Tekken 3 hides more than half its roster behind unlock conditions, and it adds secret modes, costumes, and stages on top. This guide walks through every unlock in order, then covers the bonus content most players miss. For who each fighter actually is, see our full character guide.
One important rule first: clearing Arcade Mode with the same character repeatedly does not keep unlocking fighters. You need to beat Arcade Mode with different characters to progress the unlock chain.
Unlock order (the easy ones)
Beat Arcade Mode with any fighter and you’ll unlock the next character in this sequence:
- Kuma / Panda
- Julia Chang
- Gun Jack
- Mokujin
- Anna Williams
- Bryan Fury
- Heihachi Mishima
- Ogre
- True Ogre
Use a different character for each clear and you’ll have nearly the whole roster quickly.
Panda shortcut: highlight Kuma on the select screen and press Circle to use Panda instantly.
Unlock Tiger Jackson
Finish Arcade Mode with 16 different characters. Then, on the character select screen, highlight Eddy Gordo and press Start (or Triangle). Tiger plays identically to Eddy with a 1970s funk makeover.
Unlock Gon (console-only)
Gon is a hidden dinosaur guest character. There are a few routes:
- First unlock Tekken Ball Mode (see below). Gon is your first opponent there — beat him to unlock him in all modes.
- Or, in Arcade Mode rounds 5–6, win a round losing only about 5% of your health; Gon appears as a bonus opponent. Defeat him and finish the run.
- Or, place high in Survival or Time Attack and enter “GON” as your initials.
Unlock Dr. Bosconovitch (console-only)
The hardest unlock. Complete Tekken Force Mode four times — you’ll collect the bronze, silver, and gold keys along the way. On the fourth completion, Dr. Bosconovitch appears as a special opponent. Beat him and he’s playable everywhere. His “drunken falling” style is unlike anything else in the game.
Unlock the bonus modes
Tekken Ball Mode: clear Arcade Mode with all 10 starting characters to view their endings; this enables the volleyball-style Ball Mode.
Theater Mode: finish the game with the 10 base characters to unlock it, then view it to watch every CG opening and ending. Once you’ve unlocked all characters (including Gon and Dr. Bosconovitch) and seen their endings, the “Disc” and “Sound” options appear in Theater Mode.
Alternate costumes and extras
Quick alternate outfit: in Arcade Mode, highlight a character and hold L1 + R1 + L2 + R2 until the select timer hits zero, then release as both fighters appear.
Permanent costume unlocks are tied to how many times you’ve selected a character (check the Records menu): Gun Jack at 10 plays, Anna at 25, and Xiaoyu and Jin at 50 plays each unlock their school uniforms.
School-yard stage: once Jin or Xiaoyu’s school uniform is unlocked, start a two-player match and pick that character with Triangle before your opponent chooses, to fight in the schoolyard background.
Alternate winning poses: during your post-match replay, hold any kick button for an alternate victory pose or any punch button for the normal one. (Not every character has an alternate.)
Practice recorder: in Practice Mode, choose “1P Freestyle,” then at the freestyle menu hold L1 + L2 + R1 + R2 and press Circle. Use Down and Select to record and replay combos.
A note on “unlock everything” APK mods
You’ll see modded APKs advertising every character unlocked from the start. Those convenience mods exist, but the sketchy ones are the most common source of bundled adware — only use a build from a source you trust, or just unlock the roster legitimately using the steps above. Either way, grab the base APK here to get started.
FAQ
Why won’t more characters unlock? You’re likely beating Arcade Mode with the same fighter. Switch characters each clear.
Are Gon and Dr. Bosconovitch in the APK? They’re in ports based on the PlayStation version, which most are. They remain unlock-gated unless you use a mod.
Do these cheats work on the Android APK? Button-combo cheats map to the on-screen controls; the unlock conditions (clearing Arcade/Force Mode) work the same way on the APK as on PS1.