When you enter Street Fighter 6’s Battle Hub for the first time, you’ll get welcomed by the Hub’s sparkling emcee, Eternity. And by the time you finish watching Eternity’s intro, we have a feeling you’ll be raring to jump into everything the Battle Hub has to offer.
But, of course, Eternity can’t walk you through everything. They’re a successful social media mogul, after all. Fortunately, we dedicated Street Fighter fans here at TG have spent plenty of time exploring the Battle Hub. So, stick with us, and we’ll give you the grand tour!
Getting Started
Let’s begin with the essentials. Before you can play SF6 online, you need to create a profile. First, you’ll enter your preferred username. Then, you’ll assemble your avatar. If you’ve already built an avatar in World Tour mode, that will carry over into the Battle Hub.
The next step is picking a language and region, which is standard. If you want a strong connection, you should select your resident region. But, if you plan to play with friends worldwide, you can set your region to «All.»
Finally – and this part is crucial – you’ll receive a User Code. This ten-digit number is an identifier to help other players find you in the Battle Hub. If you’ve ever used a Switch Friend Code, this is similar.
Joining A Server
Once you’re set-up, you can jump into any available server in your region. The Server menu offers the following options:
- Quick Join: This option will enter you into the server most suitable for your connection.
- Select Server: This option allows you to choose a server manually. It’s an excellent option for playing with friends internationally. But remember, your connection may not be as smooth as a server in your local region.
- View Contacts: This is a great option to join friends and club members on the server where they are currently playing.
- Tournaments: This option lets you search and enroll in tournament events across multiple servers.
We’ll cut to the chase (or, in this case, the «Tiger Uppercut»). Street Fighter 6 has a lot of menus, and they all do different things. So you’ll need some practice and patience to navigate them all efficiently. Luckily, we’re here to break them down for you.
The Multi-Menu is the main menu for the entire game, including World Tour, Fighting Ground, and Battle Hub. You can access this menu almost anytime by pressing the Options/Start button. The Multi-Menu includes these options.
- Profile: View your fighter profile and change battle settings
- CFN: View Player Lists, Replays, Clubs, and Rankings
- Tournament: Check the status of tournaments you entered and past results
- Player List: View players currently in the Battle Hub
- Servers: View a list of available servers
- Custom Room: Create or join a custom room
- Rewards: View challenge progress
- Shop: Use Fighter Coins to purchase add-on content
- News: Read up on official news, event announcements, and new product info
- Tips: Tutorials for virtually every aspect of the game
- Options: Game options that pertain to controls, sound, graphics, etc.
- Gallery: View cutscenes, artwork, and more from the game
Smart Device
The Smart Device is the same menu you’ll encounter in World Tour. From here, you can access the following options:
- Status: Choose your avatar’s gear and customize their skills/abilities
- Map: View a map of the battle hub
- Music: Play songs you’ve acquired or change background music
- Camera: Take selfies and photos with special effects
- Customize: Change your device wallpaper
- Settings: Set avatar emotes and master actions
Battle Settings
No matter which match you pursue, understanding the Battle Settings is essential. In this menu, you’ll select your character for matches, turn on matchmaking, and more. These settings can get relatively in-depth, but knowing these essentials is necessary.
- Matchmaking Settings: This setting allows you to toggle matchmaking preferences for Ranked and Casual Matches on or off. (Note: you can only toggle Ranked and Casual Matchmaking by entering Battle Settings via your Fighter Profile – not from the Multi-Menu.)
- Character Settings: These settings let you choose a character for online matches and define how they will play. You can also change the title and challenge intro settings here.
- Other: These options include stage, BGM, commentary, and side settings during online matches.
- Fighter Profile: Your Fighter Profile is your calling card to other players. Use these settings to adjust what players will see while viewing your profile.
Vital Battle Hub Locations
Since the Battle Hub is a virtual arcade, everything is location specific. For instance, ready for a match? In that case, sit down at a Battle Hub cabinet. Looking for some classic arcade fun? Then, the Game Center is your place. As for your avatar’s look, there are two shops you can visit for those needs.
Battle Hub Cabinets
Battle Hub cabinets are in the Battle Hub’s center platforms and both Mezzanine Plazas. Battle Hub matches are similar to casual matches but within a more arcade-like environment.
To get started with Battle Hub matches, interact with a cabinet. You may wait on the P1 or P2 side if no one is at the cabinet. Then, while waiting for a challenger, you may jump into solo training or spectate another cabinet.
If you approach a full cabinet, you may spectate the players fighting or join the queue to fight the winner.
