Offense

Normal Moves

Street Fighter 6 uses the standard 6-button layout the series is known for: Light/Medium/Heavy for attack strength and Punch/Kick for attack type.

There is no "priority system" for normal attacks like the one found in SF5 or SF3. Any two attacks that collide on the same frame will both count as a counterhit. This can create trade combos if a high-hitstun move trades with a low-hitstun move.

Unlike in previous entries, strikes beat throws when they connect on the same frame. This means that a defensive 4f normal is a strong option against tick throws from +1 advantage or worse.

There are very few normal attacks with frame advantage in SF6. Light normals can still frame trap the opponent by chaining them together, but they will no longer create true blockstrings, so opponents can counter with invincible reversals or parry. An opponent mashing their own fast light normal will beat most blockstrings other than chained light normals.

Special Moves

Inputting a specific directional command before pressing an attack button results in a special move. Most special moves have different properties depending on which button strength is used, such as Ryu's Hadoken traveling faster or slower, but some moves do not vary between strengths. By inputting the move with 2 buttons, special moves can be powered up into Overdrive (OD) moves at the cost of 2 stocks of Drive gauge. Overdrive moves have improved properties, such as invincibility, multiple hits, better juggle potential, or simply more damage.

Throws

Throws are inputted by pressing LP+LK near an opponent, and causes you do throw the opponent dealing a decent amount of damage and slight advantage. Inputted 4+LP+LK performs a back throw, which throws the opponent behind you. This can be a great move when you are in or near the corner to instead put your opponent there. Regular throws are only able to grab grounded opponents, meaning back dashes and jumping will beat them. You also cannot throw an opponent if they are in hit or block stun, meaning they cannot be used in combos.

Throws are universally 5f startup and 3f active. The advantage and distance between the player and opponent after a throw varies by character and whether it is a back throw or a forward throw.

When used as a Punish Counter, throws gain 75% extra damage, become a Hard Knockdown preventing Back Rise, and drain 1 bar of Drive Gauge from the opponent. This is particularly notable against Drive Parry, which are in a Punish Counter state when thrown.

Throw Techs

By pressing LP+LK shortly after a throw connecting, you can tech a throw. Teching a throw causes you to push the opponent away, preventing any damage and returning both players to neutral. Only regular throws can be teched; command grabs and air throws cannot. You can input a Throw Tech until the 9th frame after a throw connects.

Throw Invulnerability

Opponents cannot be thrown during pre-jump frames, or while airborne (except for Air Throws).
Opponents cannot be thrown while knocked down. There is 1 frame of throw invulnerability after wakeup, so inputting a throw at +5 on a downed opponent can connect.
Opponents cannot be thrown while in hitstun/blockstun. There are 2 frames of throw invulnerability after exiting hitstun/blockstun, so inputting a throw at +4 can lead to a successful tick throw.

Counter Hits

A counter hit occurs when you strike your opponent during their startup frames. When a counter hit occurs, it will display "Counter" on the side of the screen. Counterhits add +2 to the frame advantage of the move.

Punish Counters

A Punish Counter occurs when you strike your opponent during their recovery frames. When this occurs, it will display "Punish Counter" on the side of the screen. Punish Counters generally add +4 to the frame advantage of the move. Punish counters involving heavy buttons can deviate from this rule, sometimes adding extra properties or much more frame advantage. This system causes the optimal punish route to vary significantly from the standard confirm combo route for most characters, and makes "barely punishable" moves vulnerable to much larger punishes than in previous Street Fighter titles.

Combos and Blockstrings

Linking, chaining, or cancelling attacks together so that they connect before the opponent recovers from hitstun will create a combo. If the opponent is blocking, this is instead known as a blockstring ("true" or "airtight" blockstring may be used to specify that there is no gap for the opponent interrupt). Like in SFV, there is an input buffer that makes it easier to time button sequences without requiring precise timing. This buffer is 4 frames, meaning that the most difficult links have a 5 frame input window.

Damage Scaling

As more hits are used in a combo, the damage of each successive attack is reduced. This system, known as "damage scaling", allows longer combos to exist without being overwhelmingly powerful. Most extended combo sequences require the use of Drive or Super meter, so the tradeoff of lower marginal damage adds complexity to the decision of whether or not to spend those resources.

The general progression of damage scaling depends on how the combo is started:

SF6 Damage Scaling
Attack #	General Scaling	Light Normal Starter (Standing/Crouching)	Cancellable 2MK Starter
1st Attack	100%	100%	100%
2nd Attack	100%	90%	80%
3rd Attack	80%	80%	70%
4th Attack	70%	70%	60%
5th Attack	60%	60%	50%
6th Attack	50%	50%	40%
7th Attack	40%	40%	30%
8th Attack	30%	30%	20%
9th Attack	20%	20%	10%
10th + Attack	10%	10%	10%

Note: Light Normal scaling only applies when starting a combo with LP or LK; it also does not apply to jumping Light normals or Light command normals. Likewise, 2MK scaling only applies when starting the combo (not when linked mid-combo), and does not apply to a non-cancellable 2MK like Kimberly's.

