02 June 2023 , 12:36
1171
0
Street Fighter 6 brings back the ranking system from Street Fighter 5, but with a few tweaks to make the experience a little more forgiving.
Street Fighter 6 is upon us, and a lot of people are keen to get online and get destroyed by a Ken player with a terrible connection. The latest entry in the Street Fighter series improves on Street Fighter 5 in every way (just check out our Street Fighter 6 review and you'll see how) including its version of the ranking system introduced in Street Fighter 5.
Online matches in Street Fighter 6 are split into three modes: Battle Hub, Casual, and Ranked. Battle Hub matches are friendly affairs where you can sit down at a cabinet in the Battle Hub and duke it out with a player; Casual matches are much the same, except these can be queued for in the Battle Hub and outside of it in Fighting Grounds if you don't fancy interacting with the lobby system; Ranked matches are similar to these Casual matches but – as the name implies – have a ranking system attached to them.
How to play Ranked Match in Street Fighter 6
To queue for a Ranked Match in the Battle Hub you'll want to enter the character menu in the Battle Hub (X for Xbox controllers and Square for PlayStation controllers). Here you'll be able to select your character, whether you want to use Modern or Classic controls, and most importantly, set Ranked and/or Casual Match up to search for opponents.
You can also select options, such as if you want crossplay matches, what connection levels you want to search for, as well as an option for if you want to be thrust straight into a match or be given a confirmation screen showing the opponents connection (I highly recommend the latter, saves you being matched up with those aforementioned Ken players).
Why Star Wars Jedi: Survivor's six week delay is a good thing
Meanwhile in Fighting Grounds you head over to the Online section of the menu and select which type of match you want to play (in this case Ranked) and you'll be thrust into that same screen where you can select the same options as before.
Street Fighter 6 Ranks explained
Street Fighter 6 has eight unique Leagues available in game, and these are follows (in order of lowest to highest):
- Rookie
- Iron
- Bronze
- Silver
- Gold
- Platinum
- Diamond
- Master
Each league has a Rank system, so for example, once you reach Bronze League you'll start on Bronze 1 Rank and work your way up to Bronze 5 Rank before moving on to Silver League. This helps matchmaking pit you against players around your skill level far easier. Players can also be demoted a rank upon losses.
Street Fighter 6 ranking system explained
Ranks in Street Fighter 6 are determined by League Points (LP) which are gained and lost depending on how you perform in the match. Ranks are also specific to the character (with Random select also getting it's own Rank) and not your profile, so you could have a Master Ryu and a Bronze Guile for example.
To start off you'll have to play ten placement matches, with the difficulty of these matches determined by your answer to a question regarding your level of fighting game expertise, the options are as follows:
- Beginner: For players who are new to fighting games (SF5 rank equivalent: Unranked / Rookie)
- Novice: For players with a bit of fighting game experience (SF5 rank equivalent: Bronze)
- Intermediate: For players who play fighting games often and can perform combos (SF5 rank equivalent: Silver / Gold)
- Advanced: For players who excel at fighting games and take a tactical approach to battle (SF5 rank equivalent: Platinum or higher)
Once you're given your starting rank based on your placement match performance, there are different factors that affect how the ranking system works depending on each rank. These are as follows:
- Rookie: Win streaks give bonus LP, you don't lose LP on losses
- Iron – Gold: Win streaks give bonus LP, you wont be demoted to a lower league, you get a one time Rank-down protection
- Platinum and Diamond: No win streak bonus, you can be demoted from your League, you get a one time Rank-down protection
- Master: No win streak bonus, you can't be demoted from your League
Once you reach Iron, Bronze, Silver, Gold, or Master Rank with a character you don't have to worry about a demotion. However, thanks to the League demotions in Platinum and Diamond it's going to be hard to get yourself to Master.
Street Fighter 6 Ranked Leaderboards explained
Finding the Street Fighter 6 Ranked leaderboards is easy. Simply open your start menu, click on the option that says CFN, and the leaderboards are in there. You'll be able to view your own rank, the top players in the world, and where your friends rank amongst the greats.
Plus you can look at their profiles and watch match replays, so you can see how some of the best players in the world handle your main.