Get your bearings in Metro City and the world of Street Fighter in our in-depth guide to Street Fighter 6 World Tour.
World Tour is a first for the Street Fighter series, or indeed any fighting game, as it’s essentially a single-player action RPG but where battles function similarly to Street Fighter matches. It’s a novel way to experience the world of Street Fighter as you create your own avatar and take them on a journey of discovering strength, rubbing shoulders with – and taking lessons from – legendary fighters, and getting caught up in all the distracting mini-games and side quests you’d expect from an action RPG.
Perhaps World Tour’s real appeal is that you’re able to create your very own character, either like yourself, modelled after another series of video game favourite, or perhaps something completely cursed, and then have them mix and match the moves of the rest of the fighting roster, which you can even use in Avatar Battles in the Battle Hub.
This guide is here to give you some pointers on how to get started on your journey in Metro City – before heading off to explore the rest of the globe.
Important PSA before you start World Tour mode
As a semi-open world game, World Tour has its graphics settings prioritising resolution by default, meaning it outputs at 4K/30FPS. For all those who say they’re not bothered by framerates, it makes a huge difference when you see a fighting game running at half the framerate.
This cannot be adjusted in-game, so if you want the mode’s fights to feel like they would in a normal match, then at the mode select screen make sure you hit the menu button, go to options, then toggle over to the Graphics tab. Then under Action Mode, change the setting to Performance Mode. You also have the option to toggle settings for motion blur and background object density, so we’d recommend turning off motion blur, too, especially if you plan on capturing screenshots.
Which control type to use
If you want to change your control scheme after you’ve completed chapter one, you can do so in the options menu. Credit: Capcom.
Street Fighter 6 allows players to use either Classic controls or a more streamlined Modern control scheme (as well as casual, button-mashing-friendly Dynamic controls, limited to Fighting Ground only), so you can also switch between control schemes in World Tour.
You’ll start with Modern Controls, however, and cannot switch until you’ve completed Chapter 1. Making the change requires going into the multi menu (as opposed to your avatar’s device), selecting options then going to the Controls tab. Under Avatar Battle Control Type, you can select between Classic and Modern controls this way.
Whichever control type you prefer, World Tour still arguably feels designed for playing with a standard controller as you’ll be using the camera to navigate 3D environments while also using shortcuts for emotes or Master Actions. Nonetheless, stick players are still catered to, as you can also hold R1/RB, which then allows you to use four other buttons to control the camera’s vertical and horizontal movements. It does take some getting used to, but it works if you’re more comfortable with fighting with an arcade stick. You will, however, have to check if your stick has options for the L3 and R3 (i.e. clicking the sticks) as these are used for sprinting and reorienting the camera respectively, so you may have to remap some inputs if not.
Make your fighter
You can change your avatar’s look at any point by simply visiting the beauty salon on Beat Square. Credit: Capcom.
Street Fighter 6 features a deeply customisable character creator, taking in account all body types and sizes allowing you to make an avatar as authentic, diverse, or just downright bizarre as you wish. It’s worth pointing out that you shouldn’t stress about how your avatar looks as you’re free to change this during the game by visiting the beauty salon, which is just over at Beat Square. This means you don’t have to stay tied down to one look or make a new character that has to start from scratch in XP.
Note that changing your appearance, even minutely, will cost 1000 Zenny each time. The good thing is that you can save existing looks as recipes – so, for instance, if you want to swap between different set looks for your avatar on any given day, then you can do so without having to meticulously recreate their look each time. These recipes can also be shared with others online.
Read more: Street Fighter 6 Character Guide | Which fighter is right for you?
Easy ways to grind for XP and rewards
Drop Locks can be earned by engaging in fights. Credit: Capcom.
Like any RPG, you’ll need to battle opponents in order to get stronger. Earning enough XP will level up your avatar, raising their base stats. But because this is using Street Fighter mechanics rather than a typical action or turn-based RPG, it means a skilled player can feasibly take on opponents much higher than their level and reap a lot more XP for their trouble.
