What started out as an arcade game in the mid-90s grew to become one of the largest and most prominent fighting game series in gaming. Along with the other titans of the genre, Tekken has been trailblazing throughout the arcade period, moving onto consoles as they came out, and now finding its place on practically every possible gaming platform. Originally published by Namco, it is rightfully considered to be one of the best-selling fighting game franchises of all time. In this article, we will count all of the released Tekken games, in the order of their release, starting with the first one.
Tekken Main Series
Tekken (1994)
The original game that began the franchise. It was just an arcade game at first but was later successfully ported to the first Sony Playstation gaming console in 1995.
Tekken 2 (1995)
The sequel quickly followed a year later. Once again it appeared in arcades first and was later (1996) ported to Playstation. The success of the first game inspired Namco to improve on the first game in every aspect.
Tekken 3 (1997)
The next installment went down in gaming history as one of the most successful ever released. It had major innovations on all fronts — graphics, gameplay, and hardware utilization. It is still considered to be among the best fighting games of all time. As before, it first appeared in arcades but came to PlayStation in 1998.
Tekken 4 (2001)
This was the first divisive release in the franchise. It introduced a much different type of gameplay than the previous games. However, the graphics were a major step forward, and the game’s lore really began to take off with this installment.
Tekken 5 (2004)
Tekken 5 was a bit of a conciliatory release, looking to merge elements that the fans liked from Tekken 3 and Tekken 4. It was also released during the franchise’s 10th-anniversary celebration, as usual on arcades and later Playstation 2.
Tekken 6 (2007)
This release marked the first multi-platform Tekken game. With the usual arcade and Playstation releases, Xbox 360 joined the console lineup. Along with the usual fighting duel game mode, this version also boasted the first Scenario Campaign mode.
Tekken 7 (2015)
The latest Tekken game in the series is also present on the most platforms, including the PC. Notably, the game runs on Unreal Engine 4, which allows it to run smoothly and look good while doing it. The game has had several updates and DLCs over its long lifespan, as well as a plethora of global tournaments for hardcore players.
Spin-off Tekken Games
Along with the mainline games, there have been several Tekken offshoot titles. They are not considered to be part of the mainline releases but are more like experimental or cross-platform releases that are part of the franchise.
Tekken Tag Tournament (1999)
Working on the Tekken 3 framework, this release was the tag-team version of that game.
Tekken Card Challenge (1999)
This game was a Japan-only release for Wonderswan (Bandai’s Japan-exclusive handheld console) and was a turn-based fighting game featuring characters from Tekken 3.
Tekken Advance (2001)
As the name implies, this was a Tekken game released for Game Boy Advance. This also marks the franchise’s first Nintendo appearance.
Death by Degrees (2005)
This Playstation 2 game was a “beat’em up” adventure starring Tekken’s Nina Williams. Although not too well received, it was a hit with the Tekken fans nevertheless.
Tekken Resolute (2010)
This title is the first Tekken mobile game. It was released for the J2ME platform and is a 2D fighting game with eight Tekken characters featured in it.
Tekken Tag Tournament 2 (2011)
After 12 years, the tag-team version of Tekken finally had a new release. It featured on both Playstation 3 and Xbox 360, later coming to Wii U as well.
Tekken 3D: Prime Edition (2011)
Marking another hand-held release for the franchise, this game was made for the Nintendo 3DS. It was praised for its impressive technical aspects and a large roster of 41 playable characters.
Tekken Card Tournament (2013)
This was a free-to-play Android and iOS mobile card game. It was later also added to PC browsers too. However, the game can’t be played anymore, as it was discontinued in 2017.
Tekken Revolution (2013)
Another free-to-play title, this one was exclusive to Playstation 3’s online store. Gameplay-wise, it represented a peek into the older arcade experience of the franchise. Similarly to the previous entry, it was discontinued in 2017.
Tekken Arena (2013)
Tekken Arena is a free-to-play mobile MMORPG released for Android and iOS. It follows most of the mobile online tropes that you’d expect from free mobile games, with a bit of the Tekken world woven into it.
Galaga: TEKKEN Edition (2015)
This odd mobile release is a fixed shooter type of game. It’s essentially a crossover of another of Namco’s famous games, Galaga, but instead of spaceships, you use Tekken characters.
Tekken (Mobile) (2018)
This short-lived game was released for mobile as another free-to-play title. However, it was online for less than a year before being pulled offline.
