Street Fighter 6's Drive System, explained in 2 minutes

If you're coming from other fighting games, the hardest thing when starting out in Street Fighter 6 isn't the combos: it's the Drive System. Master it and you'll have understood 80% of the game.

One gauge, five uses

You have six bars of Drive and you spend them on: Drive Impact (an armored hit that turns the tide), Drive Parry (absorb to recover gauge), Drive Rush (close in fast to apply pressure), Overdrive (the EX versions of your specials) and Drive Reversal (a defensive escape).

The punishment: burnout

If your gauge hits zero you enter burnout: you lose your Drive tools, your block takes chip damage and a Drive Impact in the corner can stun you. This is where most high-level matches are decided.

The advice

Don't empty the gauge on offense. Always keep a little in reserve to defend yourself: the player who manages their Drive best, not the one who knows the most combos, is the one who wins in the long run.