Ninjas and samurai have at all times been a staple of video video games, however even with their perennial recognition, 2025 has been an exceptionally good 12 months for titles about lethal Japanese warriors. A bunch of ninja- and samurai-themed video games hit PlayStation 5 this 12 months, providing an enormous number of takes on the thought of changing into a sneaky, sword-wielding fighter in darkish garments.
From fast-paced combo-ridden motion video games, to slower and stealthier assassin-themed takes, irrespective of how you want your ninjas, 2025 has had one thing for you.
Murderer’s Creed Shadows
Positive, the Murderer’s Creed sequence is about two historical orders of ridiculously influential warriors battling each other all through historical past, and likewise there are godlike aliens. However what the video games typically lack in narrative realism, they make up for in nailing historic settings. Murderer’s Creed Shadows’ depiction of feudal Japan is unmatched, and the sequence’ concentrate on stealthy takedowns is correct in step with the ninja sensibilities of its protagonist, Naoe — in spite of everything, “murderer” is correct there within the identify. However when you’re searching for some selection, excellent news: Murderer’s Creed Shadows has two protagonists, so you will get the ninja expertise and a style of the samurai life all through the course of its prolonged story.
Writer: Ubisoft | Developer: Ubisoft Quebec | PS5
Ghost of Yōtei
Like Ghost of Tsushima earlier than it, Ghost of Yōtei sports activities a “Kurosawa mode,” named after the famed Japanese filmmaker, and that’s a fairly good indication of the cinematic experiences that await you. Yōtei is lots like enjoying by a samurai movie, however with a complete lot of shinobi parts thrown in alongside the best way. Its protagonist, Atsu, isn’t a ninja or a samurai, per se — she’s a mercenary, and he or she makes use of each benefit she will be able to to win battles on her quest for revenge. What Ghost of Yōtei channels from the ninja expertise is the thought of stealth and silent takedowns. For instance, Atsu’s upgraded kusarigama can snare enemies from a distance. She will additionally unleash kunai for chained assassinations and disappear with smoke bombs. Every enemy encounter calls for intelligent improvisation to match the menace, and that’s Atsu throughout.
Writer: Sony Interactive Leisure | Developer: Sucker Punch Productions | PS5
Ninja Gaiden 4
Crew Ninja’s and PlatinumGames’ titles are sometimes all about velocity — overwhelming your foes by ridiculously quick reactions and unrelenting combos. With Ninja Gaiden 4, it’s all slashing, dodging, and obliterating enemies. Whereas there are a number of classically ninja-esque parts at play, as you may count on from all of the makes use of of the phrase “ninja” on this paragraph already, what Ninja Gaiden 4 actually grabs onto is an over-the-top mobility and agility in its ninja expertise. You’re extremely quick as you run alongside partitions, grapple over gaps, and dodge previous enemies, and when you begin laying into opponents, you’re capable of combo them so quick they’ll’t even react. When you’ve received a necessity for ninja velocity, that is the sport for you.
Writer: Microsoft Company | Developer: Crew Ninja, PlatinumGames | PS5
Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound
Facet-scroller Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound channels the early entries within the Ninja Gaiden sequence, mixing trendy sport design concepts with an old-school attraction. You battle by hordes of enemies, together with a complete lot of demons, with weapons that kill most enemies in a single hit. The ninja fantasy isn’t a lot within the blades, velocity, or skills — though these parts are all there — as it’s in mastering the battlefield. You’ll have to measurement up your foes, and the order during which it’s worthwhile to defeat them, so you’ll be able to take advantage of power-ups to take down harder foes, or keep away from doubtlessly devastating assaults.
Writer: Dotemu | Developer: The Recreation Kitchen| PS5, PS4
Onimusha 2: Samurai’s Future Remastered
Onimusha 2: Samurai’s Future, because the identify suggests, falls on the samurai facet of the spectrum, nevertheless it shares lots with 2025’s crop of ninja video games, like highly effective preventing skills and a concentrate on battling demonic enemies. Capcom’s remaster of this 2002 traditional sends you on a quest of revenge towards a military of fiends, encouraging you to interact in good swordplay as you steadiness slashing, blocking, and nailing highly effective Issen counters. Onimusha 2 additionally provides the samurai expertise a barely completely different spin, drawing on parts of Capcom’s up to date video games of the time, just like the Resident Evil sequence, to channel a little bit of a survival-horror vibe.
Writer: Capcom | Developer: Capcom Manufacturing Studio 2 | PS5, PS4
Shinobi: Artwork of Vengeance
Much like Ragebound, Shinobi: Artwork of Vengeance additionally reinvigorates a famed ninja sequence by reaching again into its 2D side-scrolling previous. Shinobi performs up the ludicrous energy and ability of its ninja, Joe Musashi, with an emphasis on weakening enemies as a way to carry out a blazing quick assassination on a number of of them directly. Strategically whittling down the life of each enemy on the display screen with out outright defeating them, simply so you’ll be able to watch Musashi zip round at lightning velocity to complete them off, is at all times satisfying. With a katana, kunai, and highly effective, magical Ninpo and Ninjutsu skills, you could have all types of ninja-themed choices at your disposal to tackle something the sport throws at you.
Writer: Sega | Developer: LizardCube | PS5, PS4
Honorable Point out: Ninja 5-O
One other side-scrolling ninja title getting back from the previous, Ninja 5-0 was beforehand an excellent hard-to-find sport that was solely accessible for transportable techniques means again within the early 2000s. However with Ninja 5-0 making its approach to the PS5 this 12 months, you’re lastly free to reply the age-old query: What would occur if a cop was additionally a ninja? You’ve requested that query, proper? Ninja 5-O provides you a fairly in-depth reply as you employ ninja abilities and skills to save lots of hostages and take down financial institution robbers and different criminals. Firearms aren’t any match on your velocity, abilities, or the arsenal of traditional weapons at your disposal, together with a katana, a grappling hook, and shuriken.
Writer: Konami | Developer: Hudson Comfortable | PS5, PS4
Whereas 2025 could be drawing to an in depth, don’t fear — it appears we received’t be brief on ninjas and samurai on PS5 within the New 12 months, both. Sucker Punch is gearing as much as ship cooperative multiplayer motion with the discharge of Ghost of Yōtei Legends subsequent 12 months.* Ghost of Yōtei Legends shall be free DLC for all Ghost of Yōtei homeowners.* Nioh 3 is already getting ready to strike on February 6, and brings a complete set of ninja abilities and skills to enhance its deep samurai gameplay. Ninja Gaiden 4 is arming itself with a significant enlargement in early 2026 that provides new story content material and weapons for its ninja protagonists. And Onimusha: Means of the Sword, the primary new mainline entry in Capcom’s sequence in twenty years, will launch a sneak assault someday subsequent 12 months.
*Accessible by way of patch replace. Web connection and account for PlayStation Community required. PlayStation Plus subscription (offered individually) required for on-line play or multiplayer. PS Plus is topic to recurring subscription payment taken routinely till cancellation. Age restrictions apply. Phrases apply: play.st/psplus-usageterms .
