Street Fighter 6 Modern vs. Classic vs. Dynamic Control, explained

Street Fighter 6 is easily the most accessible the series has ever been. This time around, Capcom has given the community three different control schemes to play around with, but what do they do? In this guide, we explain the differences between the Street Fighter 6 control schemes: Modern, Classic, and Dynamic. Before we start, I want to preface this guide by saying there’s no ‘wrong’ control scheme. Everyone has access to the same control choices you do; it’s as simple as that.

Street Fighter 6 Modern vs. Classic vs. Dynamic Control, explained

Image by PC Invasion

Classic Controls

As you’ve undoubtedly figured out, the Classic control scheme closely follows the traditional Street Fighter layout. There is a separate button for Light, Medium, and Heavy punches and kicks. Most special attacks work differently based on the strength of the punch or kick, so Classic controls give you a lot of flexibility.

The biggest difference Classic makes is the complexity of commands. Ryu’s Hadouken, for example, requires a ‘Quarter Circle Forward’ input followed by a punch. That same special attack with Modern is a single button. Many Super Arts begin with a double ‘Quarter Circle,’ which is easy to mess up in the heat of battle. If you’ve played any 2D fighting game, from King of Fighters to Mortal Kombat, you’ve experienced these controls before.

Classic controls aren’t complex, but they demand precision from the user. Veterans will immediately feel at home with this button layout, and it has the bonus of being compatible with many other fighting games.

Modern Controls

Street Fighter controls have barely changed in over 20 years, so it’s a bold move to see such a dramatic shift with Modern controls. The Classic 6-button layout is replaced with a button for Light, Medium and Heavy attacks. Pressing a direction at the same time sometimes changes the attack, but not always.

It’s worth noting that pressing the same button several times may change the attack. This is character specific, but a good example is Cammy. Pressing crouch and Light attack will throw out a kick. Quickly pressing again throws out a punch. This sounds awkward, but it makes sense as Cammy’s Light Kick combo’s into her Light Punch. This can be followed up with a Special Attack, in Cammy’s case, Spiral Arrow or Cannon Spike.

Special Attacks will likely grind a few gears with the hardcore crowd, as they can be performed with a single button. Pressing a direction at the same time changes the attack. Compared to Classic Controls, it’s almost impossible to screw up an input.

Super Arts are performed by pressing 2 or 3 buttons at the same time. If you were wondering if it works with characters like Zangief, who requires a ‘Double Full Circle’ input for his Super Art 3, yes, it does. Each character also has several combos that can be started by holding the new ‘Auto’ button.

Make no mistake, Modern controls aren’t a ‘tacked-on’ aid for beginners. This is a fully-fledged layout that works tremendously well. Arguably, it makes your approaches more predictable, but it’s a small price to pay for easy inputs.

Image by PC Invasion

Dynamic Controls

The Dynamic control scheme is meant for an audience that wants to press buttons and see ‘cool stuff’ happen on the screen. The in-game description of Dynamic controls is “Battle with AI-assisted attacks,” and that’s precisely what it feels like. The game picks attacks that will work for each scenario, and spamming buttons can pull off ludicrous combos with zero effort.

Unlike Classic and Modern, Dynamic can’t be used in every mode. As the assistance is so strong, I wouldn’t recommend it to new players unless you have no intention of learning the nuances of Street Fighter.

I’m brand new to fighting games. What controls should I pick?

Without the gift of foresight, it’s hard to say what the dominant control scheme will be going forward. Modern and Classic are both solid choices, but I recommend Modern for ease of use.

There may come a time when Modern feels too restrictive, as many attacks do different things based on their power. If that happens, it’s time to swap to Classic. If you’re still on the fence about how these new controls may impact your enjoyment of Street Fighter 6, why not check out our full review?