Tekken 8, the long-awaited fighting game sequel from Bandai Namco and Arika, will officially launch on 26 January 2024.
The news was confirmed during Gamescom 2023, via a trailer also revealing the debut of the Arcade Quest gameplay mode. This new, single-player addition will allow players to recapture the feeling of playing Tekken on arcade cabinets via a virtual setup complete with cute, customisable avatars – similar to the Battle Hub mode in Street Fighter 6. In this mode, you’ll also be able to dress up your fighters in collectible outfits as in past games.
Elsewhere in the new trailer, the reappearance of several fan-favourite characters was confirmed, including fighters like Steve Fox, Yoshimitsu, Shaheen, Duragnov, Leo, and Kuma.
At launch, Tekken 8 will include 32 playable characters, with more arriving in post-launch content updates. You can see some of these fighters in action via the game’s latest trailer:
Read: Tekken 8 Preview – Hands-on impressions, insights from Harada
Beyond new looks at fighters and gameplay modes, the latest trailer for Tekken 8 also revealed more about the game’s story. As previously detailed, it will continue the blood feud between the Mishima family, with Kazuya Mishima and Jin Kazama once again taking centre stage. Despite this being a father-son fight, it appears more characters will be sucked into their orbit this go around, with stakes higher and more intense.
Earlier in the year, GamesHub was able to get hands-on with the upcoming game – and we came away very impressed by how it elevates and expands the world of Tekken with hyper-powered matches, and plenty of family drama.
‘It’s faster and more explosive – even compared to other Tekken games, and a lot of fun to watch in motion,’ writer Edmond Tran said. ‘Even though the soul of the game feels nice and familiar, the game’s presentation looks sharper and fresher and it feels like the huge generational leap forward that this series deserves.’
After months of speculation, everyone can now look forward to Tekken 8 launching for PC, Xbox Series X/S, and PlayStation 5 on 26 January 2024.
