Tekken 8 Season 2 Changes Spark Outrage, Pros Threaten Boycott, Steam Reviews Plummet

The Tekken 8 community has erupted in frustration following the Season 2 update, which introduced several controversial changes to the game. Patch notes revealed a universal increase in character damage potential and offensive pressure, leading some players to argue that the game has deviated too far from the traditional Tekken experience.

Pro Tekken player JoKa voiced his discontent, stating, "This does not feel like Tekken AT ALL." He criticized the update for enhancing 50/50 situations through stance-based transitions and adding new moves with little to no counterplay. JoKa also pointed out the removal of character weaknesses and identities through homogenization, describing it as lazy balancing. He expressed concerns over the excessive combo damage across the roster 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; }As expected, the Steam page for Tekken 8 has become a platform for players to voice their frustrations. The game has received over 1,100 negative reviews in the last two days, resulting in a 'mostly negative' user review rating for recent reviews.

One of the most helpful reviews reads, "Genuinely good game held back by schizophrenic insane developers sent from hell." Another review lamented, "New season dropped and they made every character into a braindead easy mix up machine without a single buff to defense." A third review criticized the balance team for focusing on powerful offense that strips agency from the defending player, stating, "Not every character needs to be able to force 50/50 canned mixups constantly, but it seems like the balance team doesn't have any other ideas for how to build characters at this point. It's just a shame to see another legacy fighting game become entirely defined by character offense and situations with little to no response from the defender."

The discontent has led some Tekken fans to abandon the game in favor of Capcom's Street Fighter 6. Others have dubbed Season 2 the "worst patch in Tekken history," with some professional players threatening to leave 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. Some are calling for the patch to be rolled back entirely, while others are hoping for an emergency follow-up patch to address the key issues raised.