Fighting games are going through a second golden age. Gone are the days of being niche and locked behind arcade machines, as anyone with a decent gaming console can now jump in. Legacy franchises like Mortal Kombat, Street Fighter, and Tekken continue to leave their mark on the fighting game community with expansive rosters and healthy player bases.
As the genre becomes more accessible with modern controls that remove an entry of barrier that some perceive as "arbitrary" and improved netcode to play online without too much compromise, getting into fighting games is easer than ever. One of the biggest contributions to this accessibility is the introduction of Online Battle Hubs, where players can create their own avatars, hop into player-filled lobbies, and face off in casual (and often sweaty) matches.
This shift has eliminated the need for fighting game fans to seek out local arcades (if they have one) and instead dive straight into whatever Battle Hub their game offers.
Capcom’s Street Fighter 6 is one of the leading examples of this feature with its Battle Hub. It’s a social space where players can showcase their custom avatars (whether ugly, gorgeous, or somewhere in between) and square off in arcade-style matches. Ironically, this often becomes the sweatiest environment compared to Ranked, as high-level players casually hang around, filtering newcomers and giving them a harsh welcome to reality.
Apart from fighting other players in casual matches, Street Fighter 6’s Battle Hub is also home to the best AI sparring match with Sim Sim, an AI training partner designed to help you learn against the many characters you’ll face in competitive play, hence why you could see 50 other players hogging out a nearby terminal. Even better, Capcom hands out extra freebies for players participating in online tournaments, where you can earn points simply by entering the lobby.
As someone new to fighting games (I’m just a Diamond 4 scrub JP player), watching others hop into the Battle Hub and make new friends feels completely fresh. It oddly reminds me of the time I used to visit local arcades when I was young. Back then, I never got to participate in matches and was merely a bystander. With Street Fighter 6’s Battle Hub, you can replicate that same kind of experience from the classic arcade era while easing social anxieties. And even if you don’t understand the language the other player is speaking, Capcom has added a set of message templates that let you communicate with players around the globe without a language barrier.
Since then, other fighting games have followed suit, making social hubs practically standard. Tekken 8 introduced the Tekken Fighting Lounge, where players can spar casually, make new friends, and even occasionally bump into Tekken creator Katsuhiro Harada’s avatar. However, it has also faced a handful of criticism for dividing its playerbase.
Upcoming games like 2XKO are embracing the same idea, but their approach has already drawn pushback from the FGC. Limiting player pools by rank risks isolating newcomers rather than training them through exposure to stronger competition.
The same problem existed in Guilty Gear Strive, where Arc Sys implemented a lobby system that replaced regular rank. Instead of a wide player pool, you'll be forced to play with the same people in your lobby, leading to constant dodging if you were using a character no one wanted to play, no penalties for rage quitting, and a mute sense of progression. It’s an egregious design that works against the concept of playing with others freely, regardless of rank, and undermines the core appeal of a shared social space. The good thing is that ArcSys has learned their lesson and just added a new ranked mode. The reason for this is that many players were apprehensive that this could be what 2xKO is going for, but since it's still in beta, things could be fixed soon.
ArcSys’ Marvel Tokon also includes an online social space, though I didn’t get much time with it since the closed beta was short-lived. Still, ArcSys had already tested the waters with Guilty Gear Strive, which laid the groundwork for the systems with its chibi-style character models, which we now see being common across fighting games social spaces.
While these hubs aren’t carbon copies of one another, each comes with its own quirks and gimmicks. Personally, despite the criticism, I think online social spaces are a neat alternative to standard matchmaking. That is, unless you get stuck fighting the sweatiest Sagat main with 1800 MR, which happens about two times out of ten.
That said, with all the different takes on social hubs, Street Fighter 6 remains the standout. Its Battle Hub feels like a fully realized, separate mode that respects players by giving them a place to chill, experiment, and have fun.
It's clear that this is the true intent of fighting game developers, as watching new players learn and socialize with others is a wonderful sight. Unfortunately, not every fighting game has mastered this feature yet, especially Riot's 2XKO. But right now, Street Fighter 6's Battle Hub seems to be the best blueprint for an ideal social space where everyone can hang out.
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