Highlights

  • Tekken 8 aims to provide closure to longtime fans and attract new players to the franchise.
  • The mainline Tekken games have short story campaigns, but offer longevity through various online and offline modes.
  • Players can complete the campaigns of all previous Tekken games in approximately 20 hours, making it accessible for newcomers.

Developer Bandai Namco will be hoping the upcoming release of Tekken 8 serves two main purposes: To provide the existing fan base with some closure on the long-running narrative, and to introduce brand-new players to the world of Tekken and its characters. The franchise, which has been running for almost 30 years, has an established set of characters, motivations, and rivalries, all of which have been explored over the series' seven previous mainline installments. For newcomers to the series, this can feel daunting, but luckily, those who are inclined to play some of the previous titles and get a feel for the Tekken universe won't have to devote a huge chunk of time in order to do so.

The fighting genre isn't exactly known for lengthy story campaigns, and while series such as Mortal Kombat and Street Fighter have expanded their respective lore through other forms of media such as TV and comics, each fighting game in isolation is usually a pretty short affair. Tekken is no exception to this rule, with each mainline game's story mode taking an average of just three hours to complete. The games' longevity instead comes from their impressive selection of modes, both online and offline, allowing players to continuously keep their experiences fresh and rewarding. This means, in theory, a player could play through all seven previous games' campaigns in approximately 20 hours.

Tekken 8 Expect 2024
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What to Expect From Tekken 8 in 2024

2024 is set to be a big year for Tekken fans, with the release of Tekken 8 marking the first mainline entry in the series for almost nine years.

How Long Does it Take to Beat All Previous Tekken Games?

The original Tekken game, first released in 1994, is predictably light on story. Playing through the single-player campaign in its entirety will only take players a little over one hour. With each character having a different ending cutscene, though, this at least encourages replayability. Those wanting to experience everything the game has to offer will need to spend over six hours doing so. The sequel, Tekken 2, is almost identical in length, taking an hour or so to play through, but over six to experience everything.

With Tekken 8 set to expand both its Story and Arcade modes, it may well find itself being one of the longest entries in the series.

Tekken 3, a game which still holds up remarkably well even today despite being a PS1 release, doubled down on its narrative and offered a richer experience than its predecessors. Players could spend roughly two and a half hours playing through the story mode, but to experience the game's different modes, such as the infamous Tekken Force Mode, they would need to dedicate over 12 hours to do so. Tekken 4 trimmed some fat when compared to its predecessor, and can be finished in just over an hour, with roughly 10 hours or so needed to experience everything it has to offer, including an updated Tekken Force Mode.

Tekken 5, which was released for the PS2 in 2004, came with a host of new modes and features. Despite this, the campaign can still be finished in just over two hours. Those wishing to enjoy the game in its entirety will need roughly 18 hours or so. The console version of Tekken 6 features a mode similar to Tekken Force, where players can freely roam environments, collecting loot in between standard combat encounters. These changes ensure the game is longer than past entries, and it takes over six hours to finish, a number that can be more than doubled for those looking to do everything.

Tekken Tag Tournament and its sequel, two non-canonical entries that see the fighters double up in tag teams, had short campaigns that could each be finished in less than two hours. The extra modes and features included in both mean that they each have over 10 hours' worth of total content. Tekken 7's focus on story, particularly the Mishima family saga, means that its campaign is longer than most of the others, and takes just under four hours to finish. Players can easily spend over 10 hours exploring the game's content though. With Tekken 8 set to expand both its Story and Arcade modes, it may well find itself being one of the longest entries in the series.