Highlights
- Tekken 8 will be released on January 26, 2024, and pre-orders will be available on August 22, giving fans something to look forward to in the new year.
- The game will feature a new game mode called Arcade Quest, which aims to recreate the classic feel of playing Tekken at a mall and allows players to create a custom avatar to compete against AI opponents.
- Alongside the release date and new game mode, the gameplay trailer revealed more glimpses into the game's story and roster of 32 unique playable characters, including the return of fan favorite Yoshimitsu.
A slew of new Tekken 8 information was just revealed during Gamescom 2023’s Opening Night, including its release date, a new game mode, and some pre-order bonuses. The latest installment of Bandai Namco’s 3D fighting game series was formally announced last September, following an ominous teaser trailer at EVO 2022. Since then, details about Tekken 8 have been slowly coming to the surface, with director Katsuhiro Harada promising a much more “aggressive” experience thanks to the game’s new “Heat” gauge system.
Story-wise, Tekken 8 will mark a brand-new chapter in the legendary Mishima family feud, with longtime Tekken archvillain Heihachi Mishima now dead and remaining members Jin Kazama and Kazuya Mishima left to continue their battle in his wake. Over the past few months, Bandai Namco Studios has revealed several characters who will be returning in Tekken 8 alongside a host of new and refined gameplay mechanics like Tekken 8’s new Special Style and the returning Rage system. However, the developer has remained tight-lipped on when players should expect to play Tekken 8, at least until Gamescom 2023.
Longtime Tekken director Katsuhiro Harada and producer Michael Murray joined Gamescom 2023 host Geoff Keighley onstage during the Opening Night livestream to discuss Tekken 8 and reveal a wealth of new information about the upcoming fighting game blockbuster. Harada announced that Tekken 8 will have a brand-new game mode, one that will focus on the player themselves as they navigate a virtual arcade that aims to recreate the classic feel of playing Tekken at a mall. This mode, called Arcade Quest, was briefly shown during a subsequent Tekken 8 trailer and appears to have players create a custom avatar and compete against AI opponents.
Arcade Quest wasn’t the only new thing shown off in the latest Tekken 8 gameplay trailer, as viewers were treated with more glimpses into the game’s story and roster of 32 unique playable characters. While many of these characters were already revealed before Gamescom, some returning fan favorites were unveiled for the very first time, such as the eccentric samurai warrior Yoshimitsu.
Finally, Tekken 8’s release date of January 26, 2024 was revealed at long last, with pre-orders being available on August 22. Those who order one of Tekken 8’s three editions ahead of time will be rewarded with an Arcade Quest costume modeled after Paul Phoenix, with another pair based on Mokujin and Tetsujin being exclusive to PlayStation users.
Fans have been waiting a long time to find out when Tekken 8 will launch, and while it is a few more months away at least it will no longer be released in the already crowded 2023 fighting game landscape. Arcade Quest also looks like an interesting addition to Tekken 8, and players will likely get more clues about how it enhances the overall Tekken experience in the run-up to January.
Tekken 8 will launch on January 26, 2024 for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S.
