Street Fighter V is just a couple of hours away from entering the long-awaited follow-up to its first beta phase, giving players another chance to jump into the game, see what they can learn, and provide feedback before the game’s release early next year. Unfortunately, early access, complicated schedules, and more have made keeping up with all the beta details quite a chore, so we’ve gone ahead and compiled all the information you need to know heading into the weekend.
First of all, let’s talk about gaining access to the beta. Folks in North and South America need only pre-order Street Fighter V through GameStop, Amazon, Best Buy, the PlayStation Store, or Steam for guaranteed entry, but the process is a little more random in other parts of the world. Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and various other regions will need to sign up, either through the online portal or in the beta client itself, for a chance to participate. Of course, all of this is moot if you happened to take part last time as you should be good to go this time around.
Much like last time, Street Fighter V’s second testing period will start out exclusive to PlayStation 4, but PC competitors will be thrown a bone later on down the line. This will give Capcom a chance to implement cross-plaform play and see how it functions in the current build. Unlike home consoles, however, the PC version comes with a list of recommended specifications, which you’ll find in the box below. Make sure your rig is up to the task before heading to the lab or you’ll only be setting yourself up for disappointment.
As for characters that will be available this time around, Capcom has done away with the entire cast of the first beta in favor of providing an entirely new group of fighters to get acquainted with. Testing will start with Ken, Necalli, Vega, and R. Mika playable, with Rashid and Karin joining up later on during separate updates.
Feel free to click on the images below for previous reports on each character’s gameplay mechanics.
But cross-platform play and playable characters aren’t the only additions the beta has seen. This time around, Capcom has implemented ranked matchmaking, allowing folks to pair up with players around their skill level, rank up, and move onto better foes. If you’d rather play with friends, a new competitor search function will give you the opportunity to do that as well. Lastly, combined leaderboards will highlight the best of the best across both PlayStation 4 and PC.
While Fight Money, the in-game currency that can be used to purchase additional content, was present in the previous beta phase, players weren’t given the ability to track their progress or spend it on items. Now, you can watch your Fight Money accrue during your adventures, and will even be able to pick up new titles as well as the Kanzuki Estate stage should you earn enough. Please note that none of this will carry over the full game, so have fun with it while it lasts!
We’ve included the official schedule below if you missed out on it before, so plan out your time accordingly and put Street Fighter V through its paces as much as you can. Also, keep your eyes on the Shoryuken home page throughout the beta, as there’s sure to be a crazy amount of content coming our way from dedicated players gathering as much information as they can.
Street Fighter V will launch for PlayStation 4 and PC sometime next spring.
Source: Capcom-Unity