The amount of work Capcom has been putting into making Street Fighter 6 one of the most accessible fighting games is astounding. Whether it be the easy to learn Modern control scheme that makes executing combos, Special moves, and Supers easier or the World Tour mode that includes helpful mini-games and tutorials, there is something for everyone when it comes to improving their knowledge of the game's systems. This ease of access even extends to the game's more competitive side.
Ranked matches are where Street Fighter 6 players can test themselves against others of a similar level. After completing ten placement matches, players are awarded a rank and can either climb higher or drop lower depending on their subsequent performance and earned League Points. It's a tale as old as time, but Street Fighter 6 has implemented a unique system that other fighting games should take into consideration for the genre's future.
Street Fighter 6 Gives Players A Dedicated Rank Per Character
In other fighting games, players' ranks are tied to their accounts. Say a dedicated Street Fighter 5 Ryu player manages to climb all the way to Diamond rank. All their matches regardless of which character they choose will be against Diamond players. While this is good for the opponents the person plays against as Ryu, it isn't exactly fair if they want to switch over to another character.
Street Fighter 6 replaces this ranked-account link system in favor of a character-based one. This means that players will have a different rank for each available character. So when that same Ryu main takes their Diamond rank skills over to the new game, they will only have that rank for that particular character. While this new system means that players will have to complete ten placement matches per character, it does free them up in terms of ranked anxiety.
A Per Character Ranking System Incentivizes Players To Try Other Characters In Street Fighter 6 And Other Fighting Games
Going back to the Ryu example, the player might have been reluctant to try other Street Fighter 5 characters on account of how the game's ranked system works. With Street Fighter 6's character-based system in place, they don't have to worry about losing their Diamond rank as Ryu when playing as newer characters like Marisa or JP. Once they have achieved their highest possible rank with their main character, they can freely experiment and push the boundaries of other characters in ranked matches.
While it is still possible to play unfamiliar characters in casual matches in other games, most players want the option to join ranked matches on their main accounts. Not only does this lead to further improvement in terms of game sense and match ups, but it could also result in the discovery of a new favorite character. Having to spend hours in the training room or casual matches just to come to grips with Lily or Manon is still an option, but players can also dive headfirst into ranked matches to see how well they do without any ramifications.
Street Fighter 6's character-based ranking system is so ingenious that it's a wonder why it took so long to implement. Should the system be used in other fighting games like the upcoming Tekken 8 or Mortal Kombat 1, more players would be willing to try out the games and get experimental. Since self-improvement and adaptability are at the core of the genre, adding tools like this would help players get better and try different things.
Street Fighter 6 is available on PC, PS4, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.
