Street Fighter V: Tips and Tricks for Beginners

Street Fighter V is out and it puts yet another spin on the beloved classic fighting game. New attacks, new combos, new characters, and amazing new visuals help freshen up the series in a glorious fashion.

Although this is the fifth main entry into the franchise, there’s a chance it could be your first time at the rodeo, or maybe you just want to approach it differently. Either way, there are a few things you’re going to want to do to get started; these tips will definitely make your life easier.

Complete the Stories

Completing the 16 different story arcs in Street Fighter V does a few things for you. For starters, it’s a quick and easy way to try out each character while also earning some experience and coins. You can’t use the coins right out of the gate, but it’s good to rack up on those now anyway.

Secondly, it will begin to unlock colors and costumes for you, as well. Alternate wear for your fighters is like a badge of honor when you face off against online opponents. It shows what you’ve accomplished, and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with being a show-off in Street Fighter V. 

Hit the Training Mode

There are a 16 characters to use right out of the gate. Each one brings their own particular flavor to combat, as well as unique skills that can give them the edge in a pinch. Figuring out who is perfect for you will take time and some trial-and-error. The best place to get a feel for everyone is in Training mode.

Here you can set parameters to practice your skills against a particular type of opponent. Set them to hop around so you can try out aerial counters, or put them on the offensive to see how well you can do against an onslaught of attacks. You won’t earn any Fight Money here, but you’ll earn some experience. And that is definitely something you just can’t put a price on. 

Master the Art of Blocking

This is best to do in versus mode. Training will let you get a handle on the basics, but learning to read opponents is best against someone with a pulse or the difficult AI. There are several ways to block incoming attacks, and you’ll need to get used to which is used when.

This is especially important if you ever plan on stepping into the online arena. There are some seriously talented Street Fighter players out there, and they will tear anyone up once they realize they don’t know how to defend themselves.

A quick refresher to get you started:

• Standing Blocks defend against Mid, High, and aerial attacks. Hold back to trigger.
• Crouching Blocks defend against Mid and Low attacks (only defense against sweeps). Crouch and hold back.

Keep in Mind That Everyone’s V-Trigger is Different

Your V-Trigger is your game changer, if you use it right. Every character can use this ability by hitting H. Punch + H. Kick. While the input is the same across the board, its effects aren’t.

For some, this will trigger a powerful attack. Rashid launches enemies into the air, Dhalsim sets the floor on fire, F.A.N.G. adds poison to his attacks. But for others, this ability greatly increases the player’s speed and power. Knowing the difference will make sure you put the V-Trigger to good use.

Play Survival

Survival is both fun and a great way to practice once you get yourself acclimated to the controls and your preferred characters. Having just the one life bar to carry you through several fights in Street Fighter V is a definite test of skill. You’ll even be able to level up and earn some Fight Money for completing the challenge, too.

There are four different difficulties, each set to put you through your paces. Completing the first three will unlock extra color variants for the character you use, by the way. Hell mode will earn you an achievement, but you’ll have to beat all 100 fighters and that is no small order. 

Dip Your Toes in the Online Pool

You’re never going to get much better if you don’t put your skills to use. The best Street Fighter players became great by beating everyone in their way. You may be a beginner, but don’t worry. The game will pit you against players of a similar skill level rather than just throw you to the wolves. Real players do things differently than the AI ever could, so you’ll be able to better hone your skills and develop some interesting strategies.

Don’t be discouraged by defeat, use those losses as lessons. It will all help you out in the long run and lead to you becoming a true Street Fighter V master.

These tips will get you comfortable with all that’s new in Street Fighter V. Just remember to keep practicing and never give up. Shadoloo never sleeps and neither should you.