Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike arrives on MiSTer FPGA with new JTCPS3 beta

Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike is now running on the JTCPS3 FPGA core, with developer Jotego releasing a new beta build for MiSTer FPGA on 21 August 2026. The update brings one of Capcom’s largest CPS-3 games to the project and marks another major step towards completing support for the arcade platform. Originally developed by Capcom and released in 1999, 3rd Strike is known for its detailed 2D animation, large amount of graphical data and demanding CPS-3 hardware requirements. That makes it one of the more substantial titles developer Jotego has tackled with a JT arcade core.

JTCPS3 finally reaches 3rd Strike

The JTCPS3 core recreates Capcom’s CPS-3 arcade system using FPGA logic rather than running the original game through a conventional software emulator. That changes the job considerably.

Instead of using a CPU to imitate an arcade machine through software, an FPGA can be configured to reproduce the operation of the original hardware at a lower level. Processor behaviour, graphics, memory access, sound and timing all become parts of the hardware implementation.

JTCPS3 entered beta testing in June 2026. Jotego then added JoJo’s Venture on 21 June, followed by Street Fighter III: 2nd Impact on 28 June. With the 21 August update, 3rd Strike joins the list. And it’s a big one.

The stream file transferred from the SD card to the FPGA is 82,432 KiB. For comparison, Vampire Savior, previously one of the largest games handled by a JT arcade core, uses 45,320 KiB. That puts 3rd Strike at close to twice the size.

Why 3rd Strike needs so much memory

A quick look at the game explains some of that size. 3rd Strike contains a huge amount of 2D animation. Characters use long sequences of hand-drawn frames for attacks, movement, reactions and special moves. Backgrounds are detailed, and the game also makes extensive use of digitised audio. It’s still built around sprites and tile-based graphics rather than polygonal characters, but Capcom pushed that technology hard.

The result is a game with a much larger data footprint than many earlier 2D arcade releases. For an FPGA core, handling all of that data while keeping the different parts of the arcade hardware working together correctly adds another layer to the job.

Capcom’s short-lived CPS-3 hardware

Capcom introduced the CP System III, better known as CPS-3, in 1996 as the follow-up to CPS-2. The hardware used a 25 MHz Hitachi SH-2 processor and an unusual combination of CD-ROM game data and a security cartridge. It was considerably less common than CPS-2 and ended up with only a small software library.

The first CPS-3 release was Red Earth. Capcom then used the system for the three main versions of Street Fighter III, along with JoJo’s Venture and JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Heritage for the Future.

Capcom didn’t continue developing the platform for long. Even so, CPS-3 became closely connected with the company’s later 2D arcade games, largely because of what it could do with animation. 3rd Strike became its best-known release.

Capcom’s final version of Street Fighter III

Capcom released Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike in 1999 following New Generation and 2nd Impact. The third version expanded the roster to 19 fighters. Chun-Li returned, while Makoto, Remy, Q and Twelve joined the cast. At a basic level, it still feels like Street Fighter. There are six attack buttons, special moves, throws and Super Arts. Then there’s parrying.

Players can tap towards an incoming attack at the correct moment to avoid damage rather than blocking it normally. Low attacks require a downward input. The timing window is tight, and a missed attempt leaves the player exposed.

3rd Strike also includes red parrying, which lets a player switch from blocking into a parry during an attack sequence. It makes timing a central part of the combat system rather than an occasional extra mechanic.

The JTCPS3 core is still in beta

Adding 3rd Strike doesn’t mean JTCPS3 is finished. Developer Jotego is still distributing the current build as a beta, so bugs and compatibility issues can remain. The core also currently has some technical differences from original CPS-3 hardware, including its video timing. What has changed is the stage of development.

With 3rd Strike now running, the planned game additions are effectively complete. Jotego can turn more attention towards refining the CPS-3 implementation, fixing remaining issues and preparing the core for a broader release.

For MiSTer FPGA, it’s a substantial addition. JTCPS3 has moved from an experimental CPS-3 project to a core capable of handling the platform’s biggest game. And Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike is now part of it.

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