As part of the PlayStation State of Play, we got treated to the surprise reveal of the next game in the Nioh action RPG series. It’s simply titled Nioh 3, and it’s going to be changing so much of what we know about Nioh.
Nioh 2 is set for release in early 2026.
First, the game is not a timed PlayStation-exclusive, which is great to see (and a first for Nioh). It will be available on PC and PS5 simultaneously when it arrives next year. The even more surprising news is that there’s a demo available right now, though sadly only on PS5.
This is the alpha demo, which implies there’s going to be at least one more demo – beta – prior to launch, if Team Ninja’s history with Nioh is anything to go by. The demo is available only until Wednesday, June 18
Nioh 3 takes place in Japan’s Sengoku period, and stars a new protagonist; a young warrior (Tokugawa) set to be the next Shogun. Obviously Yokai are in the mix here right alongside human enemies.
Nioh 3 is described as an “open field” game, which is a major change for the series. It’s interesting that Team Ninja didn’t call it outright open world, though perhaps the negative criticisms Rise of the Ronin drew for its open-world structure may have had a hand in that.
Regardless, gameplay areas look to be more open than past Nioh games, even if the trailer doesn’t show much of that.
Perhaps the most interesting detail was made in this PlayStation Blog post, where Nioh 3 general producer Fumihiko Yasuda revealed that combat has two main styles: Samurai, and Ninja.
Both styles can be switched between on the fly. The Samurai style is described as the most similar to other Nioh games, though stances weren’t mentioned in the breakdown. The Samurai style also comes with new additions, so it’s not entirely similar.The post mentions Arts Proficiency, which boosts the power of martial arts – an area that’s typically been neglected in Nioh games. There’s also Deflect, which is effectively a parry system.
Then there’s the Ninja style, which has faster movements, and unlocks a host of aerial actions. This is where the Ninjitsu techniques now sit, and some of the abilities discussed include leaving behind a clone after attacking.
Nioh 3 looks to be a big step forward for the series, so we’ll have to wait until we get our hands on it to find out whether Team Ninja has been successful at evolving its formula this time around.