Nioh 3 has been announced. The third installment in Team Ninja's Soulslike action RPG series is coming to PS5 and PC in early 2026, and you can try a demo on PS5 today.
Revealed during today's PlayStation Play of Play live show, Nioh 3 expands the series' formula with a new ninja fighting style and quite literally expanded levels.
General producer Fumihiko Yasuda explained that the ninja style contrasts the familiar samurai approach, "allowing for more diverse combat experiences." More contained zones have "been transformed into open fields, significantly enhancing the freedom and immersion in exploration and strategy."
Samurai style will feel "similar" to previous Nioh games, the official Nioh 3 site says, but enhanced martial arts and a last-minute "Deflect" parry have been added. Team Ninja says Ninja style focuses on faster movements and dodging, and unlocks "Ninjutsu" techniques capable of ranged attacks or summoning clones.
You can change between these two styles "at any time," Yasuda explained in a PlayStation Blog post. He reckons "some players will prefer to switch seamlessly between Samurai and Ninja techniques, while others will choose to fight using only one style continuously."
Yasuda shies away from outright calling this an open-world game, instead emphasizing a broadened format to experience "the unique tension and confrontations that have become a defining characteristic of the Nioh series." It does sound like you can discover hidden areas and bosses through exploration, though.
Online multiplayer has been adjusted as well. "Players will now be able to assist and seek help from other players through the 'Summon Visitor' mode, or even explore the open field with others through the online multiplayer mode 'Expeditions,'" Team Ninja says. "This feature will come in handy to those who have reached a stalemate playing solo, or those who would like to overcome challenges together."
Nioh was a pretty good game that wanted a sequel, and Nioh 2 was genuinely great, so it's nice to see Team Ninja give this another stab with some fresh ideas after going on six years.
The demo released today, described as an alpha demo, will be available until June 18. Team Ninja is pushing hard for demo feedback as it works to "fine-tune the game and creative the definitive title in the Nioh series".