The good news is that the level of your opponents do not strictly correlate with skill and difficulty, though they will be considerably spongy – and if they do land a hit on you, expect to lose significantly more HP than usual.
One easy target early on, not far from Beat Square, just requires climbing a ladder up a building where you’ll encounter a Lv.28 NPC called Watcher. They can be easily defeated just by repeatedly using throws, so they make for an excellent means of quickly levelling up early in the game. Note that after you’ve defeated an NPC in battle they get back up but cannot be challenged again until a certain amount of time has passed. This will be indicated by an X above their head. In the event your foe is actually too tough for you, you can also opt to flee the fight by pausing into the menu then selecting Escape. You’ll then have to wait for a timer to run down above your head and avoid getting KO’d in that time before you can bail.
Fights can also yield more rewards called Drop Locks. These require meeting a different set of conditions during a battle, such as landing a certain number of punches or kicks, not using any items, or defeating them with a super art, and so on. You can see these conditions by approaching an NPC and pressing Triangle/Y to see what the conditions and rewards available are. You can also see this during a battle via the pause menu.
Of course, not all NPCs will stand around waiting to be engaged in a fight. You’ll also encounter gang members, usually masked or wearing boxes over their heads, who will rush you on sight. Try to get the preemptive on them by using Master Actions, which will be explained later.
How fights differ in World Tour from normal matches
A typical face-off in World Tour mode. Credit: Capcom.
Although battles in World Tour function similarly to a regular Street Fighter bout, there are some differences in mechanics and rules you won’t encounter in a typical match. For instance, besides starting out at a much lower level in terms of health and fighting ability, you also won’t have access to Street Fighter 6’s new Drive abilities until you’ve progressed to a certain point in the story.
When fighting against gang members, you can find yourself facing multiple enemies who may also flank you (conversely, you might occasionally have an ally fighting with you). You may have to defeat a lot of foes in one battle but only a maximum of three will appear onscreen at once.
Normal World Tour battles will usually be a quick round where the opponent’s health just shows up above their head. For face-offs, sort of the equivalent of a boss fight, these play out like a regular best-of-three Street Fighter match with no time limit, where your health is fully restored after the end of one round, though the health bars shown aren’t equal since you may have less HP than your opponent. One annoying difference from regular fights is some opponents are able to dodge-roll after being knocked down where they’re also completely invulnerable, a mechanic that’s not usually possible in other modes. On the flip side, you’re also able to consume items that recover your health or buff your attack or offense to help even the odds.
One other thing to pay attention to: your opponent will sometimes glow white in battle. This is called Pressure Time and is a more visible way of indicating that they’re vulnerable to a damaging counter, which might also stagger them. Be sure to take advantage of these moments for maximum damage.
Learn from the Masters
Finding Masters and learning their styles and attacks is a vital part of World Tour. Credit: Capcom.
Throughout World Tour, you’ll encounter the rest of the Street Fighter 6 roster, starting with Luke, who can take you under their wing to become your Master. This allows you to copy their fighting style (basically using the same attacks and poses), while you can also unlock one of their Master Actions, which lets you use one of their special moves while exploring the 3D world. These are assigned as shortcuts similar to emotes and accessed by holding R2/RT and then the corresponding face button, and can be useful for destroying crates hiding items, helping you traverse an area you otherwise cannot reach, or also for getting in a preemptive strike on hostile NPCs. (It’s equally hilarious to just unleash Master Actions on unsuspecting NPCs!)
It’s important to note that while a few Master fighters will enrol you as one of their students in order to progress the story, many require you to talk to them first so that you explicitly ask them to train you, which may either follow with a cutscene or a request to test your strength with a match first. In any case, make sure you get the ‘Enrolled’ message at the end of your interaction with them. Some Masters are completely optional, requiring the completion of specific subquests to unlock the opportunity to meet with them. In other words, don’t neglect the subquests available in the world!
