Tekken 8: A Beginner’s Controls Guide

One of the big three in fighting games, Tekken truly brought the fight to Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat in the last wave of games, but this time around, Street Fighter 6 enjoyed its open beta first and released to critical acclaim.

Tekken 8 will be the last of the new batch of fighting games to launch, but thanks to what was described as a “bare bones” Closed Network Test by its producer, Katsuhiro Harada, we know how the controls and new mechanics will work.

On this page, you’ll find all of the Tekken 8 controls as well as tips for how the mechanics work and when to use them in a fight. 

All Tekken 8 basic controls for PS5

These are the basic Tekken 8 controls for PS5 that apply to every character in the game, assuming that you’re fighting from the left side of the screen. From the right, flip the directional controls.

• Move Forward: Right 
• Move Backward: Left 
• Duck: Down 
• Jump: Up 
• Left Punch: Square
• Right Punch: Triangle
• Left Kick: X
• Right Kick: O
• Block Middle and High: Hold Left 
• Block Low: Hold Down + Left 
• Activate Heat: R1
• Heat Smash: R1 with Heat activated
• Power Crush: Down + Square 
• Rage Art: R2 (when low  on health)
• Special Style: L1

All Tekken 8 basic controls for Xbox 

These Xbox Tekken 8 controls are listed for a fighter from the left side. If you’re fighting on the right with any character, flip the directional controls.

• Move Forward: Right 
• Move Backward: Left 
• Duck: Down 
• Jump: Up 
• Rush: Right (double tap and hold)
• Pivot: Down (double tap)
• Left Punch: X
• Right Punch: Y
• Left Kick: A
• Right Kick: B
• Block Middle and High: Hold Left 
• Block Low: Hold Down + Left 
• Activate Heat: RB
• Heat Smash: RB with Heat activated
• Power Crush: Down + X
• Rage Art: RT (when low  on health)
• Special Style: LB

Here are some gameplay tips to help you as you start Tekken 8, especially if you’re having trouble with the Heat and Rage Art mechanics.

1. How to fight in Tekken 8

Tekken 8 is, perhaps, the most accessible of the three main fighting games thanks to its straightforward controls and focus on regular hand-to-hand combat. Before Heat and Rage comes into play, the system is simple: you press one button per limb. You can kick with either leg (B/A, O/X) and punch with either hand (Y/X, Triangle/Square). 

Once you know which button controls which limb, you can start to chain different ones together to create combinations, or even tap the same button multiple times for a combo. The other element that matters for your fighting controls in Tekken 8 is direction. 

Where you point the left analogue or which buttons on the D-pad you press impact where you aim to strike and the kind of attack that comes from each limb. For example, from a left-side fighter, moving right and kicking with X will be different from moving left (backwards) and kicking with X. Subsequent combos are also altered by direction.

So, you can utilise a huge range of combinations and attacks simply by combining limb input with the eight different directions from the analogue or combined D-pad inputs. Finally, you need to know how to block if you’re to survive a Tekken 8 fight. 

Not putting in any directional or attack controls will allow you to block high and mid-attacks, as well holding the button that makes your fighter move backwards. Holding down and backwards blocks the cheeky low attacks. The key to using a block is to hold until the opponent’s combination has finished, and then counterattack swiftly.

Making use of the best fight pads can help when using the more complicated Tekken 8 controls, especially when rolling combinations and using arm and leg button inputs at the same time. 

2. How to grab and throw in Tekken 8

To perform a standard grab and throw move in Tekken 8, press Triangle+O (Y+B) or Square+ X (X+A) at the same time when you’re within arm’s reach of your opponent. The direction that you aim the grab can also alter the move that your fighter performs. 

Most fighters also have additional grab moves that also require you to press two of the attack buttons at the same time while moving in a given direction. Common ones are Square+O (X+B) and X+Triangle (A+Y) while moving forward. Some fighters with a penchant for wrestling-type moves, like King, can chain grabs and throws.

