Fighting Games Essentials: Frame Data

Frame data is one of the most fundamental elements in fighting games. Not only is it part of its construction, but also how players themselves interact with the game. A deeper understanding of it can be a before-and-after moment for players.

Most importantly, it's not just a matter of memorazing the numbers for each move, but having an intuitive understanding of what moves represent in this delicate dance between players to see who has the advantage over the other.

It is an exercise in puzzle-solving. For many top players, it can even become addicting. If you are looking to improve your gameplay, the value of knowing and developing your skills in this field will more than pay for itself in time. Frame data is a universal aspect of fighting games, and although each game will have its own set of rules for how the different frame states interact, they all still share these core components.

Startup frames are the first portion of any attack. Your character will start performing the move once the game registers your input. During these start frames, you are vulnerable to your opponent using a quicker attack or landing one they already started if you miscalculated how many startup frames your move takes. When this happens, that is called a counter, and in Street Fighter 6 your opponent will be rewarded extra frames for it.

Active frames are the portion of the attack that can actually strike your opponent if it connects with their hurtbox. Depending on your attack, these might be very short, or long, move, or even become disjointed, meaning the overlap of the attack hitbox is outside your own hurtbox. Active frames for multi-hit attacks might be intercut with vulnerable frames during which your opponents can counter you. Finally, projectile have their own Active frames, but depending on the move, you will recover before those frames elapse.

Lastly, Recovery frames are your character winding down their animation. Think of it as a cooldown. During it, you can’t input another move. Some recoveries might differ depending on the game or character, like when the attack whiffs, is blocked or parried. If you are hit during these recovery frames, that is called being punished.

Our video covers these, and other elements of frame data in more detail and with far more visual examples. So make sure to check it out in full and subscribe to our YouTube channel as we explore other fundamentals of fighting games.