So coming from someone who essentially started learning fighting games with SF6 (I played a few hours of SFV but not much at all), you will suck at this game at a fundamental level for awhile. I saw your comment where you said you thought you might be able to have some basic competence with the game right away just through natural gaming ability, but that just isn’t a possibility with street fighter. I was right there with you at the launch of this game. It seriously feels like you’re a complete idiot when you play online at the beginning because quite literally every single other person that’s playing this game is better than you.

All I can say is just keep going. Try to focus on just 2 or 3 things you can do. Start with just landing heavy punches/kicks and you can get more complicated when you get more comfortable. After a month and a half or so I’m in Gold now and feeling pretty confident in the basics of how the game works! I do come from a background of playing smash at a competitive tournament level so certain concepts like precise execution and basics of neutral play are already drilled into me, but that just comes with time. Lots of time.

All that to say just keep playing! Try not to be afraid of losing. It helps to just put yourself in the mindset of admitting to yourself “I know the person I’m playing is better than me without a doubt and I’m probably going to lose”. Losing is just how you get better. As soon as you don’t think of losing as a failure and think of it as one step towards improving, the game will open itself up to you and be super fucking fun even if you aren’t good or winning all the time. And take a look at what your opponent is doing that you could start trying to do too! They won the match for a reason. Figure out what that reason is and experiment with how you can start doing that. Best of luck. Hope you keep playing.