Best Tekken Games

Now that the Xbox Series X and the PlayStation 5 have firmly established themselves as the current-gen systems, the more prominent titles are slowly coming through. One of these titles is the next entry in the Tekken series.

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By  Rhenn Taguiam

Tekken 8 has attracted fans to its flagship fighting series with stunning visuals running on Unreal Engine 5. With a long and storied history of lore and characters, where does the eighth installment of Tekken rank?

Updated July 7, 2024 by Michael Llewellyn: Tekken 8 has helped reinvigorate the franchise for fighting game fans old and new, whether they want to catch up by watching Tekken: Bloodlines on Netflix or replaying earlier games in the iconic series. However, few things beat experiencing the story for one's self. This list has been updated to feature the pros and cons of each title, along with links that will be of interest to Tekken enthusiasts.

18 Tekken's Nina Williams In Death By Degrees

Metascore: 51

Pros:

• Focuses on one of the series' most iconic characters.

Cons:

• The mechanics deviated too far from the Tekken series.
• The overly sexualized fanservice appeared juvenile.

The worst-scoring game in the Tekken franchise is Death by Degrees, which features Nina Williams as the lead protagonist of an action-adventure game. The combat system differed from the mainline fighting games, implementing the analog sticks similarly to Jet Li: Rise to Honor.

Unfortunately, it lacked the fluidity of Jet Li's game. The mechanics are awkward, the camera angles are terrible, and the combos are far too challenging and confusing. Death by Degrees seems like a rushed attempt to capitalize on Dead or Alive- style fan service with over-the-top costumes, bikinis, and silly massage oil mechanics.

17 Tekken 3D: Prime Edition

Metascore: 64

Pros:

• Good visuals that appear to push the 3DS system.
• The large roster of Tekken characters.

Cons:

• Lack of story content and replay value.
• Multiplayer was hit-and-miss.

Seeing Namco's flagship fighter running on the 3DS and looking as good as it did is impressive. Including all 41 of Tekken 6's roster is equally as substantial on the little handheld. However, the title was criticized at launch, resulting in the 3DS version becoming the lowest-scoring game for the mainline series.

Furthermore, Tekken 3D lacked decent single-player modes, and the online multiplayer is unreliable and laggy. There is little to no replay value, which is a shame because Tekken 3D Prime is one of the best-looking titles for the Nintendo handheld system.

16 Tekken Hybrid

Metascore: 65

Pros:

• An HD remaster of the PS2's Tekken Tag Tournament that came bundled with the Tekken movie and a Tekken Tag Tournament 2 prologue demo.

Cons:

• The remastered Tekken Tag Tournament didn't look much better than the original PS2 version.

Tekken Hybrid is a compilation of the Tekken Tag Tournament HD remaster, a demo of Tag Tournament 2, and a Blu-ray of the movie Tekken: Blood Vengeance. The original Tekken Tag Tournament was a PS2 launch title and a great multiplayer game.

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Unfortunately, the couch co-op fun was not extended to online multiplayer. The visuals are upscaled, and Tekken Tag was still as fun as it ever was, but selling the game as a full-price game was excessive, thanks to the poor effort put in by Namco.

15 Tekken Revolution

Metascore: 70

Pros:

• A decent visual upgrade on the PS3.

Cons:

• A discontinued online-only game.

It is hardly worth mentioning the PS3 title Tekken Revolution. The game is no longer available and was not a favorite among fans. Tekken Revolution came out when the PS3 was on its last legs, and the series seemed to want to bow out with a treat for PS fans.

However, it turned out to be not as much of an original game as it was copying Tekken Tag Tournament. The only allure to getting Tekken Revolution was that it was a free game and could easily be downloaded. Other than that, there isn't anything here that players haven’t played before.

14 Tekken Mobile

Metascore: 70

• Platform: Android and IOS
• Released: 2018
• Developer: Namco Bandai Studios

Pros:

• Excellent Tekken-style character models.
• Accessible controls.

