The world of Tekken 8 has been quite tumultuous since its release. Players have encountered numerous issues, particularly with cheating and gameplay bugs, that seem to persist despite the passage of time. As we look back on the past year, it’s clear that the situation has not improved, leaving many fans frustrated.
In February 2024, reports highlighted the rampant cheating within the game, showcasing various pluggers and exploiters. Fast-forward a year, and unfortunately, little has changed. In fact, it appears that things have worsened. Bugs that were previously identified remain unresolved, and new ones continue to surface. For instance, Yoshimitsu’s unblockable low move now presents a peculiar issue where players attempting a low punch find their hits unregistered—resulting in an empty swing followed by an unavoidable hit from Yoshimitsu.
You might think that with all this feedback, Bandai Namco would take action to rectify these problems. Sadly, that’s not the case; all previously reported bugs are still present in the latest version of the game.
The community has also witnessed astonishing feats of skill, or perhaps something more dubious like players executing impossible one-frame blocks across all ranks. The infamous Hwoarang bait-combo video demonstrates this phenomenon well. Many players have reported seeing these blocks consistently at various skill levels alongside other suspicious behaviors like breaking different throws effortlessly.
A recent exposé by Mike Hollow and Blackheart59 revealed a Discord server where cheaters share their tactics and tools for exploiting Tekken 8. Despite this revelation, which occurred weeks ago, Bandai Namco has yet to address these issues effectively. This raises serious concerns about the integrity of online play.
One particularly troubling method showcased involves slowing down the game during matches, which allows players to escape losing situations without penalty. This kind of manipulation only adds to the growing list of frustrations faced by those who genuinely want to enjoy ranked matches.
The current state of online play in Tekken 8 is quite disheartening. Many players recall similar issues from Tekken 7, where cheating was rampant but seemingly overlooked by developers. With each iteration, cheaters appear to outpace developers’ efforts to combat them.
Season 2 for Tekken 8 is set to kick off in April; however, there has been no announcement regarding measures to address these cheating problems. While it’s understandable that developers need time to fix core gameplay mechanics and balance characters for upcoming DLCs, it feels as though player concerns are being sidelined in favor of profit margins.
If you’re looking for more details on these updates or want to see some of these issues firsthand through videos shared by content creators like Mike Hollow and Blackheart59, check out their work:
