Tekken 8

Play it on: PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Windows (Steam Deck YMMV)
Current goal: Beat the story
Buy it from: Amazon | Best Buy | Target

With the recent releases of Granblue Fantasy Versus, Mortal Kombat 1, and Street Fighter 6—along with the other fighting games that came out in the last few years—we’re in something of a golden age for fighting games. Bandai Namco will round this list out with Tekken 8 on January 26 and, based on the reviews alone, it sounds awesome. Seriously, fighting game fans are eating real good.

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The eighth mainline entry in the decades-spanning fighting game franchise, Tekken 8 has some new mechanics that make the game more approachable for beginners while providing added depth for veterans. I experimented with some of these features in the demo that’s available on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S, including the Heat system that can extend combo strings and maintain offensive pressure. It felt solid, but because the demo is limited—you’ve got just a handful of characters and stages at your disposal—I wanted to wait to get the full experience. Now that the weekend is coming and the game’s release is upon us, I’m getting fired up to jump in, pick my main, and get bodied in online matches. You gotta lose before you win, so I look forward to taking a lot of Ls. It’ll make the first W taste so sweet. — Levi Winslow