SEGA’s Virtua Fighter Project Showcases Fresh Strike in the Fighting Game Arena with New Combat Gameplay Trailer

SEGA has released the first gameplay trailer for Virtua Fighter Project, a fresh new chapter in the series that helped define 3D fighting games back in 1993. Revealed at EVO Vegas 2025, this 1 minute trailer gives us a raw, unpolished look at the combat, set on a blank training stage. Developed by Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio, the team behind the narrative depth of the Yakuza series, this new game promises to honor the series’ past while forging its own path.

Combat is front and center, with a duel between series veteran Akira Yuki alongside new character Stella, who is most certainly not Sarah Bryant. The footage strips away distractions – no HUD, no background music, just the sound of fists and feet. Slow-motion sequences highlight key hits, giving each moment a bit more flair.

Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio is well recognized for providing narrative-driven experiences such as Yakuza. Fighting game aficionados are aware that Virtua Fighter has always been about arcade action rather than storylines. Hints from a Famitsu interview with studio leads Riichiro Yamada and Yokoyama suggest a story mode, a big departure for the series. Could this mean a narrative tying together the roster, perhaps exploring the connection between Stella and Sarah Bryant, described as a “bridge between worlds”?

Visually the trailer goes for function over flair. The training stage is a blank grid, like the holodeck from Star Trek or the X-Men’s Danger Room. It’s a blank canvas that keeps the focus on the fighters’ movements rather than the environment. Some fans have noted it’s not as polished as modern big hitters like Tekken 8 or Street Fighter 6 but that’s the point. SEGA is going for authenticity, trying to look like the series’ past while updating for modern hardware. The character models, especially Akira’s weathered look and Stella’s design, suggest a roster that blends legacy with new. Wolf Hawkfield’s return confirms speculation about the cast.

SEGA’s bigger picture helps put the project into context. Alongside Virtua Fighter, Ryu Ga Gotoku is working on Stranger Than Heaven, an open-world game that spans Japan’s Taisho and Showa eras. This is impressive but also raises questions about resource allocation. Meanwhile SEGA is releasing Virtua Fighter 5 R.E.V.O World Stage on October 20, 2025 for Xbox Series S|X and PS5 with a Switch 2 version to follow. This remaster has a new single-player mode and a DLC character, Dural, so SEGA is testing the waters for the franchise.

The Virtua Fighter Project feels like the main event, a chance to reboot the series for a new generation. Speculation is a Summer 2026 release, but nothing is confirmed.