I enjoy a good bout in a fighting game from time to time, with Bandai Namco’s Tekken being my favorite 3D fighter out there. Conveniently enough, I am also a fan of board games, so when these two passions of mine mingle with one another, such as with the Guilty Gear Strive or Street Fighter V board games, I make sure to check them out. Now, thanks to a successful crowdfunding campaign over on Gamefound, it’s time for the King of Iron Fists to enter the cardboard ring with Tekken: The Board Game.
The game is made by Go On Board, the publisher of The Witcher: Old World and Cyberpunk 2077- The Board Game among others. I've had a chance to get some rounds in with a prototype of Tekken: The Board Game, graciously sent to me by the developer, and I have to say, it may have nailed the feeling of “reading your opponent” in a fighting video game better than any other board game I’ve played.
In Tekken, two players (the final release will include a solo mode and optional tournament expansion for up to eight) pick from their favorite fighters and duke it out until one player's life is gone. Characters I got to try out and that will be included in the base game are Jin, Kazuya, Paul, King, Nina, Asuka, Yoshimitsu, and Jack-8, each coming with detailed minis featuring the character and a pretty nifty colorful accent.
Playing a match of Tekken feels a bit like a game of Rock-Paper-Scissors, and is fairly quick to pick up and learn. Matches are short, too, taking 10 to 15 minutes. Attacks are dictated by cards that you play in front of you, which show not only the area they are targeting, either high, mid, or low, but also the effects and damage the attack will do, indicated by icons.
At any given time, only one person is on the offense, laying out cards and trying to dish out damage. The idea behind this system is born out of the need to keep Tekken feeling fast and dynamic, Go On Board told IGN. “To truly capture the dynamic feeling of the video game, we needed a mechanic that keeps the fight fast-paced and full of tension. In Tekken, reading your opponent’s intentions and reacting at the perfect moment is crucial – blocking a key attack can break a combo and turn the tide of battle. The 'guess the right card' mechanic embodies that essence. It’s simple and intuitive, like pressing a button on a controller, but mastery comes from deeply understanding your opponent and predicting their moves. It’s all about timing, reading, and skill – just like in the original game.”
For the defending player, your only goal is to read the opponent and try to guess which area the attacker’s card is going to target, indicated by a card played face down in front of them. Guessing correctly will stop the attack in its tracks, and the defending player becomes the attacker, with their first attack being unblockable. Guessing wrong, however, not only will let the attack go through and connect, but the player who played the card continues their assault and is able to play another card, extending their combo and potentially triggering added bonuses based on their character's specific combos or how lanes on cards may line up with the next.
Only three attacks can happen before roles reverse, with the exception of a once-per-game HEAT action that each player can take, which allows one additional attack to be played, or lets the player continue attacking after a correct guess by the defensive player.
This element of trying to read your opponent to guess what they are going to do next is an intrinsic part of fighting video games. Having it condensed in such a way to a one-in-three chance to guess correctly works shockingly well. The actions that an attack can trigger are also rather straightforward: you can deal damage, move your character, push an opponent, or sweep an opponent, causing them to fall down, letting you deal extra damage. Your character’s special Rage attack is a bit more complicated, but my friends and I never felt overwhelmed.
Tekken also uses mechanics that make it feel like you’re playing, well, Tekken. Pushing an opponent into the wall causes a wall bounce, dealing damage. You can break through stage walls or floors into other areas and dish out that extra hurt on the ground. Even the small arenas you fight on feel very Tekken-like, giving you enough space to move around, but not so much that it turns reaching your opponent into a chore.
Tekken has never been about playing keep-away and hurling fireballs at one another; instead it's about getting in close and letting loose devastating punch-and-kick combos, and I think Go On Board has captured that spirit perfectly. “Each fighter in Tekken: The Board Game feels truly unique thanks to a combination of design elements. Each character has a distinct deck composition, combo structure, and a Rage ability that reflects their iconic playstyle from the video game. Some characters also feature unique components or mechanics that set them apart even further.”
When the game comes out, fighters will have a variety of ways to check out Tekken and prove themselves. The core box contains eight fighters (Jin, Kazuya, King, Paul, Jack-8, Yoshimitsu, Asuka, and Nina) and four stages (Sanctum, Urban Square, Descent into Subconscious, and Into the Stratosphere). Or, if you just want a taste, a starter set featuring Jin and Kazuya and the Descent into Subconscious will also be available.
But any Tekken fan knows that one of the defining aspects of the series is its characters, and Go On Board is bringing many of them over through various expansion sets that you can purchase separately, too. These include the following.
Expansion 1
Expansion 2
Expansion 3
Expansion 4
Expansion 5
Expansion 6
Expansion 7
“Legendary” Expansion
When asked about what went into deciding the character pairings, the design team not only wanted to make sets that played well together, but also ones that made sense from a narrative standpoint. “When creating the character packs, we took into account several key aspects. We wanted each box to include characters that work well together mechanically, but also share meaningful narrative connections. For example, the pack featuring Jun, Xiaoyu, Panda, and Leroy with the Yakushima board was designed this way because Yakushima is Jun’s stage. Xiaoyu once fought off the Jacks units attempting to reach the Sanctum near Yakushima, while Panda is Xiaoyu’s close friend, and Leroy served as her mentor.”
With so many characters, including my personal favorites Leo, Steve, and Hwoarang all making appearances, it has my blood pumping, and I can’t wait to see how they play. Even in the core box, I could already tell that care was being put into highlighting qualities of the characters to make them feel different from one another, such as King’s ability to throw opponents around or Yoshimitsu’s special wheel that lets you bid life to spin for a potential big payoff. I can’t wait to see how all the other characters feel.
From the different stage hazards, the quick-to-learn systems, and highly detailed miniatures, Tekken: The Board Game has quickly shot up my list as one of my most anticipated board games next year. My biggest worry is that, with just how many characters they're promising, some will run the risk of feeling samey. Time will tell how successfully the team is able to avoid that potential pitfall, but considering that by taking the expansion approach with the characters, not to dissimilar to something like Unmatched, means fans can pick and choose from those packs they want, and aren’t required to buy them all. Even the core box offers a good bit of variety on its own. You can have a perfectly good time with that alone.
While Tekken’s initial campaign is over, late pledges will be starting soon with an expected delivery date of April 2026, but if you want to try it out for yourself, head over to Board Game Arena right now, or check out the WIP rules.
Scott White is a freelance contributor to IGN, assisting with tabletop games and guide coverage. Follow him on X/Twitter or Bluesky.
