Dynasty Warriors 8 introduce a few new playable characters, some of which return from previous Dynasty Warriors games or, like Zuo Ci, from the Warriors Orochi series, for a total of over 82 characters.
In addition to Story Mode and Free Mode, the Ambition mode is introduced. The goal is to create a social base for the kingdom's people, which will be visited by the Emperor. This tower, named Tonquetai Tower, must be improved through different events, skirmishes, raids and large-scale battles, each influencing the growth of the tower in a different way.