Once you’ve acquired a new Master, you can choose to take on their style or stick to one you prefer. While your XP in fights will principally go towards raising the rank of the Master’s style you’ve adopted, it’s still possible to raise the rank of other Masters either by fighting an opponent that also uses their style (indicated by the Master icon next to their info bar) or by giving them gifts. You can of course do the same thing in order to increase the rank of your current Master.
Be sure to speak to each Master whenever a rank has gone up so you can unlock new moves that you can equip for your own avatar. But it’s up to you whether you want to learn a bit from everyone or concentrate on maxing out one Master’s rank. In any case, unlocking a Master will always give you at least one or two of their moves so you’ll always be able to mix and match moves for your avatar.
There’s one cool skill you can unlock that’s worth really building up a Master’s level for, however. Once you’ve reached a certain rank with them, you can use your SA gauge to summon that Master into your fight briefly by pressing L1+R1/LB+RB, which also feels reminiscent of some of the assist fighters from past crossover games like Marvel vs Capcom.
Read more: Street Fighter 6 Beginner’s Guide
Don’t neglect your skill tree
The handy Drive Stall – a skill we highly recommend you unlock as soon as you can. Credit: Capcom.
If you’re feeling underpowered or under resourced even after grinding for a while, it may be that you’ve not been unlocking your skill tree, which is easy to miss. It’s a tab under the Status app on your avatar’s device.
For each part of the skill tree, you usually have to choose between two skills, such as increasing your punch attacks or increasing the number of special move slots you can use, although the skill points required for each skill will vary. Once you reach the top, there’s just one skill you can unlock before you then move onto another skill tree tier.
One unique skill that’s recommended unlocking in the second tree is Drive Stall, which slows down time when you’re exploring the city. As you might get ambushed by gang members and some Master Actions require a bit more of a wind-up to take effect, this gives you an advantage during those moments. It’s activated by double-tapping then holding R2/RT.
Take care that, once you unlock a skill, it cannot be undone unless you choose to reset the tree completely. This, however, requires spending a fairly limited currency called Miles, which you earn over the course of the game through different actions. It’s the same currency you can use to instantly retry after being KOd in a fight. As each reset costs 10 Miles, think carefully before resetting or even needing to reset.
Quick ways to earn Zenny
Mini-games, like this pizza-making one, are a great way of earning Zenny. Credit: Capcom.
Zenny makes the world go round. It’s the in-game currency of Street Fighter (and other Capcom ID for that matter). You’ll need Zenny to buy items or gear, and for the latter it gets expensive if you want to enhance existing gear.
While you can sometimes be rewarded Zenny in fights, sometimes as bonus conditions, the most direct way to make money is by working part-time jobs in a number of mini-games you can find around Metro City. These include the Junkyard, a pizza place, a board breaker, and a damage researcher, all done in about a minute with some pretty fun fighting-related mechanics. You can also unlock higher difficulties for more of a challenge and to earn even more.
Another good way of earning Zenny is by finding nuggets, which can be sold at vendors for a good price. Some of these might be rewards gained from defeating certain NPCs, but you may also find them in boxes being flown around the city by drones. You’ll want to get under them and then use a Master Action like Luke’s Rising Uppercut to break them.
Ride Metro City’s Metro
World Tour’s subway rides are one of several nods to the classic Final Fight. Credit: Capcom.
This may be further into the story, but once you’ve reached Chapter 7 where you ride the subway – which is as hilariously dangerous as public transit in the US is often depicted in the media – you’ll have the option to ride it whenever you like.
Think of it as a mini procedural dungeon crawl, as each time you ride the train, you’ll encounter randomised enemies of varying levels, which makes it an efficient way of grinding XP. You might even come across some rare loot!
Hopefully that’s got you all fired up for Street Fighter 6’s World Tour. Now get your fighter out there – the world’s your oyster!
Want to learn more about the world of Street Fighter 6? Then check out our other guides:
Street Fighter 6 Beginner’s Guide | Street Fighter 6 character guide
