How does the Drive System and Meter work in Street Fighter 6 beta?

With the beta for Street Fighter 6 kicking off, a select number of players have been granted access to check out its gameplay. While several changes have been made, one major update to the game has arrived in the form of the Drive System being introduced. It is the primary meter system of the game, offering choices as well as an interesting 'risk vs. reward' system.

Players have to be careful about how they use this meter to avoid hitting a Burnout state. What is the Street Fighter 6 Drive Gauge System? Here’s what you need to know.

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The Drive System balances risk vs. reward in Street Fighter 6

The Drive Gauge System has a few features, each important to the overall success of fighters in Street Fighter 6. In general, the Drive Gauge will replenish during a fight, but if it runs out, your character enters what’s known as Burnout. Burnout harms you in several important ways.

In this state, you can no longer access Drive maneuvers. This also means no parries and no Impact. Furthermore, you can be stunned in Burnout. Your opponent simply has to hit you with a Drive Impact move near the corner. Since these moves can’t be blocked, and you're unable to parry, you’re forced to be stunned and comboed.

Successful management of your Drive Gauge will be of great help. Knowing when and how will only come with time and practice. Here are all the abilities tied to the Drive Gauge System.

• Drive Impact
• Drive Parry
• Overdrive
• Drive Rush
• Drive Reversal

Drive Impact is a strike that absorbs an incoming hit, similar to Street Fighter 4’s Focus Attack. However, if you’re near the edge of the screen, you can bounce the opponent back into it, even if they block. It costs 1 Drive Gauge Stock and can be incredibly useful.

Drive Parry will possibly take more practice and skill in Street Fighter 6. This lets you repel an opponent’s attack, and doing it successfully will restore some Drive Gauge. If you land a Perfect Parry, you get an extra bit of a boost here. It uses half of a Drive Gauge Stock, but you get a similar amount back after a successful parry.

Overdrive is activated by pressing two of the same buttons in a special attack. Treat this as the EX attacks in previous games, but at a higher cost. Overdrive moves are more powerful attacks than normal in Street Fighter 6, which costs 2 Drive Gauge Stocks.

Then you have Drive Rush, and it comes as a dash forward from a Drive Parry. This is done with a quick rush attack or cancelable normal attack, which varies from character to character. This is a great way to get closer to your opponent. It does cost 1 Drive Stock, but if you cancel a normal, it costs 3 Drive Gauge Stocks in Street Fighter 6.

Sometimes, you need to be able to get a counterattack ready in Street Fighter 6. This is where Drive Reversal comes into play. While blocking an opponent’s attack, this is when Reversal can be activated. It doesn’t hurt much, but it can get you out of a sticky situation and turn the tides of the match. Drive Reversal costs 2 Drive Gauge Stocks.

The Drive System in Street Fighter 6 is a far more useful system than in previous games. It allows players to balance risks vs. rewards while trying to avoid Burnout. It allows all players to have access to a parry, powerful attacks, as well as counterattacks. It’s just one of the many great features in Capcom's upcoming fighting game.