25 Games With The Coolest Skill-Cancel Tech

Some games hide their flashiest movement and combat behind tight cancel windows and clever inputs, letting players break out of animations and chain actions in unexpected ways. These techniques can shave frames, extend combos, and create new routes through levels or encounters once you learn the timing. From fighters and character action games to platformers and shooters, skill cancels reward practice and precision. Here are standout examples that showcase how deep this kind of tech can go when systems are built to allow it.

Devil May Cry 5

Jump canceling lets you reset aerial moves by leaping off enemies the moment an attack connects, which keeps characters suspended for extended strings. Trickster teleports and Royalguard release can also cut recovery and reposition instantly when timed on hit or block. Weapon switch on impact removes downtime on certain animations and keeps momentum during juggles. The style meter benefits directly from these cancels since you maintain pressure without dropping targets.

Bayonetta

Witch Time dodge timing allows attacks to be buffered so you return to offense with reduced recovery. Dodge Offset preserves combo strings while evading, so you can avoid damage and continue the same chain after the animation ends. Weapon swapping on impact trims recovery frames on select attacks and maintains launch height. Torture Attack inputs can be readied during earlier animations to flow straight into finishers.

Guilty Gear Strive

Roman Cancel cuts the recovery of almost any move and adds slowdown that opens new combo paths. Players use Drift Roman Cancel to move while canceling, which changes spacing and side switch routes. Counter hit states combine with cancel timing to convert stray pokes into full corner carry. Faultless Defense cancel options alter air momentum to escape or reengage with better positioning.

Street Fighter 6

Drive Rush cancel from a parry or cancelable normal shortens recovery and advances the character to keep pressure tight. Target combos and links become more stable when Drive Rush increases frame advantage. Special cancel into super remains a cornerstone, with level choices changing damage and oki. Perfect parry reduces pushback enough that follow ups connect where they would normally whiff.

Marvel vs. Capcom 3

X Factor cancels anything on activation, letting you continue attacks that would be unsafe. Players kara cancel normals into specials to extend range and adjust spacing. Team aerial tag routes use cancel timings to swap characters mid combo while preserving hit stun. Assist calls can be layered during recovery to protect approaches and create left right mix from canceled movement.

Super Smash Bros. Melee

L cancel reduces landing lag on aerials when you press shield just before touching the ground. Wavedash uses air dodge angled into the stage to cancel jump momentum into a slide, which opens fast repositioning. Jump cancel on certain grabs and up smashes removes startup and speeds up punish windows. Shield drop timing lets you cancel shield stance on platforms to attack sooner.

Dragon Ball FighterZ

Vanish cancels extend combos by teleporting behind the opponent after a hit or block. Super dash cancel from specific normals keeps pressure while changing vertical position. Sparking Blast cancels recovery and enables air dash routes that would not be possible otherwise. Assist call timings during block strings allow true strings or resets depending on cancel gaps.

Tekken 8

Korean backdash cancel chains quick crouch inputs to cut the end of backdash and create space while staying ready to whiff punish. Heat Burst and Heat Dash cancel strings to maintain frame advantage and continue offense. Wave dash cancel from crouch dash allows instant access to command electrics and mids. Stance transitions have built in cancels that avoid linear punishment and bait counter hits.

The King of Fighters XV

Short hop and hyper hop cancel windows control aerial pressure while keeping recovery low. Max Mode allows quick cancel of specials into supers and extends juggles with extra juggle points. Guard cancel roll and blowback break pressure when timed on block. Run stop cancels from command normals adjust spacing to keep links consistent.

Nier Automata

Weapon swap mid attack cancels recovery and keeps characters mobile during fights. Pod program buffering lets you fire while cutting out parts of melee strings. Perfect evade creates a slow window that enables direct counter animations without waiting out recovery. Aerial attack cancels into glide preserve height to traverse gaps and skip hazards.

Doom Eternal

Quick swap cancels use instant weapon switching to reset firing cycles for higher damage per second. Meathook swings are canceled into midair shots to keep distance while staying airborne. Glory kill activation cancels reloads and restores resources, which resets fights on command when set up. Flame belch and grenade inputs are buffered between cancels to maintain armor and stagger control.

