Abstract To be competitive in offshore wind energy production, safe and economical foundation design is essential. In recent years, tripod suction bucket foundations have been considered as an alternative to conventional foundations owing to their unique features suitable for offshore construction environments, economic installation, and high overturning resistance. However, it is difficult to accurately predict the behavior of tripod foundation because the load acting on the tripod is complex in HVM (i.e., horizontal, vertical, and moment loads) and the response varies depending on the size and direction of the load. Moreover, it is harder to analyze because the effects of cyclic loads must be considered in an offshore environment. This study, therefore, has investigated the behavior of the tripod suction bucket foundation under cyclic loadings. To analyze the complex responses of the tripod foundation in detail, the overall behavior of the tripod foundation system was observed based on the compression–pullout behavior of a single bucket. Moment–rotation responses, the cyclic stiffness, and permanent displacements of the tripod foundation are evaluated by analyzing the vertical behavior of the single‐bucket foundations as well as the rotational behavior of the tripod foundation. A number of centrifuge model tests were carried out with different loading conditions (i.e., loading amplitudes and directions). It was confirmed that the cyclic behavior of the tripod bucket foundation is significantly affected by loading amplitudes and directions. Furthermore, this study emphasized the importance of considering load characteristics when designing the tripod foundation.