Rumors have been floating around about a new Tekken for some time, but we’ve gotten firm confirmation that Tekken 8 is on the way, and it looks amazing. While the initial details revealed at Sony’s State of Play were sparse, we’ve got plenty of new looks and impressions of the latest 3D fighter. Here’s everything we can glean from this exciting reveal -– and what Tekken 8 looks like it has in store for its characters.
Release date
Tekken 8 will enter the ring on January 26 2024.
Platforms
Expect Tekken 8 to arrive on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. It won’t be supported on last-gen systems, which makes sense with all that detailed work in Unreal Engine 5. That’s also why it won’t be coming to any mobile devices any time soon, although you could give it a shot on the Steam Deck if you don’t mind lowering performance.
Trailer
Let’s talk a bit about this trailer because it came with several interesting pieces of info about just how good the newest Tekken title will look.
First, the trailer was taken from the story mode itself, and the story mode’s cinematic scenes use the same engine as the actual gameplay uses. So while it’s not an actual fight, it’s not a pre-rendered movie (which Tekken has had many of), either. We’re getting a fair look at what character models and even moves will look like, along with the sort of backgrounds we can expect when playing.
It’s also running at 60 frames per second on a PlayStation 5, so there is no tampering in the background to get the action to run smoother or more reliably than the average PS5 owner can expect when they enter a versus battle (online connections aside).
It’s easy to see why they emphasize this aspect of the trailer — it’s some truly impressive in-game work that highlights just how visually powerful Tekken 8 will be.
The Opening Night Live trailer finally gave us the release date for Tekken 8, along with a look at tons of new features and glimpses at some matches.
Gameplay and story
Tekken 8 will once again feature a full single player experience, as well as something called Arcade Quest. This mode lets you fully customize and dress up an avatar in a social space with other players somewhat similar to Street Fighter 6’s Battle Hub. We see these characters challenging each other on arcade machines, which could serve as a sort of in-universe matchmaking system for online battles and tournaments.
The game will take place six months after Tekken 7, with the scene focusing on a duel between Jin Kazama, the current main protagonist of the Tekkenverse, and his father, Kazuya Mishima. Jin says, “People like us shouldn’t exist,” which is a direct reference to the Devil Gene they have both inherited, a supernatural power with a tendency to corrupt and the ability to slip into a particularly nasty devil form.
That’s been a problem for Jin in the past, but here, the trailer clearly shows that he’s attained control over the Devil Gene, to the extent of using his devil powers without the need to fully transform (his father gets some blows in, too).
If you’re familiar with the 3D-style fighting of Tekken, 8 will immediately look familiar. You and your opponent face off in a 3D space, able to reposition forward and backward to avoid attacks and set up your own. Combos and juggles are huge, so learning what strings you can chain together is key to coming out on top.
The new mechanic this time is the Heat system. Each player has a Heat gauge that fills up as you stay aggressive and attack your opponent. Activating your Heat gives you 10 seconds to take advantage of the power it gives, and can only be triggered once per round. You can use this new meter to do a few things, such as a Heatt Burst which is a more powerful attack that can open up your opponent to a combo, or Heat Engager where you hit your opponent clear across the screen and immediately follow up with to attack. There’s also the Heat Smash, which uses all your Heat meter for one powerful strike, and Heat Dash which simply rushes your character right up to your opponent.
Roster
Initially, there were 16 confirmed characters (two with alternate forms) consisting of only returning characters, but two more were shown off at EVO 2023, including the first brand-new character Azucena. The full starting roster will have 32 characters. Here’s the full lineup we know of so far:
- Jin Kazama
- Kazuya Mishima
- Marshall Law
- Paul Phoenix
- Nina Williams
- Jack-8
- King
- Lars Alexandersson
- Jun Kazama
- Ling Xiaoyu
- Claudio Serafino
- Hwoarang
- Bryan Fury
- Lili
- Asuka Kazama
- Leroy Smith
- Azucena
- Raven
Preorder
Tekken 8 is ready to preorder in three editions: Standard, Deluxe, and Ultimate, with PlayStation players getting an exclusive bonus for any edition.
Standard Edition – $70
- Base Tekken 8 game
- PlayStation exclusive Tetsujin and Mokujin avatar skins
Deluxe Edition – $100
- Everything from the prior version
- Year 1 battle pass which includes 4 new characters, Kinjin avatar skin, Gold Suit Pack with one costume per playable character (32)
Ultimate Edition – $110
- Everything from the prior versions
- Classic Tekken T-Shirt set – 32 designs
- Kazuya, Jin, and Jun avatar skins