Hades

Dash cancel trims the end of most attacks so you can string dash strike loops with tight inputs. Certain boons allow specials to cancel into casts, which sustains damage while staying safe. Call meters can interrupt recovery to secure invulnerability and reposition. Enemy attack telegraphs leave windows where a cancel beats damage trades and preserves keepsakes.

Dead Cells

Roll cancel ends recovery on heavy swings so you can avoid punishment and maintain tempo. Attack jump cancel lets you hop to clip the final frames of an animation and reach platforms faster. Skills like trap placement are buffered to land during roll invulnerability for safe setups. Mutation choices enhance these cancels by reducing cooldowns that would otherwise slow routes.

Celeste

Dash jump cancels carry extra horizontal speed when the jump is timed as the dash ends. Neutral jump buffers out of climb restores stamina while conserving momentum. Corner boost uses a dash cancel into wall contact to slingshot across gaps. Regrab timing cancels climb slowdown to keep a clean line through rooms.

Hollow Knight

Nail pogo cancels landing recovery by bouncing off enemies or hazards to chain movement. Spell weaving trims downtime when you cast during the final frames of a swing. Shadow Dash cancels knockback to stay in range for follow ups. Nail arts can be canceled by jump or dash on hit to route into safer positions.

Warframe

Slide cancel with bullet jump maintains speed while resetting aim glide timing. Melee attack can be canceled into roll to cut recovery and keep combo counter active. Ability casts with instant animations interrupt reloads to sustain fire without downtime. Operator transfer cancels out of knockdowns and immediately resumes momentum with void dash.

Ninja Gaiden Black

Roll cancel removes large recovery on heavy strings and creates safe pressure. On landing attack timing trims jump recovery and lets you confirm into Izuna Drop. Block release cancels allow quick counter attacks after absorbing a hit. Weapon swap mid string changes hit properties while keeping the enemy launched.

Kingdom Hearts II

Reflect cancel into immediate movement protects during boss strings while cutting recovery. Guard into quick run trims downtime and repositions for follow ups. Finisher cancel with aerial dodge preserves height and keeps combos alive against large targets. Form changes buffer new movesets that pick up from previous hits without a break.

Monster Hunter Rise

Switch Skill Swap Evade cancels weapon actions while granting an invulnerability dodge and stance swap. Wirebug inputs cancel recovery to extend aerial combos or escape counters. Guard points on specific weapon moves act as cancels that convert defense into offense. Silkbind skills are chained with swap timing to maintain pressure without committing to long animations.

Monster Hunter World: Iceborne

Clutch Claw flinch shot cancels certain recovery states and forces openings on monsters. Guard point windows cancel block stun into counter attacks on impact. Quick sheath and evade trims downtime on long weapon swings. Mantle usage interrupts actions to gain safety frames before reengaging.

Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice

Deflect cancels enemy pressure by resetting posture flow the moment a strike lands. Mikiri Counter interrupts thrust attacks and converts directly into posture damage without waiting for recovery. Jump canceling over sweeps preserves initiative and sets up aerial punish. Combat arts buffer into step dodge to avoid retaliation after big moves.

Elden Ring

Input buffering allows roll cancels that cut the end of heavy weapon recovery when timed on impact. Quick step and Bloodhound’s Step moves cancel attack linger and reposition through hitboxes. Guard counters convert block into immediate offense without long windups. Spell swap on cast end trims downtime and keeps pressure during mixed builds.

Dark Souls III

Unlock roll cancels attack recovery and changes trajectory to avoid trades. Weapon arts with hyper armor can be canceled into roll on hit confirm to stay safe. Swap cancel between two handed and one handed states changes stamina use and timing. Estus animation can be shortened by terrain and spacing, which players use to heal between cancels.

Astral Chain

Legion recall cancels lengthy recovery and pulls the companion back for instant guard. Chain bind setups are buffered to trigger as attacks end, locking enemies without gaps. Perfect call returns on hit to reset positioning for launcher routes. Sync attacks trigger if you hit the prompt at cancel windows, which extends combos while keeping control.

Apex Legends

Slide jump chains cancel sprint slowdown and preserve top speed across terrain changes. Wall bounce cancels vertical momentum into a quick direction change that beats prefire angles. Tap strafe inputs at the end of a slide or jump reorient midair to maintain pressure without exposing your back. Tactical abilities like grapple or phase are buffered to cut recovery and escape after a risky peek.

Share your favorite examples of cancel tech in the comments and tell us the tricks that helped you master them.