The Tekken series has existed since the mid-1990s, so for some new to the franchise the timing and events of the story might be a bit confusing. Unlike some other fighting games, this one had a deep plot involving the trials and tribulations of what is possibly one of the most dysfunctionally dramatic families in all of gaming.
The franchise follows the Mishima clan in tales of father versus son, grandfather versus grandson, and in between. Here is a list of each Tekken game in chronological order. Spinoff games will also be included. The release years of the games will be also listed.
Tekken (1994)
The first game kicks off the story of when Kazuya is five and gets chucked down by a mountain by his father. It was explained in 7 that Kazuya’s mother had a power called a devil form and Heihachi wants to see if his child inherited it too.
The rest of the story is Kazuya’s request for revenge against his father, who he eventually comes to overthrow.
Tekken 2 (1995)
The sequel picks up two years later and follows the story of Kazuya running his father’s business. Somehow he and the company have become more corrupt before.
This is the game where Kazuya meets Jun Kazama and conceives his son Jin, continuing the family line. Alas, Mishima men are not known for being attentive fathers. Kazuya cared for Jun, but he was not exactly ever destined to be a family man.
Tekken 3 (1997)
This game follows the story of Jin who was raised by his mother alone. Set between 15-20 years after the previous King of Iron Fist Tournament, Jin seeks out his grandfather Heihachi to train him to be strong enough to defeat a beast called Ogre. Little does Jin know that Heihachi has an ulterior motive in mind, as he seeks to use Ogre’s power for his own gain.
Jin’s driven by a desire to avenge his mother, who he believes to have been killed by Ogre.
Tekken Tag Tournament (1997)
This was a player versus player style game with the play style of Tekken 3 where teams of two fought against one another. In addition to having the characters from Tekken 3, the game has characters from Tekken 2 as well.
Tekken Card Challenge (1999)
While not a part of the actual mainline story, this game has the characters from Tekken 3, so one could say it’s specifically tied to that game. It was a card game similar to Yu-Gi-Oh or Pokemon released for a console called the WonderSwan.
This handheld device released exclusively in Japan, serving as competition for the Game Boy Color and the Neo Geo Pocket Color. The WonderSwan held up pretty well for a while until its discontinuation by owner Bandai in 2003.
Tekken Advance (2001)
This title for the Gameboy Advance has several of the characters from Tekken 3 and follows a very similar story, though much of it isn’t considered canon. This game was the initial Tekken title to be launched on a Nintendo console and was Bandai Namco’s attempt to popularize the franchise for handheld play in the west since the WonderSwan was region locked.
Tekken 4 (2001)
The fourth installment in the series takes place two years after the events of the third main entry. The story follows good old Heihachi doing biogenetic experiments and finding that the son he threw into a volcano two decades prior may not be as dead as he expected.
Heihachi organizes the King of the Iron Fist tournament in an attempt to attract his son and grandson, Jin. It’s a very drama-packed family reunion as one would expect.
Tekken 5 (2004)
This game picks up right where the previous left off, with Jin having left his father and grandfather out cold. Heihachi is actually absent for most of the game here, with somebody completely different and surprising organizing the tournament this time.
That figure proves to be none other than Jinpachi, father of Heihachi and great grandfather to Jin. While Jinpachi is nowhere near as cruel as his son, he does come with a catch.
Death By Degrees (2005)
Nina Williams is one of the most popular characters in the entire Tekken franchise, so it’s no surprise she got her own spinoff game that goes into detail on her backstory. There is no canon time for when it takes place.
However, there is a scene where Nina somewhat squashes her rivalry with her sister Anna. The interaction is extremely brief, yet it seems to be the catalyst for events that happen in the main Tekken games.
Tekken 5: Dark Resurrection (2005)
This game for the PSP has the same plot as the regular 5, just with a few added characters and plotlines. Tekken 5: Dark Resurrection’s new characters are Emilie de Rochefort, Sergei Dragunov, and Armor King II, and they each get their own stories.
Tekken 6 (2007)
Possibly the most dramatic of all the games, Tekken 6 takes place a few years after Jin defeated his grandfather Jinpachi and took over the Mishima Zaibatsu company. After seeing the way that his father and grandfather were, one would think that Jin would at least attempt to not become corrupt.
Alas, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, and it is revealed that Jin used the company to plunge the world into complete chaos.
Tekken Tag Tournament 2 (2011)
This follows the same format as the original Tag Tournament, but it now features almost every character from the other games instead of just the ones from 2 and 3. Tekken Tag Tournament 2 is generally not considered canon, although some endings (like Julia’s) are referenced in Tekken 7. The main story focuses on Heihachi, powered by a rejuvenation serum, staging a new King of Iron Fist Tournament.
Tekken 3D: Prime Edition (2012)
This game is a remake of Tekken 6 and is the second game put on a Nintendo console. This version does not have a story mode and lacks quite a few modes, but it does deserve props for delivering a great roster of 41 characters and 60fps gameplay on the Nintendo 3DS.
Tekken Revolution (2013)
Revolution was a free-to-play fighting game released on the Playstation store in 2013. In 2017, it was shut down. Tekken Revolution provided an Arcade, Online, Warm-Up, and Mokujin Rush modes, and seemed largely designed for newcomers to the franchise.
Tekken 7 (2015)
Tekken 7 starts the story of Heihachi Mishima from the beginning. In the first Tekken, we see him throwing his son off a cliff to test his power but nobody ever explains why. Tekken 7 goes into Heihaci’s upbringing as the son of famous martial artist Jinpachi Mishima.
Heihachi overthrew his father and locked him underground where he left him to die. This game also explains the fate of Heihachi’s wife Kazumi, mother to his son Kazuya. The present-day storyline revolves around the aftermath of Jin’s battle with Akuma, with the war between Mishima Zaibatsu and the G Corporation still raging on.
Pokken Tournament (2015)
This is a fighting game that, as one might guess from the title, features Tekken-style mechanics but with Pokemon characters. It was eventually ported to the Nintendo Switch where it was called Pokken Tournament DX.
Tekken Mobile (2017)
Tekken Mobile was the series creator’s attempt at making a Gacha game. However, many of its pay-to-win features made it unpopular and it was shut down within a year of creation.
NEXT: The 15 Strongest Tekken Characters In The Franchise, Ranked
