The Tekken 8 community is up in arms following the Season 2 update, which introduced sweeping and contentious changes to the game.
The patch notes outlined universal boosts to character damage and offensive pressure, prompting complaints from players that Tekken 8 has drifted far from its traditional roots.
Professional Tekken player JoKa expressed frustration, stating the Season 2 changes make the game “feel nothing like Tekken.”
“Even slight buffs to characters, paired with more stance-based transitions and amplified 50/50 scenarios, are misguided. Some new moves are wildly unbalanced with no viable counters. Patching character weaknesses and diluting their unique identities through homogenization is sloppy design. Oki has been gutted, while heat mechanics are overly enhanced. Combo damage across the roster is excessive. Sidesteps have improved, but what’s the point when moves have overpowered tracking and hitboxes? Chip damage remains oppressive, with most heat smashes unchanged. Replacing strategy with relentless 50/50 situations isn’t engaging and strays from Tekken’s core.”
“Where are the promised defensive options?”
T8 now hit the most negative reviews in a day since the day the Tekken Shop launched one year ago
byu/YourGameTVlol inTekken
As expected, players have flooded Tekken 8’s Steam page with their grievances. The game has received over 1,100 negative reviews in the past two days, earning a ‘mostly negative’ rating for recent user reviews.
“A genuinely great game dragged down by erratic developers making baffling choices,” reads the current ‘most helpful’ review.
“The new season turned every character into a mindless mix-up machine with no defensive buffs,” another review states.
“Despite promises of enhancing defensive play, the balance team has leaned harder into overwhelming offensive mechanics that strip defenders of control,” another negative review notes.
“Not every character needs constant forced 50/50 mix-ups, but the balance team seems out of ideas for creative character design. It’s disheartening to see another legacy fighting game reduced to pure offense with little room for defensive response.”
Some Tekken fans are so frustrated that they’re switching to Capcom’s Street Fighter 6. Others have labeled Season 2 the “worst patch in Tekken history,” with some pro players considering abandoning Tekken 8 altogether.
I don't know if I'll continue playing Tekken if this patch stays.
— END | Jesandy (@Jesandy1572) April 1, 2025
I'm sorry for doomposting, but I thought it had a chance to be a better game.
I'm just really sad.
Like depressed.
I streamed 70 hours of Tekken this past week to prep for s2 just to have those hopes shattered.
Gn.
The community is now awaiting a response from the developers to address the outcry. Some demand a complete rollback of the patch, while others call for an urgent follow-up patch to implement critical adjustments.
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