Street Fighter 5: Arcade Edition is Free to Play from December 11th to 19th

Capcom has announced that Street Fighter 5: Arcade Edition will be free to play from December 11th to 19th. This is to celebrate the Capcom Cup 2018 – the trial can be downloaded at 9 AM PT and goes live at 1 PM PT on December 11th. It ends at 9:59 AM PT on December 19th. You won’t need PlayStation Plus on PS4 for anything except multiplayer. PC players simply need Steam to take part.

Along with all 16 original characters – including newcomers like Rashid, Laura, and F.A.N.G. – players will be able to try some DLC characters during the trial period. These include Guile, Akuma, and Sagat, though keep in mind that they can only be played in Ranked, Casual, Battle Lounge, Training, and Challenges.

Interestingly enough, December 11th is the same day that Sponsored Content will be introduced to the game. This is essentially content that will be displayed in-game, telling players about the Capcom Pro Tour, along with different costumes and bundles. Three types of Sponsored Content have been described:

• Costumes: Ad Style – Every character will have an Ad Style costume where the sponsored content will appear somewhere on their clothing or model
• Loading Ads – A sponsor will appear in the versus screen before a battle – this will not affect loading screen times
• Stage Ads – Some tournament stages feature a sponsor like the Ring of Power

With Sponsored Content turned on, players can earn bonus Fight Money in Ranked and Casual matches. If you don’t want it enabled, then you can head to the Battle Settings and adjust each type accordingly.