Tekken 8: All release date, platform, and game mode details

The Tekken 8 release date is fast approaching and the game looks to bring the series into modern times with new game modes, a larger single-player experience, new control options, and graphics befitting modern platforms.

Tekken 8 was teased in heavy-handed fashion at EVO 2022 before being officially announced during the following Sony State of Play. The game will bring back features from Tekken 7 such as rage arts, but is also taking a turn toward aggressive gameplay with the new heat gauge. Just as importantly, the game intends to focus on new players, story mode enthusiasts, and newcomers to the genre. 

This sentiment was echoed in recent interviews with the developers, who hinted at new story mode elements and arcade mode changes that will attract fans from all over the world. Here’s everything that’s on tap.

Tekken 8 release date confirmed

Tekken 8 will come out on January 8, 2024. Surprisingly, the Microsoft Store leaked the release date beforehand but the listing proved to be untrue. This was welcome news for fans, as Microsoft listed the game as coming out three weeks later.

The fighting game is set to kick off 2024 in explosive fashion, with a slew of major releases set for the first quarter of the year. Alongside Tekken 8 are titles such as Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, Persona 3 Reload, and many others. 

The launch of Tekken 8 follows a long list of new mainline games in other long-running fighting game series. 2023 saw the releases of Mortal Kombat 1 and Street Fighter 6, the latter of which was in the hunt for 2023 Game of the Year awards. The timing is fortuitous for Tekken 8 however, as it is taking a page out of Street Fighter 6’s playbook with greater accessibility options for new fighting game players, something that helped Street Fighter 6 reach new audiences.

The uptick of interest in major fighting game series has led to a number of classic games getting dusted off. This ranges from re-releases of games like Blazblue: Cross Tag Battle, new fighting games like Riot Games’ Project L, and the possible revival of dormant series like Virtua Fighter.

Tekken 8 platforms

Tekken 8 is set for release on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC, with the PC release coming through Steam.

While many major video game releases still attempt to sit on the fence when it comes to console generations, that’s not the case here. Tekken 8 will not come out on Xbox One or PlayStation 4. The game is strictly available on PC and next-gen consoles.

This isn’t particularly surprising as the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series consoles will be more than three years old by the time Tekken 8 launches but it finally seems like the band-aid is being ripped off for people who are still using their past-gen consoles.

Will Tekken 8 have DLC?

Tekken 8 is confirmed to be getting DLC similar to other fighting games.

Much like Street Fighter 6, Guilty Gear Strive, and other major competitors, the title will have “seasons” that include the release of new playable characters. The game will also add new costumes and looks for existing characters, letting players add some personal flavor to their favorite character.

It’s unknown how many seasons of DLC Tekken 8 will get. Tekken 7 launched in 2015 and had four seasons, with DLC being added up until 2021. If Tekken 8 gets similar treatment, players could be enjoying new content in the game in 2030 on their PlayStation 6.

Full Tekken 8 roster

Tekken 8 will have 32 characters on its base roster at launch. This is a massive tally by modern fighting game standards, and doesn’t count any DLC or transformations.

For the sake of comparison, Street Fighter 6 only had 18 characters on its base roster at launch. Mortal Kombat 1 had 22 playable characters with 15 “Kameo fighters” who serve as assist characters. The full lineup of Tekken 8 characters on its base roster includes the following:

The bulk of the Tekken 8 roster will be made up of returning characters from previous games in the series. There are set to be four new characters, some with ties to the story from previous games like Victor Chevalier while others are standard wacky additions like caffeine addict Azucena.

Alongside these characters, it’s confirmed that there will be a number of additions to the cast via DLC. A leak on the PlayStation Store suggests that Tekken 8’s first batch of DLC characters will include four fan favorites including Eddy Gordo and Roger the Kangaroo. Neither Bandai Namco nor the Tekken team have confirmed the news.

How will the story mode differ from Tekken 7?

Tekken 8 will feature an extensive story mode that is approximately 50% larger than that of Tekken 7, which will include various character episodes in addition to the main storyline.

Game director Kohei Ikeda told 4gamer that the new story mode will focus entirely on depicting the King of Iron Fist Tournament in full, rather than just serving as a backdrop for the fighting. Jin Kazama will be the main focus of the story mode but it will also include character episodes that let players use other characters.

These character episodes will look to expand the story and add variety with “what if?” scenarios, showing what would happen if a particular character wins the King of Iron Fist Tournament. The story will be told through in-game cinematics with different camera angles, and the endings will be full FMVs.

How does Tekken 8 arcade mode work?

Tekken 8 will also feature an arcade mode called Arcade Quest, which will be similar to real Japanese arcades and game centers, with ghost data to reflect real players and creators.

In Arcade Quest, players will be able to walk around and see other players fighting each other in the same vein as Street Fighter 6’s Arcade Tour. Players will also be able to customize the appearance of their avatar in Arcade Quest, and there are in-game tournaments. In short, the game intends to capture the energy of playing arcade games with friends.

“We have implemented most of the places you would think of as game centers…a club-like place where Tekken music is played, a place where prize games are the main attraction and Tekken is placed in the corner,” Ikeda told Famitsu in an interview.

There will be different types of game centers in Tekken 8 along with a “ghost” arcade center where players will fight against AI opponents who learn and evolve alongside the player. According to Ikeda, the AI opponent or ghost opponent in Arcade mode will be able to replicate and learn from the player’s fighting style. By fighting in the Arcade Quest mode, players will be able to recognize their own fighting habits and learn how to improve

There will also be ghosts modeled after the fighting styles of the developers themselves, including Tekken director Katsuhiro Harada. Players will also be able to download ghosts of other players, which will seemingly open the door for casual players to get a taste of competing against top competitive players.

Is there a Tekken 8 demo?

The Tekken 8 demo was released on December 14 on PlayStation 5, and on December 21 on Xbox Series X/S and Steam.

The demo includes the first chapter of the story mode, called “The Dark Awakens” and includes local multiplayer. The larger story is set to focus on the father-son conflict between Kazuya Mishima and Jin Kazama, with Jin’s mother playing a central role. This is also the first game where Jin will have access to the moves of his Devil Jin form as part of his normal move set. Devil Jin is also set to be a playable character in his own right.

Tekken 8 will be released on January 26 next year and will be a part of the EVO line up for 2024 alongside Street Fighter 6, Guilty Gear Strive, and Granblue Fantasy Versus Rising.