Sifu is a third-person kung fu brawler from French studio Sloclap, released on 8 February 2022. Its defining idea is ageing: every death makes your character older, hitting harder but breaking easier. It was famously punishing at launch, but free updates added difficulty options that make it far more approachable today.
Sifu at a glance
| Developer | Sloclap |
| Released | 8 February 2022 (PC/PlayStation) · 28 March 2023 (Xbox, Switch, Steam) |
| Platforms | PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch |
| Genre | Beat 'em up / martial arts action |
| Levels | Five — The Squats, The Club, The Museum, The Tower, The Sanctuary |
| Length | ~8–12 hours to finish, far longer to master |
What is Sifu about?
You play a young martial artist whose family was murdered by five assassins. A magical pendant brings you back each time you fall — at the cost of years off your life.
The whole game takes place across a single day of revenge, divided into five locations: a rundown squat, a nightclub, an art museum, a corporate tower, and a mountain sanctuary. Each ends with one of the five killers.
The fighting style is Pak Mei (White Eyebrow) kung fu, and Sloclap worked with practitioners to capture it. It shows — the animation is the most convincing martial arts work in any game of its generation.
How does the ageing system work?
This is the mechanic everything else hangs from, and it is simpler than it sounds.
You begin at 20 years old. Every death revives you immediately, but adds years. Consecutive deaths cost progressively more, so a bad run compounds quickly. Defeating tougher enemies reduces the counter, rewarding clean play.
Crossing into a new decade permanently changes your character:
- Damage output rises — an older master hits considerably harder
- Maximum health falls — you become far more fragile
There is a hard ceiling. Age out entirely and the run ends, sending you back to the start of the level.
The crucial detail most newcomers miss: your age carries between levels. Finishing a stage at 45 means beginning the next at 45. Skilled players replay early levels specifically to lower their starting age — that is the intended progression loop, not a failure state.
Is Sifu too hard? (What changed since launch)
At release, Sifu had no difficulty settings, and that dominated the conversation. Many reviews from February 2022 — and most articles still floating around — are based on that version.
That is no longer accurate. Sloclap's Advanced Gameplay Options update added three modes:
- Student — enemies are less aggressive and deal less damage. The right choice if you want the story and the spectacle.
- Disciple — the original launch balance.
- Master — tougher enemies, tighter windows, for players who cleared the game already.
Later free updates added outfits, gameplay modifiers and the Arenas mode, a separate set of score-attack challenges built for players who want combat without the campaign structure.
If you tried Sifu at launch and bounced, it is genuinely worth another look.
What makes the combat different?
Sifu shares more with Sekiro than with a traditional brawler. You and every enemy have a structure bar alongside health. Blocking fills it; break it and you are stunned long enough to be finished off. Break theirs and you earn a takedown.
The defining skill is high and low avoids. Attacks come from above or below and must be dodged in the matching direction. Guessing wrong means taking the hit.
This is also the game's most legitimate criticism. Unlike Sekiro's red kanji warning, Sifu gives no explicit indicator — you read the animation or you do not. Against fast bosses, early attempts feel like guesswork.
It becomes fair with practice, but the learning curve is steep and front-loaded.
Three things that help immediately
- Use the environment. Bottles, bricks, poles and staffs are everywhere. Weapons degrade, so pick up a fresh one constantly rather than fighting empty-handed.
- Unlock skills permanently. Buying the same skill five times makes it permanent across all future runs. Prioritise this over unlocking variety — permanent progression is how you actually get stronger.
- Replay level one deliberately. Clearing The Squats at a low age gives every later stage more room for error. This is intended, not cheating.
Is Sifu worth playing in 2026?
Yes, and it is a much easier recommendation now than at launch.
The reason is straightforward: nothing else looks or feels like it. The animation quality, hit reactions and sound design combine into something no other martial arts game has matched, and the moment you clear a room that once destroyed you is genuinely exceptional.
With Student difficulty available, the barrier that put people off is optional. The five-level structure keeps it tight, and at 8–12 hours it never drags.
The high-low read remains divisive. Try the demo-equivalent first level and you will know quickly whether it clicks.
Where can you buy Sifu?
- PC — Steam and the Epic Games Store
- PlayStation — PlayStation Store (PS4 and PS5 versions)
- Xbox — Microsoft Store, Xbox One and Series X|S
- Nintendo — Nintendo eShop
Getting it cheaply — and what “all DLCs” actually means
Worth knowing: Sifu's major content updates were free. Arenas, the difficulty modes, extra outfits and gameplay modifiers were all patched in at no cost, so the standard edition already includes them. The paid Digital Deluxe adds only cosmetic and supplementary extras such as the artbook and soundtrack. Sifu discounts often during seasonal sales and has appeared in subscription catalogues — check current listings before paying full price.
A note on cracked “v1.12 + all DLCs” repacks: those bundles exist to package pirated builds, and they are both illegal and a known malware vector. They also cannot receive Sloclap's free updates, which is precisely where Sifu's best content lives. IGGG Guides does not link to pirated software.
Sifu FAQ
How long does Sifu take to beat?
Around 8–12 hours for a first completion. Reaching the true ending and finishing Arenas challenges pushes it well past 25 hours.
Does Sifu have difficulty settings?
Yes — Student, Disciple and Master, added free after launch. Older reviews claiming otherwise predate that update.
Is Sifu open world?
No. It is five handcrafted, largely linear levels, each ending in a boss fight.
Does Sifu have co-op or multiplayer?
No. It is entirely single-player.
What is the true ending of Sifu?
There is an alternative ending requiring a specific non-lethal approach to each boss, which demands a strong grasp of the combat. Reaching it is the main reason experienced players replay.
Is Sifu based on real kung fu?
Yes. It is built around Pak Mei (White Eyebrow) kung fu, developed with input from practitioners, which is why the animation reads as authentic.
The verdict
Sifu is a focused, beautifully animated game about getting better at something difficult. The ageing system turns failure into progression rather than punishment, and few games make competence feel this satisfying.
It still asks more of you than most action games, and the high-low read will frustrate some players regardless of difficulty setting. But the barrier that defined its launch reputation is gone, and what remains is one of the best martial arts games ever made.
Best for: fans of Sekiro, Absolver and classic kung fu cinema.
Skip if: you want a relaxing brawler or dislike replaying levels to improve.
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Last updated: 6 September 2026