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Street Fighter 6 Drive Impact Jamie Luke
Image Via Capcom

Street Fighter 6: How To Beat Drive Impact

Here's how to beat a Drive Impact in Street Fighter 6.

The Drive Impact is a powerful new mechanic in Street Fighter 6, which can counter enemy attacks or punish players who like to wall in the corner. Luckily, there are ways to defeat an opponent’s Drive Impact in Street Fighter 6, especially if their moves are easy to read, as you counter their own counter for some punishing follow-up attacks.

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A Drive Impact is a move that costs one bar of Drive Gauge to use. If you’re using Street Fighter 6’s Modern Type controls, a Drive Impact is done with L1, and if you’re using Classic Type controls, it’s performed using Heavy Punch and Heavy Kick. When used, a Drive Impact will cause a flash of graffiti-style color to appear around the character, signifying what they’re about to do in combat.

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How To Beat A Drive Impact In Street Fighter 6

Kimberly Street Fighter 6 Drive Impact
Image Via Capcom

A Drive Impact is a powerful offensive and defensive tool in Street Fighter 6, but there are ways around it. For one thing, the player can step back or jump directly up to get out of the Drive Impact’s range, allowing them to follow up with a counter. However, there are better tools in your arsenal for dealing with a Drive Impact.

The best way to deal with a Drive Impact in Street Fighter 6 is by using one of your own. If you initiate a Drive Impact straight after the opponent uses theirs, you will damage them, break the move, and leave them stunned for a moment, allowing you to perform a punishing follow-up combo for free. This is the main drawback of using a Drive Impact, and it can be devastating when utilized correctly against a foe. If you both use a Drive Impact simultaneously, they’ll cancel each other out, and you’ll both be knocked back.

Using a throw to break through a Drive Impact is also possible. Bear in mind that you need to get the timing just right. If you’re too slow, the Drive Impact will connect first, so if you suspect an enemy is about to use a Drive Impact and your Drive Gauge is low, then a throw is a good option for dealing damage, even if it doesn’t leave them stunned.

Blocking will also stop a Drive Impact, but you’ll be pushed back, and if you’re pushed into a wall, you’ll slam into it, and your opponent has a chance for a follow-up attack, so be aware of your surroundings. Parrying will also stop a Drive Impact, but the timing needs to be more precise.

One of the main uses of Drive Impact is that it will block most normal or special attacks when used, but only the first two hits. This means that a fast move, such as Chun-Li’s Hundred Lightning Kicks, can break the Drive Impact before it connects. Be aware that this is only true of specific moves, as slower attacks won’t be able to get through the Drive Impact.

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If your Super Arts meter is full, a Super Arts move will also break a Drive Impact. This is an incredibly punishing way of dealing with Drive Impact, as the Super Arts move should have priority, and it will deal a ton of damage, depending on its level. Burning one bar of the Super Art meter is useful to punish a Drive Impact.


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Author
Image of Scott Baird
Scott Baird
Scott has been writing for Gamepur since 2023, having been a former contributor to websites like Cracked, Dorkly, Topless Robot, Screen Rant, The Gamer, and TopTenz. A graduate of Edge Hill University in the UK, Scott started as a film student before moving into journalism. Scott covers Dungeons & Dragons, Final Fantasy, Pokémon, and MTG. He can be contacted on LinkedIn.