Tekken 8 tips and tricks – 10 beginner’s tips to help you win matches

If you’re new to the franchise and looking for some Tekken 8 tips and tricks to help get you started, you’ve come to the right place. Tekken is infamous for its difficulty, and even though Tekken 8 is the most approachable yet, it’s still no walk in the park. That’s why we’ve put together some handy pointers to help you get started on your Tekken journey.

Check out our Tekken 8 character list for a look at all the fighters currently on offer. And if you’re wanting to know which Tekken 8 DLC characters are lined up, we’ve got you there too. For now though, let’s take a look at our 10 tips and tricks to help you get started in Tekken and racking up those wins.

Choose a character you like, not just the best one

Some characters are better than others, that’s the nature of fighting games. But just because a character is good, doesn’t mean you should pick them. Learning Tekken can take a while, and picking a character you actually like is going to be a big help along the way. Watch some clips of a few characters to see if you like the look of them or how they play. If you think Yoshimitsu looks cool, pick him. Whoever draws you in the most is the character for you.

Play Arcade Quest

Arcade Quest is a new mode in Tekken 8, and one that’s designed to help new players get to grips with the mechanics of Tekken. It takes you through different mechanics bit by bit, making it a great way to get started without feeling too overwhelmed. By the end of it, you’ll have a good grasp on the basic mechanics of Tekken, and will be able to understand 

Learn a combo or two

A good way to get a feel for your character is learning a couple of combos. Head into Practice Mode and take a look at the Sample Combos. Pick one or two, and then practise them until you can do them consistently. Once you can do that, head into a match against the CPU and try and use them in-game. It’s no use being able to do something in Practice Mode that you can’t use in a real fight after all.

But it’s not all about combos

Combos are great, but they’re actually only a small part of Tekken. Practising other things like punishment and movement are important too. Check out Punishment Training in Practice Mode to learn how to counter certain attacks. Start using throws more often to mix things up. 

Remember to defend

Tekken is kind of like a turn-based game, and trying to attack when it’s not your turn can be the easiest way to lose. It can be tempting to try and attack your opponent all the time, but if they’re smart, they’ll just block everything and hit you back after. Wait for your opponent’s attack to finish before attacking them, and you’ll not only avoid being caught out, but you’ll be more likely to hit them.

Use spacing

Knowing when to keep your distance from your opponent is one of the best tools you can use in Tekken. Every now and then, back off from your opponent and make them come to you. This can be a great way to force them into a mistake, which you can punish with a launcher and a nice combo.

Remember to sidestep

Tekken is a 3D game, so make the most of it. When used right, sidestepping can be one of your best tools both defensively and offensively. It can be used to dodge certain attacks, potentially baiting a mistake from the opponent, as well as giving you access to new moves. At the lower ranks, sidestepping is fairly rare, so making an effort to start using it early on will give you a big advantage in the long run.

Watch replays

Replays are one of the best ways to evaluate your gameplay. Watching a fight back, you can clearly see the mistakes you make and the bad habits you might have that you might not have noticed before. The Tekken 8 replay tool also gives you tips on which moves to use to punish opponent attacks, which can be a big help the next time you come up against that character.

Rematch everyone

The best way to improve is by playing, and especially by losing, so you should rematch anyone and everyone. Losing to better players will expose the mistakes you make, letting you fix them and improve, as well as exposing you to certain characters and playstyles, better preparing you to face them in the future. If you only play against people worse than you, you may rank up faster, but you’ll eventually stop improving and hit a plateau. 

It’s a marathon, not a sprint

Tekken has been around for 30 years, and some players have been playing the same character for literal decades – you’re not going to be on their level right away. I grew up playing Tekken, and yet it still took me years (yes, years) to get to my final rank in Tekken 7, and even then there were still 10 more ranks above me. Don’t get obsessed with ranks, and just enjoy yourself – the ranks will come.

That’s everything for our Tekken 8 tips and tricks, hopefully they gave you some good pointers on how to get started. If you’re looking for some character tips, why not check out our guides on Tekken 8 Jin and Tekken 8 Paul to help you out?