Since Tekken 8’s initial announcement in December of 2022, a lot of exciting information has been revealed about the newest game in the franchise. From new characters, maps and movesets to whole new game modes, Tekken fans have been given plenty to get excited over. Here are 5 of the many new gameplay features which are lining Tekken 8 up to be the best release in the series.

5. Special Controller Style

Harada (Tekken's Game Director) Explaining Special Style.

In an attempt to make Tekken 8 more accessible and beginner friendly, a new controller layout has been introduced called “Special Style”. 

Building upon the previously introduced “assist mode” in Tekken 7, Special Style displays a number of options on screen for the player to choose, all corresponding to a button input. An example of this is repeatedly pressing one button will cause your character to perform a full combo. This isn’t the only feature being added to try make the game more friendly to beginners, Tekken 8 is also going to feature a full tutorial system covering topics of all difficulties. 

This addition to the game will allow players to try a new character without having a grasp of their moveset. Understandably fighting games are extremely difficult to learn and have a very high skill ceiling, which is why accessibility options like Special Style are in such high demand.

4. Special Character Interactions

Jin And Kazuya Doing Their Special Character Introduction.

Tekken 8 has introduced yet another new feature to the series, special character interactions will now show the depth of relationships between certain characters before the battle starts.  With this comes cinematic openings featuring new animations and dialogue between the two fighters! 

With new interactions being revealed in character gameplay trailers, fans can’t predict what special fighter exchanges will happen next. Visually these cinematics are often stunning with groundbreaking (literally) effects coming off the fighters. From Jin and Kazuya colliding fists that send lightning through the arena to Azucena and Lili debating what’s the best hot drink, the variety is huge.

3. Tekken Fight Lounge

The New Social Space, Tekken Fight Lounge.

Another new gameplay feature announced for Tekken 8 is the fight lounge! Trying to recreate the classic arcade culture which the original Tekken games was born from, the Tekken Fight Lounge was created.

Tekken Fight Lounge Character Creation.

Players design a character model and use it to explore a number of social spaces full of other players. This includes: an outfit shop where players can spend their hard earned currency on items to customize their profile and fighters, an arcade area where players can sit at game machines and battle each other. A beach to play the much beloved Tekken ball gamemode and a Dojo to practice your moves! The fight lounge is certainly an addition Tekken fans didn’t expect, however it provides a whole new level of community and creativity to players.

2. System Crossplay

The Tekken 8 Logo As Well As The Consoles The Game Will Be Released On.

For the first time in series history, Tekken 8 will feature the much desired ability for cross-platform play (crossplay). As seen in the closed network test and beta, players on Steam, Xbox Series X and Playstation 5 have the option to battle against each other in the arena. This is huge! 

Its predecessor, Tekken 7, lacked the option for crossplay which meant the overall player base on each system was very limited. All this changes with Tekken 8 providing the option to enable cross-platform matchmaking in settings, as well as displaying the platform of the opponent when you match against someone. With the addition of crossplay, players will be able to expect shorter queue times and a drastically larger pool of players to be matched against!

1. Heat Fighting System

Kazuya Performing A Heat Engager In Tekken 8

The new heat fighting system in Tekken 8 has redefined the franchise by putting a new focus on ‘aggressive’ gameplay. Heat has caused Tekken players to rethink how they approach battles and gameplay. But what is heat and how does it work?

Players have been given a blue heat meter under their health bar which refills once per round, it can be activated via certain moves and inputs. Heat can be activated using a heat burst which is the same input for every character. While in heat mode players can use their meter in various ways, the first being a heat smash. A heat smash is a high damage, short cinematic move which will use the entire heat meter. The second use is heat engagers, every character has certain moves which put the player in heat and give them the opportunity to run at their opponent and perform a combo. The final aspect of heat is certain moves being strengthened while heat is activated. 

Despite players only having access to Tekken 8 for a short period during the closed network test , heat has been picked up quickly by players and amazing ways to utilize the new system have already been discovered.

You may also be interested in:

• Tekken 8: Devil Jin: Everything You Need To Know
• Tekken 8: Claudio Serafino: Everything You Need To Know
• All Tekken 8 New Characters That We've Seen So Far