For scaling purposes, an "attack" corresponds to each move that is input by the player, not the number of hits performed by the character. This means that a move like Chun-Li's Lightning Kicks only counts as one attack, while Jamie's 236P~6P~6P (Freeflow Strikes) sequence counts as 3 separate attacks. Target Combos like Kimberly's 5LP~MP~HP~HK sequence also count each hit separately for the purpose of damage scaling.

There are many exceptions to these general guidelines; those that are currently known are documented below.

System-Wide Scaling

Super Arts
Will always do a set minimum amount of damage, even if the combo would normally be scaled to a lower percent.

The minimum is 30% (Lv.1 Super), 40% (Lv.2 Super), and 50% (Lv.3 Super/Critical Art)

Level 3 Super Arts:

Additional 10% damage scaling penalty when cancelled from a special move
- This means that a raw special xx Lv.3 Super will be scaled as 100% -> 90%
- Outside of this scenario, it acts as if there is 1 additional hit of scaling (100% -> 100% -> 70%)
- There are some exceptions to this noted in the character-specific sections

Perfect Parry
Any punish (including Throws) performed after a successful Perfect Parry begins at 50% damage scaling (then continues to 40% -> 30% etc. as usual). There is no way to mitigate this by delaying the punish - if the followup is not scaled, then the opponent's move has recovered and it wasn't a true punish.

Drive Rush
When used raw to start a combo:

No additional scaling penalty; (any other applicable scaling penalties, such as 2MK starters, still apply)

When used mid-combo (regardless of whether it was cancelled into):

All remaining hits in the combo have an additional 15% scaling penalty (plus any other scaling that applies)
This scaling is rounded down to the nearest whole number (59.5 -> 59)
Using Drive Rush multiple times per combo does not stack an additional penalty
Example combo using Drive Rush cancel and standard scaling progression:
- 100% -> 85% -> 68% -> 59% -> 51% -> 42% -> 34% -> 25% -> 17% -> 8%...

Drive Impact
If blocked near the corner into a Wall Splat juggle ("CRUSH" icon will appear):

All followup have an additional 20% scaling penalty (plus any other scaling that applies)
Because the DI was blocked, it does not count as the first hit of a combo
80% -> 80% -> 64% -> 56% -> 48% ...

If any of the following occur:
DI hits for a crumple (Punish Counter, or hitting after armor absorb);
DI hits near the corner for a Wall Splat juggle;
DI connects on hit/block near corner vs. opponent in Burnout ("STUN" icon will appear, opponent becomes dizzy):

Drive Impact counts as 2 hits for scaling (followup: 80% -> 70% -> 60% ...)

Chun-Li

Lv.2 Super: counts as 3 hits for scaling

e.g. raw Lv.2 Super ~ j.HK (100% -> 70%)

Guile

2MK: acts like a light normal when starting a combo (including 2MK~6MP Target Combo): 100% -> 90% -> 80%...
2MP~2MP (Double Shot): the second 2MP has a 10% scaling penalty and counts for 2 hits of scaling

When starting a combo, scaling will look like 100% -> 90% -> 70%
When comboed into (like from a jumpin), looks like 100% -> 100% -> 70% -> 60%

Jamie

Drink Level (DR0 to DR4): Each Drink Level above or below DR2 changes Jamie's base damage scaling by 5%

DR0 = 90%, DR1 = 95%, DR2 = 100%, DR3 = 105%, DR4 = 110%
Using Lv.2 Super to temporarily reach DR4 will only result in 105% base damage

j.214KK (OD Luminous Dive Kick, DR1 or higher): 90% scaling on next hit 63214K (Tenshin, DR3 or higher): The next hit after the throw does 100% scaling, but further hits are scaled at 60% -> 50%...

Juri

236LK (Saihasho): the 1-Stock fireball version counts as 2 hits for scaling

This applies whether the fireball hits raw or is comboed into
No extra scaling after 0-Stock version or OD version

236MK / 236LK+HK (Ankensatsu): counts as 2 hits for scaling on 1-Stock or OD versions

No extra scaling after 0-stock version

Ken

5MP~HP (Chin Buster 2nd): Any followup hit is scaled twice 623P (Shoryuken) xx Lv.3 Super: 100% -> 70% (when beginning the combo)

Kimberly

Lv.3 Super/Critical Art: Immediately upon activation, all moves are scaled to 111% (or 11% bonus damage) until the end of the game (carries over between rounds).

Effectively, this just brings Kimberly's damage up to the level of the rest of the cast - her damage on "universal" attacks is 10% lower by default
Drive Reversal's recoverable damage and the Burnout Chip damage on her Super Arts are the only "universal" damage values buffed beyond the standard amount

3MK (Slide): applies a 15% scaling penalty to next hit when starting a combo: 100% -> 85% -> 75%...

Luke

5LP~MP~HP (Triple Impact): 2nd hit (MP) scales twice 236KK (OD Avenger): Any followup after P or K ender is immediately scaled to 50% Charged 214P (Flash Knuckle): counts as 2 hits of scaling, despite being 1 attack