Tekken 8 Fans Furious Over Season 2 Changes, Pros Consider Quitting, Steam Reviews Plummet

The Tekken 8 community has been thrown into turmoil following the release of the Season 2 update, which has introduced several controversial changes to the game. According to the patch notes, there has been a widespread increase in character damage potential and offensive pressure. This shift has led some fans to argue that the game no longer embodies the traditional Tekken experience they've come to love.

Professional Tekken player JoKa voiced strong sentiments about the update, stating, "This does not feel like Tekken AT ALL." He elaborated on his concerns, pointing out that even slight character buffs, along with the enhancement of 50/50 situations through more stance-based transitions, are detrimental to the game's identity. He criticized the introduction of new moves with minimal counterplay options, the removal of character weaknesses through homogenization, and the imbalance created by buffing heat while nerfing oki. JoKa also noted the excessive combo damage across the roster, questioning the value of improved sidesteps when moves with extensive tracking and hitboxes exist. He lamented the removal of strategic depth in favor of more 50/50 situations and asked, "Where are the defensive options that were mentioned?"

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; }As expected, the frustration of the Tekken 8 community has spilled over onto the game's Steam page, where over 1,100 negative reviews have been posted in the last two days, shifting the recent user review rating to 'mostly negative.' One of the most upvoted reviews describes the game as "Genuinely good [but] held back by schizophrenic insane developers sent from hell." Other reviews criticize the new season for transforming characters into "braindead easy mix up machines" without any defensive buffs, and lament the balance team's focus on powerful offense that strips the defending player of agency. There's a shared sentiment that not every character should rely on constant 50/50 mixups, and that the game's focus on offense at the expense of defense is a misstep.

The backlash has been so severe that some Tekken enthusiasts are turning to Capcom's Street Fighter 6 instead. Others are labeling Season 2 as the "worst patch in Tekken history," with some professional players even threatening to abandon 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, hoping for some acknowledgment of the complaints. There are calls for the patch to be completely rolled back, while others are advocating for an emergency follow-up patch to address the key issues raised by the players.