Extreme Battle Cabinets
The Extreme Battle cabinets are located in the back right corner of the Battle Hub. Interactions with these cabinets work the same as other Battle Hub cabinets. Extreme Battle cabinets rotate rules and gimmicks regularly. First, check the cabinet screens to see what rules and gimmicks they use. Then, open the cabinet menu for further explanation.
Game Center
The Game Center is located in the far left corner of the Battle Hub. These cabinets allow you to play classic Capcom arcade games like Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo, Final Fight, and more!
Game Center titles are in regular rotation, so it pays to check routinely for when your favorite games are running. If you find a title you’re interested in, open the cabinet menu to see an overview of the game’s details, including screenshots, the ROM version, your best score, and the game’s scheduled timeframe.
The Game Center offers two gameplay modes:
- Standard Play: A free play mode with endless credits/continues
- High Score Challenge: Compete with players worldwide for the highest score on one game credit
In addition, a Control Settings menu allows you to view control functions and edit button mapping.
Hub Goods Shop
You’ll find the Hub Goods Shop counter to your right once you enter the Hub. This service is a gear and accessory shop run by attendant Manny Rose. You may claim new swag at the Hub Goods Shop in exchange for Drive Tickets and Fighter Coins.
You can purchase Fighter Coins via your console’s online marketplace. However, Drive Tickets are awarded by completing challenges from the Rewards menu. Some items may get purchased with either Fighter Coins or Drive Tickets, but not all.
Body Shop
If you continue walking forward from the Hub Goods Shop, you’ll approach the Body Shop counter, managed by Sylphy. This shop lets you edit your avatar’s physical appearance.
In addition, you can create new avatar recipes and save them for free anytime. But, if you wish to leave the shop with an altered avatar, it’ll cost you 50 Drive Tickets.
Event Counter
If you turn left after entering the Battle Hub, you’ll find the Event Counter, manned by Sebastian. This is the go-to resource for tournament events.
In the Event Counter menu, you may review event details across various servers, including Event Name, Event Status, Host Server, Date and Time, and Entry Status.
Interacting With Other Players
Now that we walked you through the Battle Hub’s various areas, it’s time to mingle! Here are some ways you can socialize in the Battle Hub.
- Avatar Battles: Avatar Battles let you fight other player avatars using the character build you’ve cultivated in World Tour mode. To engage in Avatar Battles, walk into the center stage of the hub and wait for a challenge.
- Chat: You can chat with other players throughout the hub via the dialog window in the lower-right corner of the screen.
- DJ Station: There are two DJ Stations, one on each mezzanine. These fire hangout points allow you to play custom beats or dance to other players’ music.
Online Fight Modes
While not a Battle Hub exclusive feature, we should review SF6’s other online fight modes. These options include traditional matchmaking formats like Ranked Matches, Casual Matches, and Custom Rooms.
Ranked Matches
You can enter Ranked Matches anytime by entering the Battle Settings menu from your Fighter Profile and toggling Ranked Matches on. Ranked Matches are also accessible via the Fighting Ground. First, however, you must take preliminary steps to enter the fray.
League assignment begins by fighting in ten placement battles with other online players. You’ll get to choose the difficulty of these battles before your placement begins.
There are eight leagues in total, with five ranks per league. You must earn League Points (LP) to graduate into higher leagues. In addition, each league has specific rules regarding bonuses, league point loss, and league/rank demotion, which we’ve listed below.
|
League |
Win Streak Bonus |
League Point Loss On Defeat |
League Demotion |
One-Time Rank-Down Protection |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Rookie |
✓ |
✕ |
✕ |
✕ |
|
Iron |
✓ |
✓ |
✕ |
✓ |
|
Bronze |
✓ |
✓ |
✕ |
✓ |
|
Silver |
✓ |
✓ |
✕ |
✓ |
|
Gold |
✓ |
✓ |
✕ |
✓ |
|
Platinum |
✕ |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
|
Diamond |
✕ |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
|
Master |
✕ |
✓ |
✕ |
✓ |
Casual Matches
Casual Matchmaking can also get turned on via Battle Settings or the Fighting Ground. As one would suspect, these matches are typical battles that do not affect League Points and rank.
Custom Rooms
If you want to plan a more extensive gathering of players, Custom Rooms are a fantastic means! You can create a room via the Multi Menu in the Battle Hub or from the Fighting Ground. Additionally, you may host public rooms or privatize your room with a passcode.
In Custom Rooms, you can curate four unique match slots where players can fight simultaneously. So, in other words, if two of your friends want to enter a training session while you and another friend face off in an Extreme Battle, you can do that!