For context, Virtua Fighter games have typically had three buttons that formed their core control schemes – punch, kick, and block. When it comes to Next Virtua Fighter Project, however, we don’t quite know if the series will undergo a massive change by switching the three-button system out, or whether the title will hang on to the same control scheme. Ultimately, however, the decision behind the control scheme comes down to wanting to follow Suzuki’s original intent of having a fighting game where “anyone can play”.

“So originally when Yu Suzuki created the Virtua Fighter, he did a lot of testing,” said Yamada. “He actually tested with more than three buttons, like a lot of buttons. But they came to the three button conclusion. At the time it was more of a Game Center (Arcade) focused game, so that was the best at the time.”

“And the concept was that they wanted to create a game that was not too complicated and that anyone could enjoy. And so from that concept, I feel like, yes, I need to respect that concept. I want to create a game where anyone can play.”

Yamada also brought up the fact that, when the original Virtua Fighter was under development leading up to its 1993 release, the game was meant for large arcade cabinets rather than home consoles. With the new game, however, the market has changed, and RGG Studio is focusing more on players at home rather than those that might step out to find arcade machines.

“But currently, or moving forward, it’s not just a Game Center game, it’s more of a household game,” he explained. “So when you think about how people could enjoy playing this game in their living room or in their house, that’s when it kind of changes a little. So yes, the concept does stay the same, but… I’m not really focused on, oh, we need to keep it to three buttons. The more important thing is I want to create a game where anyone can play in their household when it comes to the new style.”

While we can’t quite be sure about whether or not this means that Next Virtua Fighter Project might see a revamped control scheme, Yamada’s words do indicate that the studio is focused on making sure that the fighting game isn’t too difficult for newcomers.

At Evo this last weekend, Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio had released a new video for Next Virtua Fighter Project that showed off not only the game’s training stage, but also a full bout of one-on-one combat. Check out the trailer and its details in our coverage.

The minute-long video gives us a look at an epic fight between two of the game’s characters, showing off some of the combos that both will be capable of. Throughout the video, we get a good look at some of the smaller details from the upcoming fighting game, including incredibly-accurate hitboxes where a character is able to avoid his opponent’s sweeping low kick by doing a kip-up when they were on the floor. The other character was also able to avoid an attack by weaving out of the way at the right time.

New Virtua Fighter Project will also seemingly have an impressive end-of-match animation, where the final hit causes one of the characters to have their face smashed in slow motion, leading to even a tooth flying out of their mouth. Along with this, the game also features plenty of reactivity thanks to detailed animations from blocking attacks with the right timing.

The visual style of the game is also seemingly going for a more minimalistic look. While it will undoubtedly feature health bars, timers, and other HUD elements, the gameplay shown off here also indicates that Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio is avoiding making heavy use of particle effects like a game like Tekken might use. Rather, the hits and grapples have all been shown quite cleanly, and the focus of the game seemingly comes down to the pure martial arts capabilities of both fighters.

New Virtua Fighter Project doesn’t yet have a release date. The studio has, however, confirmed that more details about the game will be revealed during the upcoming Tokyo Game Show 2025.

The game was originally unveiled all the way back in December 2024, and while we didn’t get to see any gameplay at the time, the trailer announcing the fighting game gave us a look at gorgeous visuals thanks to pre-rendered cinematic footage. We got to see more of the game thanks to a trailer released back in January. Referred to as a “pre-development concept video”, the trailer showcased in-engine footage of one of the game’s fighting stages, while also giving us a look at what characters like Akira Yuki will look like in the game.

Back in May, Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio had also confirmed that Wolf Hawkfield will be returning as part of the roster of New Virtua Fighter Project. Hawkfield has been a staple of the Virtua Fighter roster ever since the franchise first made its debut all the way back in 1993. Check out the trailer announcing the character’s return for more details.

Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater

Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater set the internet ablaze with hype and anticipation when it was announced, and while some snippets of the gameplay have been revealed already – we are still waiting for sort of a launch trailer or a gameplay deep dive before we reach its imminent release date of August 28.

Wolf Hawkfield is a staple roster member, appearing in every entry since the original in 1993. He’s a professional wrestler who seeks competition and finds it in Akira Yuki, the series’ poster boy. How their rivalry shakes out in the new Virtua Fighter remains to be seen, though his appearance is a clear-cut above previous titles in terms of style and fidelity.

The next Virtua Fighter lacks official platforms, though it’s likely bound for Xbox Series X/S and PS5. Rumors claim it will feature new characters and the return of Quest Mode, which will focus on esports. Stay tuned for more details, and check out some pre-development gameplay footage here, which sees Akira in action.

Taking to Twitter, Sega recently announced that it will premiere a Virtua Fighter Direct for Spring of 2025 this Sunday, May 11, at 10 AM ET / 7 AM PT. Sega has said little about what the Direct will entail other than teasing “new developments in the Virtua Fighter series.” However, it seems safe to say that we will be hearing more about the aforementioned upcoming franchise revival.

In addition to English, the stream will also be available with Japanese, French, Italian, German, and Spanish audio, as well as Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese, and Korean subtitles.

There’s currently no word on what platforms the next Virtua Fighter is in development for, nor when it’s to be released. Stay tuned for more updated on the game in the coming days.

This Sunday, May 11, at 10 AM EDT, we will premiere the “VF Direct 2025 SPRING” broadcast worldwide to reveal new developments in the “Virtua Fighter” series.

