RELATED: Fighting Games to Look Forward to in 2023
Tekken 8 already showcased a demo of Namco’s flagship fighting series on Unreal Engine 5. With a long and storied history of lore and characters, the next Tekken will hopefully break new ground. Here’s hoping the upcoming Tekken 8 is more like the top-ranked game, according to Metacritic, rather than the lowest.
Updated January 11, 2023 by Michael Llewellyn: After more footage for Tekken 8 was unveiled at the Game Awards fan excitement for the upcoming fighter is understandably high. It features returning characters like Jun, an upgraded engine, and stunning visuals. There’s no release date yet, but there’s a ton of lore to work through and gain an understanding of the storyline.
Of course, everyone has their favorite Tekken character, but the narrative centers around the Mishima family. It’s worth playing the best the series has to offer, and this list has been updated to include more titles from the Tekken series.
15 Tekken 3D: Prime Edition - Metascore 64%
Launched: 2012 Platform: 3DS
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 series.
Furthermore, Tekken 3D lacks features for single players, 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 system.
14 Tekken Hybrid - Metascore 65%
Launched 2011 Platform: PS3
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.
Unfortunately, fans expected the couch co-op fun to be 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.
13 Tekken Revolution - Metascore 70%
Launched: 2013 Platform: PS3
It’s almost not worth even mentioning this game seeing as it’s not possible to play it anymore. 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’s nothing here that players haven’t played before.
12 Tekken - Metascore 75%
Launched: 1995 Platform: PS1
Remember, Metacritic didn’t have a score for the original due to how dated it is, but this rating is from GameRankings.com, the site which has now merged with Metacritic, so the rating still applies. Apart from that, one does understand why the score is relatively low.
This was released when the series wasn’t as established as Street Fighter - or even the Virtua Fighter series - Tekken was mainly a vehicle that showcased the strengths of 3D combat in arcades and the PS1. The result was still satisfying, as characters like Kazuya and Paul shined through.
11 Tekken 4 - Metascore 79%
Launched: 2002 Platform: PS2
Focusing on the story aspect has worked wonders for games of different genres, but it appears that gamble didn’t play out so well for Tekken. The fourth installment suffered from taking a step back from the explosive action and focusing on the plot.
RELATED: Games That Deconstruct The Fighting Genre
It’s a shame that critics didn’t appreciate this turn, though, as Tekken 4’s story is one for the ages. Gameplay-wise, Tekken 4 also faced criticism for the terrain available, as moving higher meant players were at a significant advantage compared to those on lower ground. On the other hand, the character models did receive some praise.
10 Tekken Advance - Metascore 82%
Launched: 2001 Platform: GBA
No, that isn’t a low-quality picture above, this is precisely what Tekken Advance looked like. At the time, the Nintendo Game Boy Advance was hopelessly outmatched in graphics compared to home consoles, so this was the best players could get.
It’s also a non-canonical entry in the series, so players didn’t need to immerse themselves in the plot since it was irrelevant. However, the entertainment value received was good despite limited controls and a small roster. Repeated plays brought enough attachment for the player to keep continuing.
9 Tekken Tag Tournament 2 - 82%
Launched: 2012 Platform: PS3, Wii U, and Xbox 360
The seventh generation wasn’t the best for the Tekken series, as its simultaneous release across platforms meant it couldn’t stand out compared to PS and Xbox exclusives released around the same time. Tekken Tag Tournament 2 served as a way of bringing old fans back.
Here, players had the largest roster available at the time, as characters like Jun Kazama, among others, returned after a long hiatus. It was by no means bad, but it was hardly revolutionary enough to be memorable. Then again, having multiple characters on hand is always fun in a fighting game.
8 Tekken 6 - Metascore 82%
Launched: 2008 Platform: PSP, PS3, and Xbox 360
The series’ introduction in the seventh generation of consoles didn’t live up to the mark set by its immediate predecessor, as Tekken 6 turned out to be an okay release in a franchise that had seen huge highs and few lows.
