Street Fighter 5: Arcade Edition, the first major update to SFV, is finally here — and it is a fundamental overhaul of the game, including lots of fan-requested features and modes. Most obviously, there’s the new Arcade Mode — a staple of fighting games, and a pretty obvious addition that didn’t get included until now.
There are so many features and changes, we wanted to put together a quick guide explaining everything new. Whether you’re downloading the free update or purchasing the full retail version, there are facts you need to know.
#1: The Basics — Here’s a Quick List Of Everything New
SF5: AE is full of small changes, so let’s take a quick inventory and see what’s totally new.
- A new, improved UI
- Arcade Mode
- Extra Battle Mode
- Team Battle Mode
- A new Bonus Mode
- Second V-Triggers for returning characters
That’s the breakdown. Arcade Edition is unlike other Street Fighter updates, too — Arcade Edition is totally free if you already own the previous version. SF5 will get a free AE upgrade, but there are some benefits to buying the full retail / digital release for $39.99. Learn more about that version below.
#2: Arcade Mode Is Finally Here
The much-requested Arcade Mode has finally arrived. This standard mode was a very odd blank spot in the original SF5 release — a very odd exclusion that made fans question is SF5 was really complete. Now it’s here, and Arcade Mode is pretty stacked with content this time around.
Arcade Mode includes 6 sub-modes that represent each major release in the franchise; Street Fighter, Street Fighter 2, Street Fighter 3, Street Fighter Alpha, Street Fighter 4 and Street Fighter 5. Each mode includes fighters that first appeared in their respective games, with over 200 Arcade Mode endings to unlock for the entire roster. You’ll find unique illustrations for each ending — and you can check out the Gallery to see how to unlock every ending.
Ending will actually change depending on performance and other factors — sometimes you’ll just need to complete the path, or you might need to get a Perfect score on the new barrel-smashing mini-game.
#3: Secondary V-Triggers Are In
Like in previous games, you can now select secondary V-Triggers for each returning character. We don’t know a whole lot about the various V-Triggers yet, but this should really help spread the love for characters with less-than-ideal V-Triggers. Now, when you select a character, you’ll be able to select one of the two V-Triggers to use in battle. Simple, but a welcome addition.
#4: Team Battle Mode Is Back!
A returning favorite from Ultra Street Fighter 4, Team Battle Mode lets you pit two teams of fighters against each other. This isn’t a Tag Mode — Street Fighter x Tekken fears begone — because it’s really more of a tournament. Two players select teams of fighters and pit them against each other. After one fighter wins, the next fighter on the opposing team joins the fray. The mode is heavily customizable, and it’s perfect to test your skills with multiple fighters.
#5: A Classic Bonus Mode Is Re-Introduced
No, you won’t be smashing any cars this time. Instead, you’ll have to break barrels as they fall from conveyor belts. There are 20 barrels to smash, and the whole thing looks pretty similar to a certain Final Fight stage — Two P, a Final Fight bad guy, even appears in this mode. He probably won’t burst into tears this time around, though.
#6: Which DLC Characters Do I Get?
If you purchase the retail or digital version of Street Fighter 5: Arcade Edition for $39.99, you’ll unlock all the currently available DLC characters from the Season 1 and Season 2 Character Passes. Players that are updating the original release version of SF5 will have to purchase all DLC characters separately — either with real money or with Fight Money.
- Season 1 Pass [$9.99]
- Alex
- Guile
- Ibuki
- Balrog
- Juri
- Season 2 Pass [$19.99]
- Akuma
- Kolin
- Ed
- Abigail
- Menat
- Zeku
Season 3 has already been announced, and will include another six characters — 2 new, 2 returning veterans — and, again, those characters will have to be unlocked separately from the main roster.
#7: Earn Crossover Costumes In Extra Battle Mode
There’s yet another new battle mode — Extra Battle Mode. This is a monthly challenge mode that changes every 30/31~ days, offering a new Crossover Costume for you to unlock. Crossover Costumes will include outfits from Viewtiful Joe, Captain Commando, and other Capcom franchises.
To unlock an outfit, you’ll need to complete 4 challenges. To attempt a challenge, you’ll need to spend 2,500 Fight Money for each attempt. If you’re lucky enough to complete all four challenges on your first try, you can earn the new costume for as little as 10,000 Fight Money. We don’t know exactly how tough these challenges will be, but I’m going to guess they won’t be easy enough to complete in a single attempt for most of us.
#8: How Earning Fight Money Has Changed
On January 16th, the official release of Arcade Edition, Fight Money can no longer be earned through one-time singleplayer offline modes. Previously, Fight Money was earned in almost every mode, offline or online, and could be used in lieu of real money to purchase costumes, DLC characters or extra stages.
NOTE: All League Points and Fight Money you’ve already earned won’t be affected by these changes.
This is sweeping all modes, including Character Stories, and the General Story mode. Anything offline and singleplayer will no longer give you Fight Money — but, you’ll still earn Fight Money by gaining levels. Singleplayer modes will still give you XP, and leveling up characters will give you fight money. According to Capcom, you’ll still be able to earn up to 200,000 Fight Money without ever going online.
There are an insane amount of minute changes also included, and we expect there will be many more with the new Season 3 character roster. Drop us a comment if there’s something you think we missed!
