After endless hours meditating inside a cramped training room, you realize it’s time. All these combos you’ve trained for the last few days will finally pay off. Without further ado, you leave Street Fighter 6’s training mode and make your way straight to Online matches. Fast forward to your ass getting kicked by a stranger because you lagged for a sec. No, I swear it’s not an excuse, it totally happened!
Alongside a high skill bar, poor connection is another big reason people tend to avoid playing fighting games online. That’s why developers have worked on providing solutions for players, and Rollback Netcode is their answer to some of these problems. Is this gracious feature present in Capcom’s newest entry for the series?
Is There Rollback Netcode for Street Fighter 6?
Just like its predecessor, Street Fighter 6 also features Rollback Netcode. This was confirmed back in early previews in 2022 and, differently from Street Fighter V, it feels more natural and responsive to the game experience overall.
Director Takayuki Nakayama confirmed in an IGN interview that Rollback Netcode for SF6 was remade from scratch, following players criticizing SFV’s Netcode for seemly being “slapped” into the game when compared to other titles with proper netcode. And from what I’ve experienced so far, yeah, rollback is WAY better now in SF6.
What Is Rollback Netcode in Fighting Games?
In case you’re out of the loop, Rollback Netcode is a feature that basically makes online matches better, especially when experiencing poor connection due to players being physically distant. One example would be fighting a West Coast player while residing on the East Coast and experiencing almost zero delay thanks to the netcode.
Related: Street Fighter 6: How to Fix ‘A Communication Error has Occurred’
For a more technical explanation, Rollback makes the game “predict” your next inputs and ensures all commands are displayed in real-time for both contenders, regardless of their connection. When it notices a discrepancy, it “rolls back time” to display your inputs correctly.
This is done by sacrificing some startup frames in moves, which won’t be detrimental to gameplay as long as the game is based around it. Guilty Gear Strive is a prime example of how to do a good Rollback Netcode.
Most modern fighting games are already released with Rollback included, while others receive/are receiving an update to include it later. Dragon Ball FighterZ is still waiting for its netcode to this day, for example. Fortunately, Street Fighter 6 players won’t have to wait for theirs. And you can even enjoy these modern wonders while playing with the classical commands! Another W for Capcom this year.
