Fighter III, as well as Evil Ryu and Oni, an alternate version of Ryu and Akuma, respectively. A new update for
Street Fighter IV, Ultra Street Fighter IV, was released in 2014 as an arcade game, a
DLC add-on for existing console versions of
Super Street Fighter IV, and as a standalone game containing DLC from previous iterations. Along with various tweaks and additional modes and stages, the update adds five additional characters, consisting of
Rolento,
Elena,
Poison and
Hugo, who previously appeared in
Street Fighter x Tekken, plus an all-new character, Decapre. The game arrived on next generation consoles with a
PlayStation 4 version releasing in 2015.
Street Fighter V (2016) '' demo showcase was at
Gamescom 2015.
Street Fighter V was released exclusive to the PlayStation 4 and PC, enabling cross platform gameplay, in 2016 with a roster of 16 characters including Ryu, Ken, and Chun-Li. In 2018, the game received a major update,
Street Fighter V: Arcade Edition. In 2020,
Street Fighter V: Champion Edition was released as downloadable content with several characters progressively added and totaling 46.
Street Fighter 6 (2023) Street Fighter 6 was released for
Microsoft Windows,
PlayStation 4,
PlayStation 5, and
Xbox Series X|S on June 2, 2023. The game is powered by the
RE Engine and include multiple new features, including real-time in-game commentary and a single-player adventure mode with customizable player avatars.
Other games Street Fighter II arcade game features
Ryu and
Chun-Li. • The 1990 platforming game
Street Fighter 2010: The Final Fight is a non-canonical loose sequel for the
NES in which a retired Ken (originally Kevin Striker, a cyborg police officer) becomes a scientist fighting to avenge the death of a friend in a futuristic interplanetary adventure. • Two video games based on the live-action
Street Fighter movie were released in 1995;
one for
arcades,
the other for PlayStation and Sega Saturn. The game retains the fighting style of the main series, but uses digitized character sprites similar to games such as
Mortal Kombat. •
Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo is a puzzle game released in 1996, which features
super deformed characters from the
Street Fighter and
Darkstalkers series fighting against each other by matching colored gems. •
Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbos art style was later re-used in 1997's
Super Gem Fighter Mini Mix, which is a more lighthearted take on the main fighting games featuring simpler commands. •
Street Fighter Anniversary Collection is a 2004 compilation of two games released between 1991 and 1999 in the form of
Hyper Street Fighter II: The Anniversary Edition (a game that allows players to choose variations of characters from
SFII to
Super SFII Turbo) and
Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike (the third and final installment of
Street Fighter III) that originates from the
Dreamcast but ported to PlayStation 2 and Xbox. •
Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection is a 2018 compilation of 12 games in arcade perfect form (
Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike) released for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Steam, and Nintendo Switch. •
Street Fighter characters also make cameos in the
Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law video game. • On February 17, 2023, a
virtual reality arcade single-player fighting game titled
Street Fighter VR Shadaloo Enhancement Plan (ストリートファイターVR シャドルー強化計画) by Capcom was announced for testing at the
Plaza Capcom store located in Hiroshima with plans to expand on April 17 to
Miraino Aeon Mall in Toyokawa, Japan. The game is played on a
HTC Vive Pro 2 and allows to players to take the role of an unnamed junior soldier under the recruitment under the criminal organization
'Shadaloo' as they train in a virtual environment against Ryu and
Zangief of
Street Fighter V to become the strongest. Assets as well as the same engine are being reused from the game, specifically with Ryu's and Zangief's character models and stages, being showcased in recent trailers with the two characters themselves as opponents with the possibilities of unlockables and plans for more characters and stages to added at later dates. ==Other media==