Grabs come in use against particularly stubborn opponents who’re good at blocking. If they’re holding the back button, input the Tekken 8 controls above to grab them, perform a flashy move, and throw them aside. You only need to press the button combination once to perform the whole grab-and-throw attack.

3. How to defend against a grab and throw in Tekken 8

To defend against a grab and throw move in Tekken 8, you need to time an equivalent input to the attempted move, which is dependent on the type of grab that they attempt. Each grab will either be with two hands or start with one hand. Once you see this happen, use the following Tekken 8 controls to break a grab:

• Opponent Grabs with Left Arm: Square or X
• Opponent Grabs with Right Arm: Triangle or Y
• Opponent Grabs with Both Arms: Square+Triangle or X+Y

You need to input these grab blocks just as the opponent attempts to grab you. Alternatively, you can try to get a quick attack in first to stun them before they get to grab you. If you find yourself in a grab that’s chaining with more and more attacks, run through the grab defence controls above to try to find the right one to break the grab.

4. How to use Heat in Tekken 8

Heat is the new mechanic in Tekken 8 that awards aggressive play. You start each fight with a full Heat Timer, which you can activate with a character-specific attack input or by pressing R1 (RB). Once you activate Heat, the blue gauge will indicate how long you’ll be in the Heat state – which doesn’t recharge within the same round.

One of your best options with Heat activated is Heat Smash – a short-range but powerful attack – which you can use when in Heat state by pressing R1 (RB) again. However, using Heat Smash will drain the timer, so it’s good to activate it towards the end of your timer. 

During Heat, you’ll also benefit from what’s called Chip Damage. This mechanic adds a boost to the power of your attacks and allows you to do damage to opponents who’re blocking. Once you activate Heat, you’ll want to string together hit combinations and finish with the Heat Smash. 

5. How to block and defend in Tekken 8

To block in Tekken 8, you need to hold the Left direction button or move the left analogue to the left and hold it there. While holding this control input, you will block mid-level and high attacks. In order to defend low shots, you need to hold your thumb on the down and left directional button or hold the left analogue south-west, making you both crouch and block. 

You can use successful blocks to time a counterattack and catch your opponent without their defence up, but while holding the block controls, you are susceptible to grab and throw moves in Tekken 8. Should you suspect that your opponent is gearing up to use their Heat Smash or Rage Art, you can nullify it by blocking just before they strike your fighter. 

When under pressure, you can also use a move known as a Power Crush. This is a simple manoeuvre of pressing Down and Square (X) to enable your fighter to perform a counterattack while absorbing enemy attacks. This is good to deploy when your opponent has you pinned against a wall or is pressuring you with tricky combos. 

6. How to use Rage Art in Tekken 8

You can use Rage Art in Tekken 8 when your health bar falls into the final quarter – as marked by the segment line – and is triggered by pressing R2 (RT). It’s an absurdly powerful move that you can perform in an instant: you just need to be fairly close to your opponent and hope that they’re not blocking when you activate your Rage Art.

7. How to use Special Style in Tekken 8

Ever since Tekken 3, the series has been rather accessible, but with Tekken 8, getting to grips with the motions of the game and even being competitive as a beginner is easier than ever. This is predominantly down to the new feature, Special Style, as well as the fact that almost all fighters are just engaging in hand-to-hand combat without superpowers.

Special Style can be toggled on or off at any time by pressing L1 (LB), and doing so will bring up a short list of command prompts in the bottom left of the screen. You can then press R1 (RB) to unleash the Heat System, X (A) to Power Crush, R2 (RT) to use Rage Art, O (B) to perform low attacks, and Square (X) to use the fighter’s Specialty Move. 

Tekken 8 is a relatively straightforward fighting game, but with a lot of depth. Once you’ve worked out who your favourite fighter is, there are many more controls in each move list for you to master.

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