These are the all-new features in the second season of Street Fighter 6

A year after its release, Street Fighter 6 is getting a big patch update with new features for players.

Fighting games have always improved with regular updates. Even in the days of Street Fighter II, new versions were often released in arcades to add new features, characters, or fix balance issues.

Luckily, today you don't have to wait for the local arcade to get the next version of your favorite game or pay full price for a small upgrade. With patches and downloadable content (DLC), you can get new content faster and cheaper.

Street Fighter 6 has now been out for a year and is getting its first major update. This also marks the start of the second season of the game. Below, we've listed the new features included in this big patch update and how the game has changed since it was released.

After first appearing in Street Fighter V, Rashid is back with his energetic fighting style. His Super Art 2 and Great Desert Storm moves are already key parts of his abilities.

Leevy 'Oil King' Lin had many successes using Rashid in Street Fighter V. Now, he has his favorite character back and showcased him at Red Bull Kumite in New York.

The only brand-new female character in the DLC is A.K.I. She's a student of F.A.N.G, who also first appeared in Street Fighter V. A.K.I's special ability is Toxin. Many of her attacks poison her opponents, making them lose health over time. She can also use this poison to power up her other attacks and create powerful combos.

Right now, A.K.I is seen as a weaker character. She has a lot of good moves, but she's missing something to make her really strong. The buffs in this update might help her become a top character.

Ed is another character from Street Fighter V. He wasn't in the original game but was added later as DLC. In Street Fighter 6, Capcom focused more on Ed's boxer style, removing all his kick moves and replacing them with fast punches.

Because of his Shadoloo background, Ed still uses some Psycho Energy attacks. This means he can throw fireballs and pull opponents closer with energy whips, not just rely on his fists.

Akuma is the final character of the first season of Street Fighter 6. This demon-like Shotokan fighter is now as iconic as Ryu, Ken, Guile, and Chun-Li. Since his debut in Super Street Fighter II Turbo, he has always been part of the series.

In Street Fighter 6, Akuma looks more beastly than ever, with wilder hair and huge muscles. He stands menacingly tall over many other characters.

Changes to the Drive system

The Drive system is a key part of Street Fighter 6 and has been heavily promoted from the start. Some players wanted features like Drive Impact to be removed entirely, but it's clear that Capcom wouldn't make such big changes since the game's gameplay relies on these features.

However, Capcom did review how each Drive mechanic affects the game and looked for ways to improve them.