"Tekken 8 Season 2 Updates Spark Outrage, Pros Consider Leaving, Steam Reviews Plummet"

The Tekken 8 community is up in arms following the Season 2 update, which has introduced several controversial changes to the game. The patch notes highlighted an increase in character damage potential and offensive pressure, leading to widespread complaints that the game has deviated significantly from the traditional Tekken experience.

Professional Tekken player JoKa expressed his frustration, stating that the update makes the game feel unrecognizable as Tekken. He criticized the slight buffs to characters, the addition of more stance-based transitions leading to enhanced 50/50 situations, and the introduction of new moves with little to no counterplay. JoKa also pointed out that characters are losing their unique identities through homogenization, and the balance changes, such as the gutting of oki and the buffing of heat, seem illogical. He noted that while sidesteps have improved, their significance is overshadowed by moves with excessive tracking and hitboxes. Additionally, he lamented the excessive chip damage and the lack of 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

.reddit-embed-wrapper iframe { margin-left: 0 !important; }The backlash has been palpable on Tekken 8's Steam page, where the game has received over 1,100 negative reviews in the past two days, resulting in a 'mostly negative' user review rating for recent reviews. One of the top reviews describes the game as "genuinely good [but] held back by schizophrenic insane developers sent from hell." Another review criticizes the update for turning characters into "braindead easy mix up machines" without enhancing defensive capabilities. A third review highlights the balance team's focus on powerful offense that removes player agency, while another expresses disappointment in the game's shift towards offense-dominated gameplay with little defensive response.

The dissatisfaction is so intense that some fans are switching to Capcom's Street Fighter 6, and others are labeling Season 2 as the "worst patch in Tekken history." Several pro players are even considering abandoning Tekken 8 altogether.

I don't know if I'll continue playing Tekken if this patch stays.
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.

— END | Jesandy (@Jesandy1572) April 1, 2025

The community is now eagerly awaiting a response from the development team, with many calling for the patch to be rolled back entirely or for an emergency follow-up patch to address the key issues raised by players.