Capcom’s flagship fighting franchiseStreet Fighterneeds no introduction. Often credited with the birth of the fighting game genre as a whole, its unique blend of iconic characters, masterful combat, andgenre-defining soundtrackshave managed to win over the hearts of fans around the world for over35 years and counting.
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In addition to its other major strengths, a huge part of the series’ identity has always been its globe-trotting stages. Serving as eye-catching backdrops for its 1-on-1 action,Street Fighter’s stages have varied wildly over the years, with each capturing a different atmosphere that appeals to every type of player. With itshighly-anticipated7th mainline entry on the horizon, manyStreet Fighterfans are looking back to previous entries to tide them over. The franchise’s most recent entry, 2016’sStreet Fighter 5, added a whopping 39 stages to the franchise’s ever-growing lineup of exotic locales. Among these, 10 stand out as the best arenas the game has to offer.
10Lair of the Four Kings
The original boss stage in the launch version of Street Fighter 5 still remains one of its most iconic. Depicting a Mount Rushmore-style statue of the Four Kings of Shadaloo, the mighty presence of some of the series’ most memorable antagonists creates the dramatic, grandiose atmosphere fitting of a boss stage.
Adding even more charm to this already interesting location are small but effective touches such as the delightfully dopey Shadaloo and Special Forces agents duking it out in the background and the many character descriptions found in one of the stage’s two ring-outs, accessed from knocking out an opponent toward the left side of the stage. Best of all is the stage’s other ring-out, adding heaps of insult to injury as a statue of M. Bison somehow fires a burst of Psycho Power on the losing fighter before dropping them to the ground.
9Union Station
Serving as the latest inStreet Fighter’s franchise-wide series of London stages, Union Station shines as one of its better entries thanks to its warmer lighting and endearing smaller details that add life to what might otherwise be a much duller stage. Union Station’s main draw lies in its beams of sunlight that burst through the station’s windows, allowing fighters to dip in and out of the light as the fight goes on.
Apart from its lighting, Union Station also makes use of its smaller background details to add plenty of character to the urban locale, such as the lovably timid janitor on the stage’s left side getting startled and falling into his bucket upon witnessing heavy attacks in battle, or the Colombian Roastmasters sign in the background serving as a surpriseDead RisingEaster egg. Best of all is the stage’s ring-out animation, which tops the losing fighter in a bearskin queen’s guard hat before shoving them into a telephone booth.
8Kanzuki Estate
An obscure throwback to the lesser-known spin-off manga starringStreet Fighter Alpha’s Sakura, Kanzuki Estate makes its grand first appearance in SFV. Its unique blend of Eastern European and Japanese-inspired architecture may at first seem like the main draw of a stage as elegant as the Estate, but the stage’stwo unique ring-outssurprisingly end up being one of the main reasons many players choose this as their go-to.
Knocking an opponent out on the stage’s left side triggers a ring-out in which the losing player gets knocked directly into a full set of Samurai Armor, leaving them with a Kabuto helmet in the next round. Also, known widely as one of the game’s funniest KO animations, the right side ring-out knocks the losing fighter into a giant wooden cannon that then immediately fires them into the sky with fireworks.
7Skies of Honor
Flying above the hometown of Fan-Favorite SFV Newcomer Rashid, Skies of Honor immediately grabbed the attention of many players when it was introduced back in Season 1 with its signature constantly-moving Arabian backdrop. Acting as SFV’s only moving stage, Skies of Honor features both fighters duking it out on top ofRashid’s private jetas it soars through the city of Dubai at sunset.
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This high-flying stage offers gorgeous views of some of the city’s most popular landmarks, with the Burj Khalifa, Burj Al Arab, and the Cayan tower all visible in the background; all complemented nicely by the stage’s cloudy skies.
6Kanzuki Beach
Kanzuki Beach immediately sets itself apart from the game’s more serious battlegrounds by offering its combatants an idyllic afternoon at the beach. Its sun-soaked shores, appropriately beachy soundtrack, and trademark waves covering most of the stage make for one of SFV’s most relaxing locales.
Like many of SFV’s better stages, Kanzuki Beach provides plenty of fanservice for seasoned Capcom veterans, asRival Schoolscharacters Tiffany Lords and Hinayana Wakaba cameo alongsideStreet Fighter III’s Judgement Tiebreaker girls in the background of the stage.
5Rival Riverside
Released alongside the game’s first guest character, Rival Riverside serves as a loving tribute toStreet Fighter’s PS1-era sister series while remaining true toStreet Fighter’s established aesthetic. Taking the fight to an urban overpass lit by a fiery sunset, Rival Riverside captures the look and feel ofRival Schools’ stages while fitting in nicely with the classic bare-knuckle street fight attitude often associated with the series.
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Even better are the stage’s other callbacks, like Akira’s teammates Edge and Gan cheering her on when she’s fighting on the stage and a new arrangement of the originalRival Schools theme playing when a character hits low health.
4Mysterious Cove
Available as an alternative version of Forgotten Waterfall, Mysterious Cove offers one of the game’s most gorgeous vistas yet, transforming Forgotten Waterfall’s endlessly sunny Mountainous New Zealand backdrop into a Dreamy Moonlit Paradise.
The starry night sky of Mysterious Cove immediately stands out against SFV’s other nighttime stages with its use of cooler tones of blue and purple that create a relaxed and infinitely mellow atmosphere. Mysterious Cove also removes most of the animals from the background of the stage, save for the birds flying along the clouds, which removes a somewhat distracting element of the original stage’s left side.
3Ring of Arcade
Released as part of the last wave of DLC, Ring of Arcade doubles as both a massive homage toCapcom’s expansive catalogof iconic games and a fitting end to SFV’s post-launch content. Front and center is the stage’s centerpiece, a massive statue depicting various legends of older generations of Capcom, such asMega ManandCaptain Commando.
Accompanying the statue are cameos representing other aspects ofStreet Fighter’s history, including Scott and Max, the two combatants that openStreet Fighter 2’s iconic opening, andStreet Fighter’s very first Guest Character:Capcom Fighting Jam’s Ingrid.
2Sun Chase Moon
Introduced alongside the last fighter of SFV’s 4th season, Sun Chase Moon’s two-toned design and climactic atmosphere make it a fitting battleground for one of the franchise’s most powerful and mysterious villains. Much like Gill himself, the duality of Sun Chase Moon is front and center, using both a blazing sunset and a frigid moonlit sky simultaneously on each side of the stage, split by a massive tower in the center.
The rolling clouds flowing from one side of the stage to the other do quite a lot of the heavy lifting when it comes to creating this stage’s powerful atmosphere as well. Sun Chase Moon also features a surprising callback toStreet Fighter Alpha 3, as its character-select theme plays during the second round of the fight.
1Field of Fate
Making its return from the legendaryStreet Fighter Alpha 2, Field of Fate manages to perfectly capture the powerful yet extremely minimalistic nature of the original stage, filled to the brim with atmosphere and lore significance like no other. Making use of a very simple locale, Field of Fate uses its Dark and Stormy skies, complemented beautifully by the wind of the storm flowing effortlessly along the tall grass to create the perfect atmosphere for a climactic final battle.
Adding even more to the atmosphere is the significance of the stage inStreet Fighter’s lore, as this is the same field where Ryu first fights Sagat in the iconic opening fight scene ofStreet Fighter II: The Animated Movie.
Street Fighter 5is available for PlayStation 4 and PC.
