[8] New improvements include quicker recoveries from knockdowns, more escapes from tackles and stuns, more moves with juggling enabled, and newly created combo throws.

Because the game takes place 20 years after Tekken 2, only seven characters from the previous installment return, with the rest being new.

^a Unlockable character ^b Unplayable enemy in Tekken Force mode ^c Skin/palette swap ^d Only playable in console version ^e Only skin/palette swap in arcade cabinet 15 years after the King of the Iron Fist Tournament 2, Heihachi Mishima has established the Tekken Force: a paramilitary organization dedicated to the protection of the Mishima Zaibatsu.

One day, a squadron of Tekken Force soldiers searched an ancient temple located in Mexico under the premise of an excavation project.

However, their peaceful life is disrupted when Jun begins to sense Ogre's encroaching presence, and knowing she is now a target, Jin is instructed to seek Heihachi if anything happens.

During the tournament, Jin managed to bring Nina back to her senses by defeating her, allowing her to break free from Ogre's control.

Near the end of the tournament, Paul makes it to the finals after defeating the other competitors, including Kuma and Heihachi in the previous rounds.

Paul enters a large temple, defeats Ogre in a fierce battle, and walks away from the tournament, thinking he is victorious.

Despite his hard-fought victory, Jin is suddenly gunned down by a squadron of the Tekken Force led by Heihachi, who no longer needs him, he personally fires a final shot into his grandson's head.

Jin, who is unexpectedly revived by the Devil within him, reawakens and dispatches the soldiers, smashing Heihachi through the wall of the temple.

Jin then sprouts black, feathery wings and flies off into the night as Heihachi, who survived the fall, looks on from the ground.

[11] Game director Katsuhiro Harada initially did not understand the big beat direction, but Sano was able to convince him that it would work well in the series.

Due to the PlayStation's hardware limitations of less video RAM and lower clock speed, the visual quality was downgraded.

The backgrounds were re-made into 2D panoramic images, the number of polygons used for each character were slightly reduced, sound effects played at a high pitch, and the game runs at lower overall resolution.

[16] By April 1997, Tekken 3 was popular in the arcades, and the process of its home conversion was considered certain on PlayStation but merely a controversial consideration on Nintendo 64.

[47] According to Weekly Famitsu, Japan bought 1.13 million units of Tekken 3 during the first half of 1998, which made it the country's third-best-selling game for the period.

[48] PC Data, which tracked sales in the United States, reported that Tekken 3 sold 1.11 million copies and earned $48,500,000 (equivalent to $90,700,000 in 2023) in revenue during 1998 alone.

[51] At the 1999 Milia festival in Cannes, it took home a "Gold" prize for revenues above €36 million or $40,000,000 (equivalent to $75,000,000 in 2023) in the European Union during 1998.

[21] Next Generation reviewed the arcade version, and stated that "Tekken 3 isn't quite the artful masterpiece that [Virtua Fighter 3] is, but is still awesome in its own right, and has moved the series even further form its 'me too' roots.

While noting that it was visually not up with its competitor Virtua Fighter 3, the reviewer said it was stunning in its own right and features phenomenally responsive and easy controls.

If the PlayStation exclusive characters were better and Force mode a bit more enthralling, it could have come closer to a perfect score."

"[35] According to PlayStation: The Official Magazine in 2009, Tekken 3 "is still widely considered one of the finest fighting games of all time".

With an assortment of attacks and combos to learn, along with good controls, graphics, and sound, Tekken 3 was much more polished and smooth than its predecessors.

Before the series became obsessed with wall splats and ground bounds, it simply had huge open 3D arenas with massive casts that may or may not have included boxing raptors.

"[69] In 2015, GamesRadar ranked Tekken 3 as the 59th "best game ever", as "it possesses one of the finest fighting systems ever, the series' well-known juggle formula percolated into a perfect storm of throws, strikes, and suplexes.