Ninjas and samurai have at all times been a staple of video video games, however even with their perennial reputation, 2025 has been an exceptionally just right 12 months for titles about fatal Eastern warriors. A host of ninja- and samurai-themed video games hit PlayStation 5 this 12 months, providing an enormous number of takes at the thought of turning into a sneaky, sword-wielding fighter in darkish garments.
From fast moving combo-ridden motion video games, to slower and stealthier assassin-themed takes, regardless of how you favor your ninjas, 2025 has had one thing for you.
Murderer’s Creed Shadows
Certain, the Murderer’s Creed collection is set two historic orders of ridiculously influential warriors fighting one any other all the way through historical past, and in addition there are godlike extraterrestrial beings. However what the video games on occasion lack in narrative realism, they make up for in nailing ancient settings. Murderer’s Creed Shadows’ depiction of feudal Japan is unrivaled, and the collection’ center of attention on stealthy takedowns is correct in step with the ninja sensibilities of its protagonist, Naoe — in the end, “murderer” is correct there within the identify. However in the event you’re in search of some selection, just right information: Murderer’s Creed Shadows has two protagonists, so you’ll get the ninja revel in and a style of the samurai existence all the way through the process its long tale.
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 Eastern filmmaker, and that’s a gorgeous just right indication of the cinematic studies that look forward to you. Yōtei is so much like taking part in via a samurai movie, however with a lot of shinobi parts thrown in alongside the way in which. Its protagonist, Atsu, isn’t a ninja or a samurai, in line with se — she’s a mercenary, and she or he makes use of each and every benefit she will be able to to win battles on her quest for revenge. What Ghost of Yōtei channels from the ninja revel in is the theory of stealth and silent takedowns. As an example, Atsu’s upgraded kusarigama can snare enemies from a distance. She too can unharness kunai for chained assassinations and disappear with smoke bombs. Every enemy come across calls for artful improvisation to check the danger, and that’s Atsu far and wide.
Writer: Sony Interactive Leisure | Developer: Sucker Punch Productions | PS5
Ninja Gaiden 4
Group Ninja’s and PlatinumGames’ titles are regularly all about velocity — overwhelming your foes via ridiculously rapid reactions and unrelenting mixtures. With Ninja Gaiden 4, it’s all slashing, dodging, and obliterating enemies. Whilst there are a large number of classically ninja-esque parts at play, as you may be expecting 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 revel in. You’re extremely rapid as you run alongside partitions, grapple over gaps, and dodge previous enemies, and if you get started laying into fighters, you’re ready to combo them so rapid they are able to’t even react. For those who’ve were given a necessity for ninja velocity, that is the sport for you.
Writer: Microsoft Company | Developer: Group Ninja, PlatinumGames | PS5
Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound
Aspect-scroller Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound channels the early entries within the Ninja Gaiden collection, blending trendy recreation design concepts with an old-school appeal. You struggle via hordes of enemies, together with a lot of demons, with guns that kill maximum enemies in one hit. The ninja fable isn’t such a lot within the blades, velocity, or talents — even though the ones parts are all there — as it’s in mastering the battlefield. You’ll want to dimension up your foes, and the order by which you want to defeat them, so you’ll profit from power-ups to take down more difficult foes, or keep away from probably 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 at the samurai aspect of the spectrum, but it surely stocks so much with 2025’s crop of ninja video games, like robust combating talents and a focal point on fighting demonic enemies. Capcom’s remaster of this 2002 vintage sends you on a quest of revenge towards a military of fiends, encouraging you to have interaction in good swordplay as you steadiness slashing, blocking off, and nailing robust Issen counters. Onimusha 2 additionally offers the samurai revel in a fairly other spin, drawing on parts of Capcom’s fresh video games of the time, just like the Resident Evil collection, to channel somewhat of a survival-horror vibe.
Writer: Capcom | Developer: Capcom Manufacturing Studio 2 | PS5, PS4
Shinobi: Artwork of Vengeance
Very similar to Ragebound, Shinobi: Artwork of Vengeance additionally reinvigorates a famed ninja collection by way of attaining again into its 2D side-scrolling previous. Shinobi performs up the ludicrous continual and ability of its ninja, Joe Musashi, with an emphasis on weakening enemies to be able to carry out a blazing rapid assassination on a number of of them without delay. Strategically whittling down the lifetime of each and every enemy at the display with out outright defeating them, simply so you’ll watch Musashi zip round at lightning velocity to complete them off, is at all times enjoyable. With a katana, kunai, and strong, magical Ninpo and Ninjutsu talents, you will have all forms of ninja-themed choices at your disposal to tackle the rest the sport throws at you.
Writer: Sega | Developer: LizardCube | PS5, PS4
Honorable Point out: Ninja 5-O
Every other side-scrolling ninja name getting back from the previous, Ninja 5-0 was once up to now a great hard-to-find recreation that was once most effective to be had for moveable methods long ago within the early 2000s. However with Ninja 5-0 making its solution to the PS5 this 12 months, you’re in any case loose to reply to the age-old query: What would occur if a cop was once additionally a ninja? You’ve requested that query, proper? Ninja 5-O provides you with a gorgeous in-depth resolution as you utilize ninja abilities and skills to save lots of hostages and take down financial institution robbers and different criminals. Firearms aren’t any fit to your velocity, abilities, or the arsenal of vintage guns at your disposal, together with a katana, a grappling hook, and shuriken.
Writer: Konami | Developer: Hudson Comfortable | PS5, PS4
Whilst 2025 may well be drawing to an in depth, don’t fear — it kind of feels we gained’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 will likely be loose DLC for all Ghost of Yōtei house owners.* Nioh 3 is already getting ready to strike on February 6, and brings an entire set of ninja abilities and skills to enrich its deep samurai gameplay. Ninja Gaiden 4 is arming itself with a significant growth in early 2026 that provides new tale content material and guns for its ninja protagonists. And Onimusha: Means of the Sword, the primary new mainline access in Capcom’s collection in twenty years, will release a sneak assault someday subsequent 12 months.
*To be had by the use of patch replace. Web connection and account for PlayStation Community required. PlayStation Plus subscription (bought one at a time) required for on-line play or multiplayer. PS Plus is matter to routine subscription rate taken mechanically till cancellation. Age restrictions follow. Phrases follow: play.st/psplus-usageterms .