The broadcast will be available for mirror streaming, so round up your friends and tap in
【English SUB】… pic.twitter.com/jn2QirvXPa

— SEGA (@SEGA) May 10, 2025

Sega and Ryu Ga Gotoku have released what they’ve dubbed a “pre-development concept video” that showcases in-engine footage. It is not, however, actual gameplay footage, which means it’s meant to reflect what the developer is targeting for the final product. The brief video showcases half a minute of footage with series staple Akira Yuki taking on a double of himself against the backdrop of a dense city environment. Check it out below. 

There’s currently no word on what platforms the next Virtua Fighter game is targeting, when it will be released, or even what its final name will be. However, it’s clearly going to be a while before it’s time for Sega to reveal more concrete details. Stay tuned for continued updates.

At The Game Awards, Sega and developer Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio offered a first, official look at the next Virtua Fighter game. The fighter’s official title wasn’t announced, and gameplay wasn’t showcased, with the trailer just showing a handful of seconds of pre-rendered cinematic footage- but if nothing else, at least now it’s officially confirmed that a new mainline Virtua Fighter is finally on the way. Check out the trailer below. 

More details on the next Virtua Fighter game will be shared imminently in a dedicated Direct presentation, which is scheduled for December 13 at 12 AM EST. Stay tuned for more information.

Justin Scarpone, executive VP and head of Sega’s Global Transmedia Group, told VGC in a new interview, “So we have a suite of titles in development right now that fall into that legacy bucket, which we announced last year at The Game Awards; Crazy Taxi, Jet Set Radio, Streets of Rage, Shinobi, and we have another Virtua Fighter being developed.

“And so all that’s very exciting. And then, in certain instances, we’re also doing animation series or live-action films to augment that and be part of those roadmaps.”

Further details are pending, but there have been rumors about the next Virtua Fighter over the past few months. Reportedly rebooting the series, it will seemingly compete with Tekken and Street Fighter, focusing more on esports and online play (with crossplay and rollback netcode). Ranked matches are more akin to contemporary fighters, with streaming and spectating being important.

Offline modes still reportedly exist, including a new main story and the return of Quest Mode (which will see some changes). The characters also seemingly have a more modern style.

When it will be released remains to be seen, but given how Sega announced all its reboots at last year’s The Game Awards, this year may belong to Virtua Fighter. Stay tuned for updates until then.

After initially reporting on the same, leaker Midori provided some new details on Twitter. While it features offline modes, including a new main story, side stories and the return of Quest Mode “in a new way,” it’s apparently online and esports-focused.

It’s reportedly competing with Street Fighter and Tekken with “esports concepts and mechanics similar to current Street Fighter and other fighting games. It is a concept that evolved a lot.”

Midori notes an “evolution of ranked matches” similar to contemporary fighters. “This is a title that focuses on scaling with the player and their play styles when they play online.” Streaming and spectating are also reportedly an “important part” of the title, launching on all major platforms with crossplay and rollback netcode.

There are new characters drawn in a “modern” art style, though interestingly, the concept has “changed many times since 2021 up to now.” When it could be announced is anyone’s guess.

As for Sega’s other reboots, Jet Set Radio is allegedly out in 2026, while Crazy Taxi arrives in 2027 (with both also rumoured to be coming to the rumored Nintendo Switch 2). Stay tuned for further announcements in the coming months.

Virtua Fighter
• It is online and esports focused and has online and offline modes including customization modes.
• There are new characters with a modern art style and character artist.
• It is a game concept that changed many times since 2021 up to now.

— みどり (@MbKKssTBhz5) March 4, 2024

• Streaming and spectating implementation is an important part of this title and Super Game concept.
• It is a reboot of the Virtua Fighter series in development by current Virtua Fighter staff.
• It is a title releasing on all major platforms with crossplay and rollback.

— みどり (@MbKKssTBhz5) March 4, 2024

This is a Virtua Fighter title that is developed to be a modern competitor to Street Fighter and Tekken with esports concepts and mechanics that are similar to current Street Fighter and other fighting games. It is a concept that evolved a lot.

— みどり (@MbKKssTBhz5) March 4, 2024

And there is all new main story and side stories with brand new characters.

— みどり (@MbKKssTBhz5) March 4, 2024

And there is an evolution of ranked matches that is similar to modern fighting games. This is a title that is focusing on scaling with the player and their play styles when they play online.

— みどり (@MbKKssTBhz5) March 4, 2024

That’s as per known leaker Midori – who has accurately leaked a number of announcements related to Sega (particularly, Atlus) – who recently claimed on Twitter that Sega has a Virtua Fighter reboot in the works. Apparently, the reboot isn’t being developed by Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio, which was in charge of Virtua Fighter 5 Ultimate Showdown, but it does have “staff from the latest Virtua Fighter games” working on it.

The leaker has also claimed that the game will feature both single player and multiplayer elements, and will try to appeal to casual and hardcore players alike, “including competitive players.”

Sega has, of course, shown a recent willingness (to say the very least) to revive its dormant franchises, having announced five reboots at The Game Awards in December, with leaks claiming that at least another five are also in the works.

Virtua Fighter has been dormant for a long time now. Virtua Fighter 3tb Online launched for arcades in Japan last year, while the aforementioned Ultimate Showdown released for arcades and PS4 in 2021, but the last new mainline release, Virtua Fighter 5, released all the way back in 2007.

In 2021, Virtual Fighter 5 Ultimate Showdown’s chief producer Seiji Aoki said that though he personally wanted to develop a new game in the series, nothing had been decided at the time where a potential Virtua Fighter 6 was concerned.

This is a reboot that is not in development by RGG Studio. It is being developed by staff from latest Virtua Fighter games. There are single player and multiplayer elements that are targeting casual and core players including competitive players.

— みどり (@MbKKssTBhz5) February 8, 2024