Super Street Fighter II Turbo

The game

A place on the roster

This competitive arcade fighter offers 16 playable fighters and supports two players. Your immediate objective is to defeat the opponent in front of you, but the useful longer task is finding a character whose attacks you can understand. The roster gives you room to explore without making every fighter part of your first lesson.

Two systems to watch

The Super gauge gives exchanges another resource to watch: a character-specific Super Combo becomes available only when that gauge is full. Throw recovery adds a defensive opportunity. Quickly entering your own throw command after being thrown can reduce the damage and let your fighter land on their feet.

This edition

The original arcade edition

This guide covers the 1994 arcade Super Street Fighter II Turbo on Capcom CPS-2 hardware. Its original control panel uses an eight-way lever and six attack buttons. Those arcade labels are the reference here, so you can identify each action before settling into a match.

Start here

1. Choose a first-session fighter

   Pick one character and stay with them for your opening attempts. Keeping the fighter consistent makes it easier to recognize what changed when you try a different attack.

2. Sample ordinary attacks

   Try individual punch and kick buttons before attempting complicated inputs. Watch the animation and where each attack reaches; give yourself time to connect a button press with a visible result.

3. Add one system at a time

   Once the basic buttons feel familiar, spend an attempt noticing the Super gauge during exchanges. Observation is a useful opening exercise even before you learn your character’s Super Combo command.

Original controls

These are the original game's controls. For keyboard, controller and touch settings in this player, see Controls & help.

Eight-way lever

The original arcade joystick accepts up, down, left, right, and diagonal directions.

Punch buttons

Light Punch, Medium Punch, and Heavy Punch are three separate original arcade buttons.

Kick buttons

Light Kick, Medium Kick, and Heavy Kick provide the other three attack inputs.

Playing tips

• Change one thing

  When an attack fails, try adjusting your distance before switching buttons. That gives you a clearer comparison than changing both your position and your attack.

• Keep defense in the picture

  Keep enough space to recognize your opponent’s approach instead of constantly chasing another hit. Give yourself time to choose an attack you already recognize.

• Learn your throw command early

  Make your chosen fighter’s throw input an early learning priority. Knowing it has defensive value too, and throw recovery rewards a quick response rather than a delayed reaction.