Get ready for boss rage: Akuma is now playable in Street Fighter 6. Along with the new character, Capcom has also launched a fresh limited-time mode that turns the debutant fighter into a raid boss in the Battle Hub.
From May 22, players can enter the Street Fighter 6 Battle Hub on any platform and will be greeted by a new look—highlighted by a giant, hologram Akuma on the center platform. This is part of the new Giant Attack event, which will have players working together for a limited time online to take on a special boss version of Akuma together.
During the event, head over to an open arcade cabinet and challenge SiRN Akuma to a match. Be warned though, this supped-up version of Akumawill give you problems if you aren’t prepared to face off with the demon. Alpha One Akuma vibes anyone?
The goal is to combine your power with other players to fire Hadokens at the giant Akuma in the Battle Hub until he’s defeated. And, if you progress far enough, you can unlock an extra color to use with Akuma. This is SF6‘s first Giant Attack event, and Capcom will likely run different iterations of it moving forward with other characters and new arrivals, essentially using it as a limited-time online game mode.
Along with this May 22 update, Akuma is now available as the final DLC fighter from the Year One Character Pass, bringing the first season of content to an end. Additionally, Capcom has also dropped the first major balance patch for Street Fighter 6, buffing and nerfing a number of characters.
While the patch is live, servers remain offline for maintenance until 2am CT on May 22. That hasn’t stopped top players and content creators from jumping in and labbing the new changes, which include huge updates to how characters function, including Blanka’s Overdrive Air Ball no longer being a plus when used on block.
A full list of changes and patch notes should be available within the next day or so, as this patch and Akuma will both be legal at Combo Breaker this week.
