Street Fighter V online tournament mode impressions

Capcom recently held a public beta test for Street Fighter V: Champion Edition's online tournament mode. Solo tournaments took place on Saturday while team matches were on Sunday.

Here's how it went:

Registration

Players first had to visit the game's website to pick a character before being able to apply to participate. They additionally had to join the Discord server. It is unlikely that any of these steps will be required when the mode launches, but its still a roundabout way of doing things. 

Pre-match

On tournament day, participants logged into the game at the allotted time for their bracket. There were also notifications indicating how much time players had left before their tournament was to begin. By selecting tournament mode in the main menu, players advanced to a tournament lobby, which displayed participant names, possible match-ups, and other relevant information. 

Tournaments were single elimination affairs for the beta, but double elimination will also be an option when the mode launches. Other options to arrive include stage bans, regions, league rank, etc. 

For the beta, players could only use the character they chose on the website. Character costumes also happened to be locked to the new sportswear ones. Matches loaded automatically, with first required to pick their V-Trigger and V-Skill for the game. However, these selections weren't saved between matches.

Match & lobby 

Some reported small lags in performance during matches, which is nothing new. Losers could remain in the tournament lobby to view results and replays, but they couldn't spectate matches. Depending on the settings chosen, it also takes between 20-30 minutes for brackets to update.

One neat feature is the ability to leave the mode to play other game modes and then return before its time for your tournament match. A wired connection was also required to compete, as those using wi-fi got kicked from the tournament bracket.

General impressions

The overall feedback on the Discord server suggests that the beta test had mixed reviews. It was fine when it worked, but the usual Street Fighter V net code problems popped up, along with the disappointment at the long wait time between matches.

Capcom intends to use this tournament mode to run the online qualifiers for the Intel World Open in early 2020. No official date regarding the new mode’s launch is known, but it will most likely be on February 14, 2020, alongside Street Fighter V: Champion Edition and Seth.