Tekken 8 beta coming soon? It sure looks like it

A beta version of Tekken 8 has been stealthily added to Steam today, suggesting that a closed network test will be available in the near future. This was discovered on SteamDBa website that monitors and keeps track of updates to the popular PC store.

Tekken 8 has been playable in offline closed alpha testing in real world tournaments this year, including Evo Japan in March and Combo Breaker over the weekend. However, it has yet to be playable by the general public around the world, and certainly not online.

When looking at the assets uploaded along with the Steam beta, you can clearly see the letters ‘CNT’. This likely represents some variation of “closed network testing”, a common practice for modern fighting game developers to test their titles’ online infrastructure prior to release with a limited pool of global fighter players. It’s also a good way to discover combo traps or other bugs, as hordes of passionate players will tear the game apart in an attempt to discover optimal combos and other techniques.

It’s not yet known how exactly a closed beta test of Tekken 8 will be made available to the public. Here’s hoping Bandai Namco can avoid the disastrous situation Capcom found itself in with its closed beta version of Street Fighter 6, which it was snapped open months before launch for those with a little knowledge.

This marks the second major leak in a matter of days for Bandai Namco and the Tekken team, who recently leaked Bryan’s latest trailer online ahead of schedule on Bandai Namco EU’s social media channels. The trailer, which shows off a new addition to the Tekken 8 roster and was intended as a surprise for Combo Breaker 2023 viewers, instead became a source of frustration for Tekken 8 director Harada and producer Michael Murray.

We’ve reached out to Bandai Namco to ask if they can confirm when this closed beta test will be available for download, or what exactly will be included in the closed network test. We have not yet received a response.

Are you excited to see Tekken 8 for yourself? Let us know below, as well as when you think the beta version of the game will be available for download!

For more Tekken 8 articles, check out our pieces on Tekken 8 getting crossplay, as well as guest characters that aren’t a priority for Tekken 8 right now.