The first Tekken 8 beta sign up is live for its Closed Network Test. The Tekken 8 CNT, as developer Bandai Namco is calling it, is set to kick off in July, and you can sign up now for a chance to take part in the first public hands-on for the long-awaited return of one of the best fighting games.
2023 is a spectacular year for us fighting game fans. With Street Fighter 6 storming the fighting game community right now and Mortal Kombat 1 showing off its gloriously grim Kameo fatalities at Summer Game Fest, we’ve been eager to know when we’ll get hands-on with Bandai Namco’s latest after a drip-feed of character reveals and teasers as we creep ever closer towards an inevitable Tekken 8 release date.
Now we know. The Tekken 8 CNT runs over two weekends: Friday July 21 to Monday July 24, 2023, and Friday July 28 to Monday July 31, 2023. Unfortunately for PC-only fans, the first weekend will be limited to PlayStation 5 players, but the second weekend is available on PC via Steam alongside PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S consoles.
I absolutely adored Tekken 7; while I’ve never truly fallen off the series, I had certainly begun to feel the fatigue of release after release. Tekken 7 completely reinvigorated the fire in my belly, and reminded me why I loved the series so much growing up. It clearly did the same amongst the wider FGC as well, growing to become consistently one of the most-watched games at a competitive level thanks to its fast pace, flashy visuals, and those heart-pounding end of round slowdowns.
Tekken 8 Closed Network Test sign up and dates
You can sign up for a chance to join the Tekken 8 CNT via the Bandai Namco website. Registrations are open now, from Friday June 9, 2023 to Wednesday June 28, 2023 at 1am PT / 4am ET / 9am BST / 10am CEST. Selected players will be contacted by email. You can head here to sign up for your chance to take part.
Here are the Tekken 8 CNT dates:
Week one
- Start time: Friday July 21, 2023 at 1am PT / 4am ET / 9am BST / 10am CEST.
- End time: Monday July 24, 2023 at 12am PT / 3am ET / 8am BST / 9am CEST.
- Platforms: PlayStation 5 only.
Week two
- Start time: Friday July 28, 2023 at 1am PT / 4am ET / 9am BST / 10am CEST.
- End time: Monday July 31, 2023 at 12am PT / 3am ET / 8am BST / 9am CEST.
- Platforms: PC (via Steam), PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S.
If you love bashing seven shades of sass out of your friends (or the internet at large), take a look at our Street Fighter 6 review to see how Capcom’s latest fares. We’ve also got all the best multiplayer games on PC in 2023 in one place, if you just love the spirit of competition.