Ultra Street Fighter IV adds Decapre, Poison, Hugo, Elena and Rolento, plus many balance tweaks. The system reaches its most accomplished form, the netcode stays serious, and this is without any hesitation the best version of Street Fighter IV to own on 360 for versus enthusiasts.
Your verdict
Category
Fighting2 players12+
Description
2D fighting game by Dimps and Capcom, August 2014. Final Street Fighter IV version adding five extra characters including Hugo, Poison, Elena and Decapre and rebalancing the full roster. New Ultra Combo Double mode combining each character's two Ultras. Most complete and balanced SFIV version ever published.
Ultra Street Fighter IV review
4/5
Art direction
★★★★★
"Striking"
4/5
Music
★★★★★
"Excellent"
1/5
Story
★★★★★
"Anecdotal"
Ultra turns its stages into a Capcom theme park: the Mad Gear Hideout lines up Final Fight's thugs as smirking spectators, the cosmic elevator and the pit stop come from Street Fighter X Tekken, and Decapre slips into the cast as a masked twin with electric daggers. The backgrounds become a recognition game for connoisseurs of the publisher, wink by wink.
As befits a summa edition, the soundtrack accumulates five years of the IV generation: themes from the original game, additions from Super and Arcade Edition, tracks carried over from Street Fighter X Tekken for the new stages. Built for tournaments, this internal record library means a single set chains different eras of the series, each round drawing its color from IV's history.
Gameplay
"Excellent"
Fun
"From the very first seconds"
The ultimate version of the classic, adding yet more fighters, stages and tweaks polishing the balance at the highest level. The precision of the feel and the tactical richness reward every bit of progress, from beginner to pro. Rich, balanced and snappy, the culmination of a benchmark versus, built for competition and guaranteeing duels of gleeful intensity.
Addictiveness
"Obsessive"
Reading the opponent, placing your blow and chaining a tightly timed combo makes each round a tug-of-war where you instantly want your revenge. Mastering a character and climbing online reward the practice. Its technicality puts off novices, but the careful balance and the depth of the mind game make it a versus enthusiasts restart without tiring.
Difficulty
"Difficult"
Lifespan
"Massive"
Beneath its fighting-game surface, the Ultra edition hides near-bottomless depth. Truly learning a single character eats up hours of training, and the expanded roster, ranked online play and the craft of mastering Ultra combos keep pushing the ceiling higher. It's that endless skill curve, far more than the arcade ladder, that keeps competitors and casual players coming back even now.
European (PAL) edition of Ultra Street Fighter IV, the ultimate cut of Capcom's Street Fighter IV cycle, adding fighters, stages and tweaks to deliver the fullest and most balanced form of this generation. Sought as the edition to favor, its desirability rests on this status as the definitive version and a tenacious demand from competitors rather than scarcity. A prime piece for a fighting-game set on the console.
Better with friends
A benchmark of competitive fighting, whose Focus system and precise fundamentals make duels an unmatched arena for technical expression. The competition rewards zoning, anti-airs and reading intentions, welcoming to the curious yet abyssally deep. Local versus makes it an essential for game nights, where beginners and veterans find their footing face to face in a timeless rivalry.
Is Ultra Street Fighter IV still worth playing in 2026?
Released in 2014 on Xbox 360, Capcom's Ultra Street Fighter IV is the definitive culmination of the Street Fighter IV line, adding five fighters, further refined balance and new mechanics like the Red Focus to what remains a peak of the two dimensional fighting game. The play system, of masterful accessibility and depth, stays an absolute reference for fans and the competitive scene alike. The stylised art direction and the plentiful roster still appeal. The server shutdown limits the online side. But the local stays excellent. For devotees of technical versus fighting, this ultimate edition keeps a strong appeal today.
