Street Fighter Games – Play Street Fighter 2 Online

From one game to a whole genre

The first Street Fighter (1987) was a rough experiment: you played as Ryu (or Ken, for player 2) and special moves were hard to pull off. Four years later Street Fighter II: The World Warrior fixed everything – eight characters with their own styles, reliable special moves and combos born from a happy accident. It became one of the best-selling arcade games ever and started the fighting game boom that King of Fighters and Mortal Kombat followed.

The Street Fighter II versions

Capcom kept updating Street Fighter II, and each version plays differently:

If you only try one, make it Super Street Fighter II – it has the biggest roster here and supports online play with a friend. Our Street Fighter 2 characters guide covers every fighter and their key special moves.

Street Fighter Alpha

The Alpha series is set before Street Fighter II and looks like an anime: brighter art, a faster pace and new systems like alpha counters and custom combos. Street Fighter Alpha 2 is beloved for its custom combos, while Street Fighter Alpha 3 has the biggest roster and three fighting styles ("isms") to choose from.

Crossovers: Marvel and X-Men

Capcom also mixed Street Fighter with Marvel superheroes. X-Men vs. Street Fighter (1996) introduced 2-on-2 tag battles with huge air combos, and Marvel vs. Capcom (1998) went even further with assist characters and Mega Man, Strider and Spider-Man on the same screen.

Tips for Street Fighter beginners

• Learn the fireball (down, down-forward, forward + punch) and dragon punch (forward, down, down-forward + punch) with Ryu or Ken first.
• Charge characters like Guile need you to hold back for about two seconds, then press forward + punch.
• Do not jump at a Ryu who is waiting – the dragon punch will knock you out of the air.