KOEI TECMO held a dedicated program livestream for their upcoming game NIOH 3 at Tokyo Game Show 2025. Read on to learn more about the event and what was announced.
Everything Announced in the NIOH 3 Official Program
A Step Into Nioh 3’s Dark Sengoku Era
Team Ninja’s dark action RPG, Nioh 3, brings its signature mix of punishing combat and mythological flair to the Tokyo Game Show 2025. Joining the event are Fumihiko Yasuda, general producer of Nioh 3, and Kohei Shibata, producer of the title, with MC duties handled by Hatsune Matsushima.
Nioh 3 follows a young shogun, Tokugawa Takechiyo, as Japan’s fragile peace collapses into chaos. Takechiyo now faces tragedy close to home when his younger brother, Kunimatsu, is consumed by hatred and drawn into darkness. Arriving in the Warring State era, Takechiyo crosses paths with Himeko. Together, they unravel a wicked conspiracy designed to plunge the world into hell itself.
The journey spans in multiple eras, each plagued by a crucible that steadily erodes it. These corrupted domains are overrun with powerful enemies. Venturing into these areas offer the chance to earn valuable rewards, including crucible weapons and new guardian spirit skills unlocked by purifying the corruption.
Freely Switch Between Two Playstyles: Samurai and Ninja
This latest entry expands the series’ combat with new layers of depth. Players can form parties of up to three, tackling missions and bosses cooperatively.
A major addition to the game is the ability to switch instantly between two playstyles in real-time. Players can now take on Heian period Japan with Samurai style combat, or the all-new Ninja style combat. As shared by Yasuda, the Samurai style was the main focus of the games for the longest time, so they now hope that adding a ninja style, with how popular ninjas are all over the world as something distinctly Japanese, will add a new flavor and experience to the game.
The Ninja style is defined by its Mist Technique that lets players phase their body after striking to evade enemy counters. Complementing it are new Ninjutsu attributes—Fire, Water and Lightning—that can be selected to enhance attacks. Attacking an enemy using Ninjutsu will rapidly fill up the Ninjutsu Gauge, allowing for repeated use.
Meanwhile, the classic Samurai Style is now bolstered by new mechanics. Ki Pulses play a crucial role, cleansing Yokai Realm fields, while expanded Arts Proficiency strengthens martial arts techniques. Deflect maneuvers also add a defensive layer, allowing skilled players to guard against assaults.
Nioh 3 Live Gameplay Showcase
After showing fans what to expect from Nioh 3, producer Kohei Shibata then took on the reins in demonstrating Nioh 3’s gameplay on stream, offering a glimpse into its adaptation of the Heian Era. The area in this showcase was a vast yet hostile stretch of land plagued by snow, ice, and Yokai, supernatural entities in Japanese folklore, who serve as the game’s overworld opponents.
Shibata first took on an elite-looking enemy, a Karasu Tengu, a crow-like type creature known for being mischievous tricksters. Nioh 3’s depiction of the yokai uses its claws and large staff to deal damage to the player. It will occasionally fly up to throw wind attacks from a distance and thrust forward with its staff.
The second boss that was featured in the live gameplay showcase was the Itsumaden, a monstrous bird-like yokai. It uses large sweeping attacks and launches itself using its strong tail to close the distance between itself and the player.
Other yokai enemies also made an appearance in the demonstration, such as the cyclopean Hitotsume Kozu (an unwitting victim of a stealth attack from Shibata), and a large and dark Kodama that wields its staff–or shakujo–to unleash powerful lightning strikes.
Besides showcasing a wide range of enemy types in Nioh 3, the demonstration also gave a closer look at both the Samurai and Ninja playstyles. Just as discussed, the player can seamlessly swap between styles at the press of a button. In the showcase, Shibata quickly alternated between the two, automatically changing the player character’s armor and weapons on the fly.