Cons:

• Discontinued in 2019.

Tekken Mobile is another online-only experience that's no longer available. The free-to-play fighter was discontinued in 2019, featuring good visuals and character models derived from Tekken 7. As is common with free Android and iOS games, Tekken Mobile had gacha mechanics, and its touchscreen controls don't compare to a traditional controller.

However, mobile game fans praised it for feeling accessible and easy to pull off special moves using the "Waza Cards." It also featured a substantial roster of Tekken characters, boasting 41 characters before its shutdown in less than a year.

13 Tekken

The Classic Original Is Still Worth Playing

Pros:

• The origins of the Tekken fighting system hold up well.

Cons:

• The 3D visuals haven't aged well.

Tekken debuted at a time when the series was less established than Capcom's Street Fighter or Sega's Virtua Fighter. Primarily, Tekken demonstrated the capabilities of 3D combat in arcades and on the PS1. Nonetheless, the outcome was gratifying, with series regulars, Kazuya and Paul becoming standouts.

Although the game shows its age, especially compared to Tekken 2, revisiting it to experience the foundational mechanics that persist today is enjoyable. Iconic characters such as Nina, Paul, Kazuya, and Law retain their familiar feel, with several of their classic combos remaining effective even after decades. However, unlike the 2D Street Fighter games, the polygonal 3D character models haven't aged well.

12 Tekken 4

Metascore: 79

Pros:

• Good visuals and character models.

Cons:

• Convoluted story mode.
• Small arenas.

Concentrating on narrative elements has been beneficial for various game genres, yet this approach did not yield favorable results for the fourth installment of Tekken. The narrative represented a regression from the iconic and straightforward storyline of Tekken 3.

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Tekken 4’s story represented a shift in style for the series and felt somewhat limited in scope. In terms of gameplay, Tekken 4 was criticized for its small arenas and terrain features, as players on higher ground had a significant advantage over those on lower levels. In contrast, the character models appeared fantastic and signified a generational advancement from Tekken 3, but lacked the fun of Tekken Tag Tournament games.

11 Tekken Advance

Metascore: 82

Pros:

• A solid effort on limited hardware.

Cons:

• Non-canon story.
• Basic controls.

Indeed, the image above is not of low quality; it accurately represents the graphics of Tekken Advance. At the time, the Nintendo Game Boy Advance was hopelessly outmatched in graphics compared to home consoles, so this was the best GBA players could get, and it was a stellar effort considering its limitations.

Tekken Advance, being a non-canonical installment in the series, does not require players to delve into its storyline, as it is not pertinent to the main narrative. Nevertheless, the entertainment value was satisfactory, even with limited controls and a small selection of Tekken characters.

10 Tekken 6

Metascore: 82

Pros:

• Excellent visuals and character models.
• The new Rage mechanics.

Cons:

• Focus on aggressive play.

Tekken's introduction to the seventh generation of consoles may not have revolutionized the fighting game genre. However, Tekken 6 was a robust addition, introducing mechanics that have become standard and featuring impressive visuals.

Fan criticism primarily focused on the character of Azazel, who was seen as a generic monster equipped with an array of moves designed to overpower the defensive player. Tekken 6 did a fine job with the Rage mode and the upgrade in customization features, and it was still one of the best-playing fighting games on the PS3 and Xbox 360. The PSP iteration was also great.

9 Tekken 7

Metascore: 82

Pros:

• Fantastic visuals, animations, and character models.
• A large roster of characters for owners of the Deluxe version.

Cons:

• Weak story mode.

Fans had to wait about a decade before Tekken 7 debuted on consoles, and it was perhaps this hype that made Tekken 7 seem on par with its similarly average predecessor. Thanks to the graphical quality on display, it is easily the best-looking Tekken yet.

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By  Jake Buchalter

The downsides involved the ho-hum story mode that failed to deliver on the expectations of closure provided by Namco before the game’s release. It has aged well, though, since characters like Negan from The Walking Dead have made it more versatile with time.