The Street Fighter 6 Season 3 update is finally here, and it’s already throwing punches outside the ring. While Capcom’s patch brings in a wave of new mechanical updates, balance changes, and a fresh meta to explore, not everyone’s exactly thrilled. In fact, parts of the community are reacting like they just got hit with a raw Drive Impact in the corner.
The Street Fighter 6 Season 3 update dropped alongside a new Costume 3 trailer during the Summer Game Fest, which revealed alternate outfits for M. Bison, Terry Bogard, Mai Shuranui, and the newly added Elena, just in time to ride the hype train into Season 3. The alternate outfits give these returning fighters a fresh look, with everything from retro-inspired drip to bold redesigns that’ll stand out in the Battle Hub. But the real chaos began when players got their hands on the full patch notes and started testing the changes in matches.
To say the patch shook things up would be an understatement. Some characters have been noticeably nerfed, including top-tier staples like Akuma and Rashid, whose dominance in competitive play had been frustrating for many. But now? Let’s just say some are mourning the deletion of their mains. One Reddit user described it as “losing a limb mid-match.”
Meanwhile, characters previously considered mid-tier have received buffs that could change how they’re viewed in ranked play. Dee Jay, for instance, has gotten significant improvements to his damage output and combo potential. But as always, the tier list is already being debated harder than a Smash Bros final stock.
Ken’s Jinrai has been shot and now gives him less frame advantage, Chun-Li gets a slight juggle buff, and Zangief? The big guy’s year of dominating tournaments has come to an end. His Double Lariat starts faster and has better hitboxes, so yes, the spinning is slightly more winning.
The Street Fighter 6 Season 3 update also introduces a new universal change to perfect parries, which now requires you to press the correct direction to be able to attain the coveted slow-motion screen freeze. Outside of the raw patch changes, players are also voicing concerns over how matchmaking feels post-update. Some claim online latency has taken a hit, while others report smoother matches on PS5 and Xbox Series X.
Then there’s the Battle Hub, which now features updated challenges and events tied to the SF6 Season 3 update. But not all of these changes are being celebrated, especially the nerfs to characters that actually needed buffs.
Still, even with the backlash, the update has sparked fresh life in the community. Streamers, lab monsters, and casual players alike are diving into the patch to find new tech and complain about Bison’s “nerfed” damage that is still closer to a TOD combo against Akuma than it has any right to be. It’s the circle of fighting games.
Capcom hasn’t commented on the more heated reactions yet, but don’t be surprised if a small hotfix or balance adjustment sneaks in over the next few weeks. It’s still early days, and as players settle into the new meta, we might see opinions soften, assuming Bison doesn’t psycho-crusher through everyone’s ranked dreams.
Street Fighter 6 is available on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC, so if you’re brave enough to jump into this brave new Season 3 world, you’ve got options. Just don’t forget to relearn your combos, because what worked yesterday might just get you punished today.
