I know I’m probably going to get some heat for this, but I’m going to say it anyway: I truly believe that Tekken 8 is vastly better than Tekken 7. I’m humble, but I understand this is a bold claim, especially coming from someone who’s only been actively playing Tekken for about a year.
My first experience with the series was years ago, playing Tekken 3 at an arcade — like many others. After that, I played some Tekken 7 here and there, and then last year, I decided to dive deeper and cover all Tekken 7 characters’ move lists in my blog. Since then, I’ve learned a lot about Tekken. I’ve played nearly every game in the series, including the Tekken 3 Game Boy edition. While I wouldn’t call myself a Tekken veteran, I’m not exactly a newbie either.
For those of you who agree with me — awesome! But this post is mainly for those who don’t. And that’s perfectly fine. That’s what I love about America — it’s a free country, and anyone can share their opinion online, even if it’s questionable (yes, I just called myself foolish).
Tekken 7 Vs Tekken 8 – My Comparison (My Thoughts)
Diving deep into everything that Tekken has to offer would take way too long, so this will be surface-level. If I decide to go deeper, I might create a post breaking things down — from characters, music, accessibility, online features, and story.
For now, I’ll just touch on those points. If you disagree with me, feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments. I’d love to hear your perspective.
1. Story: Tekken 7 vs Tekken 8
In my opinion, Tekken 8’s story is far better. Do you disagree? Well, at their core, both stories follow the same structure: a cutscene, followed by a fight, then another cutscene, and so on. What matters is how they tell that story.
I wasn’t the biggest fan of Tekken 7’s approach, where you view events through the eyes of a reporter instead of following key characters directly. It felt odd — like, “Bro, just cut out the middleman.” Thankfully, Tekken 8 fixed this. You primarily play as Jin, which makes sense since it’s the Mishima Saga. Plus, with the story DLC, you get to play as several other characters, which is awesome.
Read More - Bob Combo Tekken 7The sheer chaos and over-the-top moments in Tekken 8’s story were incredible. I streamed my first playthrough, and honestly, I hadn’t had that much fun in ages. The way everything tied together after years of conflict was satisfying. While I have mixed feelings about the story DLC, I still think Tekken 8’s story wins overall.
2. Soundtrack Battle: Which Game Has the Better Music?
Yes, Tekken 7 has fantastic music, but Tekken 8? Man, it’s hit after hit after hit. I think there are only three stage tracks I don’t like. Whoever made the Tekken 8 soundtrack deserves a raise because it’s straight bangers.
Some of you might need to take off your nostalgia glasses for a second. Tekken 8’s soundtrack is just next-level — from the stage themes to the opening music. Absolute fire. Agree or disagree? Let me know below.
3. Character Roster: Who Did It Best?
This is a big one. Tekken 7 is complete — we’ve had four seasons of DLC characters, and the roster is massive. Whether you love or hate certain characters, their inclusion was exciting. Guest fighters like Negan added a fun twist, while returning characters kept the roster feeling familiar.
- Tekken 8 launched with 32 characters — and honestly, that’s impressive. That’s more than Street Fighter 6, and Tekken 8’s characters have way more moves than any Street Fighter character. With Heihachi recently joining the roster as DLC, the count now sits at 35.
- Is the roster perfect? No. But it’s close. There are only a few characters I think could’ve been swapped out — for instance, Panda. As much as I love her, she could’ve just been a Kuma skin. Also, Azucena — I get she’s meant to replace Josie, and while I prefer her, she’s still not my favorite.
That said, Tekken 8 nailed the classic character lineup. I’m excited to see what future DLC brings, whether it’s returning fighters or guest characters.
Season 1’s DLC has been solid so far –
I wasn’t particularly drawn to Lidia, but Eddie and Heihachi? Heck yeah. As for future characters — Lay, Ogre, and Mokujin would be awesome picks.
If they add Lay, I’m sold.
4. Visuals & Stages: A Next-Gen Leap or Just Hype?
This is an easy win for Tekken 8. Visually, it’s stunning. Of course, Tekken 7 had budget constraints since Tekken Tag Tournament 2 didn’t perform as well as hoped. But thankfully, Tekken 7 turned things around, and now Tekken 8 is thriving with next-gen power.
The stages are diverse, vibrant, and full of detail. They create immersive environments that make fights even more exciting. I’m not a huge fan of the Arena and Arena Underground stages — those can go. But overall, Tekken 8’s stages are superior.
5. Gameplay Evolution: Faster, Smoother, or Just Different?
Gameplay preference depends on whether you’re a casual or competitive player. Personally, I love Tekken 8’s fast-paced and aggressive combat. When the game first launched, some players criticized how aggressive it was, but the 1.05 patch balanced things nicely. Now you can sidestep effectively and adopt defensive strategies if that’s your style.
I prefer Tekken 8‘s pace. Tekken 7 often felt too defensive — players would spam safe moves and hope their opponent made a mistake. Once you were caught in a combo, you were stuck in a drawn-out sequence that felt frustrating. While Tekken 8 still has that “whoever messes up first loses” vibe, I feel like you have more options to turn things around. It’s chaotic, unpredictable, and honestly, just more fun.
6. Online Play: Which Game Offers the Better Experience?
Neither game has flawless online play, but Tekken 8 is still better. Tekken 7 always felt slow — finding an opponent took forever, and sometimes you’d get stuck on a loading screen after they accepted the match.
With Tekken 8, matchmaking is lightning-fast. It’s almost too fast — sometimes I want to practice a combo, but boom — next fight. While matchmaking isn’t perfect, and the lack of points when opponents rage quit is frustrating, Tekken 8’s online still feels far smoother than Tekken 7’s.
Final Verdict: Is Tekken 8 Truly Superior?
Those are a few reasons why I believe Tekken 8 is better than Tekken 7. If you disagree, feel free to write an essay in the comments — I may or may not read it. If you agree, go ahead and hit that like button.
