When is the Tekken 8 release date? Believe it or not, it has been a ridiculously long seven years since Tekken 7 was released. And, after a long period of support, Bandai Namco is finally moving onto Tekken 8 which impressed during its gameplay trailer at Sony’s September 2022 State of Play. However, what have we seen and heard from Bandai Namco since then?
The answer is well, a fair amount, even if we have only seen a brief story trailer. But that trailer uncovers a lot of significant improvements for the series as it jumps to current-generation consoles with a look at some of the Tekken 8 characters. And, with a major boost visually, the series is set to make a big impact with Tekken 8 when it releases on PlayStation, Xbox, and PC. But, when will that be?
Tekken 8 release date speculation
Tekken 8 is expected to release in early 2024 for PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. The game isn’t coming to Xbox One or PS4. This window hasn’t been confirmed, however, it seems likely as the Tekken World Tour dates are Friday, January 12, 2024, to Sunday, January 14, 2024, which is earlier than usual. So, the game could come out in February or March 2024.
It has been a long time since Tekken 8 was first revealed at Sony’s State of Play in September 2022, but after hands-on gameplay in our preview during the closed network test, the game could definitely be in a place to launch early next year before EVO 2023.
Tekken 8 story
Tekken 8’s story mode will focus on Kazuya vs Jin and the father-and-son showdown between them. Beyond those details, we don’t know much about the Tekken 8 story mode as Bandai Namco is staying very quiet right now.
The story trailer debuted at The Game Awards and gave us an impressive look at the environments and action-packed narrative you can expect to be a part of:
Tekken 8 gameplay
The debut trailer for Tekken 8 showed off a fight between Kazuya and Jin and gave us a look at the impressive visuals for the first Tekken game in more than seven years.
While we don’t know how the gameplay changes will take effect when it comes to fighting, Tekken 8 is placing a lot of focus on the environments, dynamics arenas, and backgrounds which really bring the series to life in a new way. The trailer was taken from the in-game story mode so it reflects how the game looks in the current work-in-progress build of the fighting game.
And, Harada mentions in a PlayStation Blog post that the team are focusing on the detail in the character’s faces, skin, and models, as well as particle effects like water and how they interact with the fighters. On top of that, Harada also draws attention to the aforementioned backgrounds which feature storm rendering, immense weather density, and dynamic backgrounds like a huge tanker falling apart.
Harada also went in-depth on some of the new mechanics in the game in a deep dive presentation covering Rage, the recovery gauge, the Heat system and more. You can watch that below:
Additionally, there have been a number of trailers showcasing the characters for the game, with the latest focusing on Tekken 8’s first newcomer, Azucena.
So as you can see Tekken 8 is shaping up incredibly well from these trailers. We still have a long way to go until the game’s release date, so while you are waiting for the Tekken 8 release date, check out some of the best fighting games available right now or read up on Tekken 8 crossplay and Tekken 8’s rollback netcode!
