Each character has 4 Critical Arts and 1 Special Art. These new gameplay mechanics are easily noticable by a visual effect added to the move animation and, in the case of Special Arts, using the vocal grunt of their strongest attack (usually an unblockable move or signature move). Special Arts are that moves have been given a small window of invincibility and increased hitbox relative to Tekken Tag Tournament 2. Critical Arts are essentially moves that have a chance of dealing extra damage (critical hit).

These are Critical Arts and Special Arts. Two new gameplay mechanics have been introduced. The Rage system from Tekken 6 has returned, gaining increased damage when the player's health gauge is low. However, the ability to temporarily stagger the opponent still remains but has been limited to certain strings landing when not already in a combo state, or from floor breaks. The Bound system introduced in Tekken 6 has been removed and as a consequence, combos utililizing that mechanic have become obsolete.

Tekken advance menu