The criticism was chiefly attributed to the character of Azazel, a generic monster with a bevy of moves made to overcome the player’s defense. Tekken 6 did a good job with the rage mode and the upgrade in customization features.
7 Tekken 7 - Metascore 82%
Launched: 2017 Platform: PC, PS4, and Xbox One
Fans had to wait about a decade before this one was made available 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.
RELATED: The Best Platformer Games (According To Metacritic)
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’s aged well, though, since characters like Negan from The Walking Dead have made it more versatile with time.
6 Street Fighter X Tekken - Metascore 84%
Launched: 2012 Platform: PS3 and PS Vita
This was more of a Street Fighter game than a Tekken entry, but there’s still the fact that characters from the latter series were featured here. There was supposed to be a Tekken X Street Fighter, but that never materialized.
This crossover wasn’t as popular with Tekken fans due to the presentation and fighting styles being those found in a Street Fighter game. But there’s no denying that having match-ups between characters like Ryu and Jin didn’t have a quality of its own. It’s the best game to bring together fans of either series.
5 Tekken 5: Dark Resurrection - Metascore 85%
Launched: 2007 Platform: PSP and PS3
Tekken 5: Dark Resurrection is a near-perfect port of the fifth mainline entry. However, Dark Resurrection adds extra features, like new character customization and a new ranking system. More importantly, it adds three new characters, Armor King 2, Emilie, and Sergei.
Dark Resurrection was ported to the PS3 later via the PSN and featured upgraded visuals. Unlike the 3DS version, the PSP release gives players an incentive to go back and play the game with multiple modes. There is an arcade mode, Tekken Dojo mode, league matches, and tournament matches.
4 Tekken Tag Tournament - Metascore 85%
Launched: 2000 Platform: PS2
At the time this game came out, this was a revolutionary step in the fighting genre. The opportunity to play more than one character at a time was too good to pass up, and critics lauded Tekken Tag Tournament for bringing a never-before-seen entertainment value to the series.
There’s also the presence of a story mode that had some genuine input from the developers, so playing through this brought a different side of the characters regardless if it was non-canon. The weaker points had to do with how certain strong characters easily overpowered others.
3 Tekken 2 - Metascore 89%
Launched: 1996 Platform: PS1
Anybody would be blown away by a sequel that stepped up so drastically from the original, and this was the effect on critics when Tekken 2 arrived. There was a vast assortment of environments to choose from, all of which had a theme attached.
RELATED: The Best PS3 Games On Playstation Plus Premium
It was also the first game to bring in the supernatural element to the fighting mechanics, and this brought in a nice variety of fighting styles to choose from. Although graphics certainly look a notch below compared to now, it wasn’t much of a problem back then.
2 Tekken 5 (2005) - Metascore 89%
Launched: 2005 Platform: PS2
As one can see from the picture alone, Tekken 5 was when things got bigger and better as the Mishima family’s twisted history became even more engaging. The level designs were much more gorgeous than ever before, and even today, one wouldn’t notice any problems.
This time around, it was the soundtrack that got the adrenaline pumping. Every location had an extra flavor. Characters seemed like they belonged rather than being shoehorned in, and many hours can be spent perfecting their move sets.
1 Tekken 3 - Metascore 96%
Launched: 1998 Platform: PS2
Over two decades since its release, it doesn’t seem like there’s ever going to be another Tekken game that will even come close to achieving the score Tekken 3 garnered. This entry could be spoken in the same breath as games like Soulcalibur or Street Fighter.
People haven’t quite been able to reach a consensus as to why Tekken 3 feels so perfect. However, it probably has to do with how the story felt like a breath of fresh air and how the roster was revitalized with youthful energy. One can only hope the series brings in originality as the third installment did once again in the future.
MORE: Tekken 8: All Characters Revealed So Far
