‘Street Fighter’ first trailer drops and it is loud, nostalgic and unapologetically wild

The first trailer for the upcoming Street Fighter live-action film has officially landed, giving fans an over-the-top glimpse at the long-running video game franchise’s return to the big screen.

The teaser debuted during the 2025 Game Awards, where much of the film’s ensemble cast appeared on stage to introduce the footage. Framed as a tongue-in-cheek spectacle rather than a gritty reboot, the trailer leans heavily into colour, chaos and nostalgia, signalling that this adaptation is not taking itself too seriously.

A nostalgic return set in the 1990s

Set in 1993, the film draws visual inspiration from the iconic 1991 arcade hit Street Fighter II, which helped define the fighting game genre. Bright palettes, exaggerated character designs and familiar combat moves are front and centre, including Guile’s famously gravity-defying hairstyle and a perfectly executed flash kick.

According to the official synopsis, estranged fighters Ryu, played by Andrew Koji, and Ken Masters, portrayed by Noah Centineo, are pulled back into combat when Chun-Li, played by Callina Liang, recruits them for the next World Warrior Tournament. What begins as a brutal clash of elite fighters soon reveals a deeper conspiracy, forcing the characters to confront each other and the demons of their pasts, with the stakes set firmly at game-over levels.

A stacked cast brings classic characters to life

The trailer introduces a large roster of characters in quick succession, staying true to the franchise’s ensemble roots. Alongside Koji, Centineo and Liang, the cast includes Cody Rhodes as Guile, Jason Momoa as Blanka, Roman Reigns as Akuma, Orville Peck as Vega, Vidyut Jammwal as Dhalsim, Oliver Richters as Zangief and Hirooki Goto as E. Honda.

David Dastmalchian appears as M. Bison, while Andrew Schulz plays Dan Hibiki and Eric André takes on the role of Don Sauvage. Mel Jarnson stars as Cammy, with Rayna Vallandingham as Juli and Alexander Volkanovski as Joe. Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson also features as Balrog, although he was notably absent from the on-stage reveal at the awards ceremony.

During their appearance at the Game Awards, the cast also jokingly called out the absence of actors from the upcoming Mortal Kombat 2, adding to the playful tone surrounding the reveal.

When is the Street Fighter movie released?

This marks the latest attempt to bring Street Fighter to cinemas, following previous live-action adaptations, most notably the 1994 film starring Jean-Claude Van Damme as Guile and Raul Julia as M. Bison in his final screen role.

The new film is directed by Kitao Sakurai, with a screenplay by Dalan Musson. It is co-produced by Legendary in collaboration with Capcom, the Japanese video game developer behind the franchise, while Paramount Pictures is handling distribution.

Street Fighter is scheduled to hit cinemas on October 16, 2026.

Aasiya Nazir