First Capcom Cup in three years should help uncover Street Fighter 6’s hidden release date

Capcom Cup IX finally has a date, with the company confirming the final ride for Street Fighter V is hitting the big time in Hollywood from Feb. 12 to 19.

That’s right, for the first time in three years, Capcom Cup is back and will bring the top Street Fighter players in the world together for one of the most competitive brackets ever put together. This will also act as the swan song for SFV as the release of Street Fighter 6 is just around the corner—or so we think. 

With the timing of the Capcom Cup this year, and its extended dates to allow for a fully in-person broadcast for the Last Chance Qualifier and the finals for both the 2022 Capcom Pro Tour and Street Fighter League seasons, fans are starting to question when SF6 could actually release. 

We know this will be the final Capcom Cup using SFV, unless some massive delay hits the new release out of the blue despite it clearly being in a playable state, as demonstrated by October’s Open Beta Test. However, SFV is also on the docket for Evo Japan 2023, which takes place from Match 31 to April 3. 

That doesn’t necessarily mean much, as Capcom and the Evo team could simply want the highest level of SFV to be featured at the event rather than an early-stage tournament for SF6. But the hype you could draw for being one of the first big SF6 events would likely overpower the concern surrounding the level of play, leading fans to speculate a later release than expected for the Metro City rumble.

SFV was released on Feb. 16, 2016, three months after Capcom Cup 2016 concluded on Dec. 3 while SFIV was released globally that same week in Feb. 2009—with the dates varying between Feb. 12 and 20 depending on the region. 

Going off of the SFV release, including its subsequent versions that also launched in the first two months of the year, SF6 could either launch right after Capcom Cup IX or will drop two to three months later just like its predecessor did. This would also put it launching after Evo Japan and would also technically line up with Japan’s business quarters that dictate the 2023 business year doesn’t begin until March 31. 

Regardless of when the game actually drops, fans can likely expect to see more SF6 news at The Game Awards on Thursday, Dec. 8 before finally getting to see a Capcom Cup play out after two years of being canceled due to COVID.