Tekken 8 Community in Uproar Over Season 2 Balance Changes, Pros Threaten to Ditch the Game, Steam Reviews on Fire

The Tekken 8 community has reacted in anger after the Season 2 update changed the game in a number of controversial ways.

Patch notes revealed an across-the-board buff to character damage potential and offensive pressure, which has caused some within the community to complain that Tekken 8 has strayed too far from the classic Tekken experience.

Pro Tekken player JoKa said the Season 2 update means “this does not feel like Tekken AT ALL.”

“Characters getting buffed even in the slightest is not the way along with more stance-based transitions where 50/50 situations are enhanced. Some of the new moves added are insane with little to no counterplay. Characters getting their weaknesses patched and identities being removed by homogenisation is lazy balancing. Oki being gutted and heat just getting buffed makes no sense. Combo damage is too much across the whole roster. I definitely think the sidesteps are better but does that really matter when moves exist with crazy tracking/hitboxes? Chip damage is still excessive with most heat smashes remaining the same. Removing strategy in favour of more 50/50 situations isn’t interesting gameplay and is moving away from the foundation of Tekken.

“Where are the defensive options that were mentioned?”

As you’d expect, Tekken 8’s Steam page has become the avenue through which players are expressing their frustration. The game has seen a flood of negative reviews (over 1,100 in the last two days), resulting in an ‘mostly negative’ user review rating for recent reviews.

“Genuinely good game held back by schizophrenic insane developers sent from hell,” reads the current ‘most helpful’ review.

“New season dropped and they made every character into a braindead easy mix up machine without a single buff to defense,” reads another.

“After promising changes to open up defensive options, the balance team has doubled down on extremely powerful offense that takes away all agency from the defending player,” another negative review reads.

“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.”

Some Tekken fans are so upset with what’s happening that they’re ditching the game in favor of Capcom’s Street Fighter 6. Others are calling Season 2 the “worst patch in Tekken history,” with some pro players threatening to walk away from Tekken 8 entirely.

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 hoping for some communication from the development team responding to the complaints. Some want the patch rolled back in its entirety. Others want an emergency follow-up patch to make key changes.

Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.