Review: Street Fighter V

Recently, the long‑awaited “Street Fighter V” arrived on PlayStation 4 and PC, bringing fresh life to Capcom’s famous fighting game franchise. After successfully reviving the series with Street Fighter IV, Capcom aimed for more accessible controls for newcomers—without losing the challenge. Check out my full analysis below! 🙂

One issue Street Fighter IV faced in attracting new players was its control scheme: many special‑move inputs were optimized for arcade sticks, not home consoles. After all, Street Fighter was originally designed for arcade cabinets, not gamepads.

Up until Street Fighter V, the core inputs from 1991 remained almost unchanged. Now, while classic combos like Hadouken (quarter‑circle forward + punch) are still there, the game avoids overly complicated motions—such as some of Vega’s or Charlie’s—making it easier to pull off special moves on a standard controller.

Although the gameplay and roster are high‑quality, the most impressive aspect is undoubtedly the graphics. With a unique blend of realistic detail and stylized flair, Street Fighter V delivers one of the richest visual experiences of this console generation.

From meticulously drawn characters and dramatic camera angles in cutscenes, to vibrant stages and smooth animations, the art team’s craftsmanship shines through. The story mode also features stunning illustrations that consistently steal the show.

All of this comes together beautifully when paired with the audio. A strong soundtrack and crisp sound effects deepen immersion, and while the story mode’s voice acting isn’t in Portuguese, the English performances are solid—and the subtitles do a fine job for those less comfortable with English.

It’s a shame that with such potential, the launch experience is almost ruined by a lack of content on day one. At release, you get Versus, Casual Match, Ranked Match, Training, Survival, and an incomplete Story mode.

Online play leaves much to be desired. During our testing we encountered frequent connection and latency issues. While server hiccups are normal early on, in Street Fighter V they’re pervasive—further complicated by cross‑platform matchmaking, which hasn’t yet realized all its promised benefits.

If you’re looking for a robust solo experience, be warned: the included Story mode is extremely short, averaging only four one‑round fights per character. It serves merely as a setup for the true story campaign, which won’t be available until the June downloadable expansion. That initial context is often uninspired and feels forced.

And you—what do you think of the game? Let me know in the comments!