If you’ve just booted up Tekken 8 on your PlayStation 5 and noticed half the roster is grayed out when you go to pick a fighter for casual matches, you’re not alone. I spent my first weekend with the game grinding random modes just to figure out what actually unlocks new fighters, instead of wasting time on tricks that don’t work for the console version. This guide breaks down exactly how to unlock all characters in Tekken 8 PS5, no cheats, no paid exploits, just official methods that work every time.
How to Unlock All Characters in Tekken 8 PS5: Base Roster First
When you first launch the game, you only have access to 10 starter characters: Jin, Kazuya, Jun, Asuka, Paul, Law, King, Lars, Xiaoyu, and Jack-8. All 22 remaining base roster fighters are completely free to unlock, no extra purchase required, if you know the right modes to play. I made the mistake of grinding arcade mode for two hours when I first got the game, because that’s how I unlocked characters in Tekken 7, so I wasted a bunch of time before I realized the system changed completely for the new entry.
All 32 base roster characters are unlockable completely for free, even if the PlayStation Store pops up with prompts to buy individual character packs when you hover over locked fighters. Those prompts are just for players who don’t want to spend time unlocking content, and you never have to pay to access non-DLC characters. The fastest way to unlock almost all base fighters is playing through The Dark Awakens, the game’s main story mode. You don’t have to beat fights on hard difficulty either – even very easy mode counts towards unlocks, and you can skip all cutscenes if you just want to rush through.
Playing through the first two-thirds of the story mode will unlock 21 of the 22 locked base fighters, with only one final base character locked behind a different mode. If you’re looking for the fastest route for how to unlock all characters in Tekken 8 PS5, the story mode is always your best bet, as you can finish it in under 3 hours if you skip cutscenes and play on easy.
Unlocking Hidden and Special Characters Without Grinding
The final base roster character, plus a few special customization sets for existing fighters, are unlocked by completing Arcade Quest, the game’s short, tutorial-focused story mode for new players. You don’t have to be good at the game to beat it either – the difficulty ramps up very slowly, and it only takes around 90 minutes to finish from start to finish. Any character you unlock in one game mode stays unlocked across all modes, so you don’t have to re-unlock them for ranked play, casual matches, or local couch co-op with friends.
If you want to minimize the total time you spend unlocking content, follow this simple order to get every base fighter as fast as possible:
- Play through the first 6 chapters of The Dark Awakens to unlock 17 additional base fighters in 90 minutes or less
- Complete Arcade Quest on any difficulty to unlock the final base roster character and exclusive customization sets
- Finish the remaining 9 story chapters to unlock every hidden non-DLC fighter and bonus cutscenes
I tested skipping chapters first to see if I could unlock end-game characters faster, but it didn’t work – you have to play through story chapters in order to unlock the characters tied to each section. But if you get stuck on a specific fight, you can drop the difficulty mid-chapter without losing any progress towards unlocks. This order cuts down the total time you’ll spend on how to unlock all characters in Tekken 8 PS5 by almost 50% compared to grinding random modes.
DLC Character Unlock Methods for PS5 Players
The only characters you have to pay to access are DLC fighters, which are released in batches after the game’s launch. There are two official ways to get these characters, and no legitimate free way to unlock them, despite what random social media posts might claim. You can either buy individual DLC fighters separately, or purchase the Tekken 8 season pass, which includes all planned DLC fighters for the current cycle plus bonus skins, customization items, and extra game modes.
Never buy third-party “unlock codes” for Tekken 8 DLC characters – they’re almost always scams, and Bandai Namco regularly bans PSN accounts that use unauthorized codes to access paid content for free. If you buy the Ultimate Edition of Tekken 8, all launch DLC characters are already unlocked immediately when you install the game, no extra steps required.
It’s worth weighing your options before buying DLC: if you only want one or two specific fighters, buying them individually is cheaper than the full season pass. But if you plan to collect every character added to the game, the season pass usually costs 30% less than buying all 6 planned DLC fighters separately. DLC characters you buy are linked to your PSN account, so you can access them on any PS5 you log into with your account, even if you re-install the game later or buy a new console.
Common Unlock Mistakes to Avoid on PS5
Even if you follow all the right steps, there are a few common mistakes that can make your unlocks disappear or not show up when you expect them to. The most common mistake is playing the PS4 version of Tekken 8 on your PS5. Unlocks don’t carry over between the PS4 and native PS5 versions of the game, so if you installed the wrong version by accident, you’ll have to start over with unlocks on the native PS5 build.
Another common mistake is grinding arcade mode or treasure battle for unlocks. That system worked in older Tekken games, but in Tekken 8, those modes only give you customization items and in-game currency, no new characters. You’re just wasting your time if you’re playing those modes specifically to unlock new fighters.
You also might see people sharing offline glitch tricks to unlock all characters instantly, but those don’t carry over to online play, and you risk getting your account banned if you try to use those glitched characters in ranked or casual online matches. Always use official unlock methods if you plan to play online, to avoid losing progress or getting restricted from multiplayer modes. If you run into issues with missing characters after following all the steps for how to unlock all characters in Tekken 8 PS5, check that your game is updated to the latest version, as older launch builds had a few unlock sync bugs that have since been fixed.
At the end of the day, unlocking every fighter in the game doesn’t have to be a days-long grind if you follow the right steps. Stick to the official modes we outlined, avoid unnecessary grinding, and you’ll be able to use every fighter on the roster in no time. You don’t have to spend extra money if you don’t want to, and all base content is accessible to every player regardless of skill level. Now that you know how to unlock all characters in Tekken 8 PS5, you can jump straight into testing new combos, climbing the ranked ladder, or playing local matches with friends with your favorite fighters.