Interview with Tsuchiya Tao and Hongo Kanata
Special interviews were also featured during the program, including appearances from the game’s voice actors, such as Tao Tsuchiya who voices Himeko, and Kanata Hongo who voices Kunimatsu, sharing insights into their characters.
Tao Tsuchiya, is well known for her roles in the hit Netflix show Alice in Borderland and the film The 8-Year Engagement. Nioh 3 marks her first time voicing a video game character. In the interview, she discussed handling three types of script content: in-game action voice lines, main gameplay script, and full motion video dialogues. She described Himeko as composed and cold on the surface, yet full of inner conflict, purity, and strength—qualities that make her character compelling in the game’s period drama setting.
Kanata Hongo, despite having a storied career in film, including his repertoire of roles in famous film adaptations of popular anime series (Attack on Titan, Fullmetal Alchemist, Gantz), is new to voicing a character in a video game. He described the novelty of the experience and discussed the vastness of the story and setting of Nioh 3. Similar to Tsuchiya, he briefly touched on the character he voices, Kunimatsu Tokugawa, revealing that Tokugawa was once a very close friend of the protagonist. However, the story will also show his gradual descent to darkness, alluding to how Nioh 3 also places significant emphasis on Tokugawa’s character arc.
Each actor’s segment ended with a brief look at their characters in action, showcasing some of the game’s tense and dramatic scenes, fully-animated and voiced.
Everything We Know About the NIOH 3 Official Program
NIOH 3 Official Program at Tokyo Game Show 2025 on September 25, 2025
Koei Tecmo will hold a dedicated program for their upcoming soulslike game, NIOH 3, TGS 2025 on September 25, 2025, at the Makuhari Messe Convention Center in Chiba City, Japan. The event will be held at 4:00 a.m. PT/7:00 a.m. ET.
Check out the time tables below to find out what time the event will start in each region.
NIOH 3 Official Program Starting Time
| Region | Local Release Time |
|---|---|
| United States (ET) | Thursday, September 25, 2025, 7:00 a.m. |
| United States (PT) | Thursday, September 25, 2025, 4:00 a.m. |
| United Kingdom | Thursday, September 25, 2025, 12:00 p.m. |
| Central Europe | Thursday, September 25, 2025, 1:00 p.m. |
| New Zealand | Friday, September 26, 2025, 12:00 a.m. |
| Australian East Coast | Thursday, September 25, 2025, 9:00 p.m. |
| Australian West Coast | Thursday, September 25, 2025, 7:00 p.m. |
| Japan | Thursday, September 25, 2025, 8:00 p.m. |
| Philippines | Thursday, September 25, 2025, 7:00 p.m. |
| South Africa | Thursday, September 25, 2025, 1:00 p.m. |
| Brazil | Thursday, September 25, 2025, 8:00 a.m. |
| Universal Time (UTC) | Thursday, September 25, 2025, 11:00 a.m. |
NIOH 3 Official Program at Tokyo Game Show 2025 Stream Starts on September 25, 2025
For those unable to attend the special stage event in person, the official Koei Tecmo will host an official livestream of the event on KOEI TECMO's official YouTube Channel, on September 25, 2025 at 4:00 a.m. PT/7:00 a.m. ET.
Other Tokyo Game Show Announcements
Prepare for NIOH 3 Gameplay Overview with the Game's Producers
As confirmed by KOEI TECMO's official description of the NIOH 3 Official Program, the event will include an in depth discussion and live demonstration of the upcoming game's gameplay features. This demonstration will be joined by two of the game's producers, Fumihiko Yasuda and Kohei Shibata, and will be hosted by Hatsune Matsushima.
What is NIOH 3 Official Program?
The Nioh 3 Official Program is a presentation from Team Ninja and Koei Tecmo dedicated to showcasing the next entry in the studio’s acclaimed action RPG series. The program will feature live gameplay demonstrations, highlight the game’s expanded combat systems built around Samurai and Ninja fighting styles, and explore how the series is evolving with larger open-field environments.
