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| Release Date | Gameplay & Story | Pre-Order & DLC | Review |
Nioh 3 just shadow-dropped its Alpha Demo out of nowhere, and it is big! Read on to learn everything we know, our review of the demo, and more.
Everything We Know About Nioh 3
Nioh 3 Plot
Not much is revealed in the story yet, except the fact that the protagonist is a warrior who is in a position to become the next shogun. We learn that the protagonist has something in common with the current warlord, who goes by the name of Takechiyo Tokugawa, and is able to wield guardian spirits and defeat the yokai plaguing the lands. More details about the story will be revealed within the coming months, so stay tuned!
Nioh 3 Gameplay
Nioh 3 is looking to be the biggest and boldest game in the series yet, pushing the limits and transforming the game into a full, open-world action RPG. It was announced that there will be two distinct combat styles that the player can use to fight the demons, namely: Samurai and Ninja. Use both combat styles as you see fit, either by switching to each style seamlessly or using one style you're comfortable with, to dominate the battlefield and drive out the yokai.
Nioh 3 Release Date
Nioh 3 is coming to PS5 sometime in early 2026. We'll update this article with more informatiion about the game's release, so check back soon!
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Nioh 3 Review (Alpha Demo)
The most recent PlayStation State of Play was some of the best we’ve seen lately, for more reasons than I can count. However, one game in particular caught me by surprise. Not just because it’s finally getting a third installment, but also because they decided to drop a demo out of the blue. And that’s Nioh 3.
Nioh 3 is more of what you could expect from the series: fast-paced action, amazing swordplay, RPG mechanics, soulslike influences with its own twist on combat, and the like. But it’s bigger, better, and even has a completely new combat style on top of the already-expansive combat mechanics that Nioh had to offer. That’s not even the best part; the demo itself is already massive, and it's surprising that this much content is in the Alpha.
Another Chapter of the Sengoku Era
It’s not surprising that the new game is still set around the same era as the last two games. To me, at least. This time, however, they’ve decided to move on to a more prominent warlord who was actually one of the most famous shoguns in history, Tokugawa Ieyasu. To the uninitiated, he is known for being the last shogun in Japan and the one who would unify the country altogether. In the game, however, he isn’t shown just yet. But we quickly learn that the protagonist, going by the name of Tokugawa Takechiyo, is related to him in some way. And he’s a shiftling, similar to the protagonist of the previous game, so it even adds more to Ieyasu’s buildup.
There are a lot of questions yet to be answered, like where are William and Hide since the war is still ongoing? Nonetheless, it’s shaping up to be a huge game in the narrative department since it’s aiming to go for a third addition to an already stacked game lore-wise.
More to See, More to Find
Nioh has grown much from being labeled as a Japanese-centric Soulslike.
To those who’ve played the games before, it’s a much faster game than any Soulslike you’ve ever played, and maybe even a lot more RPG-ish with the way gearing and progression work in the series. Nioh 3 is more of the same; it retains the punishing, fast-paced combat and the by-the-numbers approach to gearing. So what’s different about the game?
Well, for one, the areas are much larger. It’s not Elden Ring large, but considerably larger than what the previous games have to offer. Exploring in Nioh has always felt rewarding, and with bigger maps, there are a whole lot of areas to see and enemies to vanquish. It’s also important that the demo showcase the size of the first area of the game, and you could already spend hours exploring the area and fighting the unique enemies that are roaming about.
Also, the demo even includes side quests to finish, mini-bosses to defeat, and enemy bases to conquer to raise the Exploration Level. This new mechanic is a new addition to the series, as it rewards the player for exploring the massive open field areas of the game and cleaning house. Raising this level gives several bonuses from skill points and stat increases. I could go on and on about the size of the demo, but if this is a sign of what’s to come for the final game, then you can expect that Nioh 3 will be massive.
A New Way to Fight While Retaining What’s Familiar
Combat has always been a strong suit of Nioh, and this proves it all the same. Nioh 3 retains and even takes many of the mechanics that many of their previous games had to offer. But the more important thing to know is that there’s a completely new combat style that's added in conjunction with the original Samurai Style, named the Ninja Style.
You can think of the second combat style as a second loadout that you can switch into with the press of a button, and that lets you use a whole different set of skills and combat mechanics. For one, Ninja Style does not have Ki Pulses, meaning that while you use less stamina per attack and dodge, you can’t regain the stamina back as opposed to Samurai Style. It does, however, trade it off for the new Mist mechanic, which gives you a free quickstep to reposition after every attack.
Second, you have access to Ninjutsu or Ninja Tools as opposed to having stances. This gives you access to different mid-range options while having the ability to move quickly. From the demo, it’s not the most damaging option, but it does give you a new way to use offensive items instead of saving your quickslots solely for buffs.
Lastly, the weapon selection that the Ninja Style has was already part of the previous games. The style uses quick weapons, like the Kama, Dual Swords, and the Claws. There’s a huge emphasis on speed with this combat style, and it adds another layer to the already loaded combat system of the series.
The one mechanic that holds the two styles together is the reworked Burst Counter, which now uses the Style Shift. Enemies have a unique attack where they glow red, called a Burst Attack, and a properly timed Style Shift against this attack will lead to a Burst Break. While Style Shift already allows you to seamlessly shift between Samurai and Ninja style mid-combat, being able to use a former mechanic and rework it into an even smoother way to introduce a new mechanic is a feat of its own.
The Biggest and Best One Yet
While some may point out that the game isn’t exactly a huge jump in terms of presentation and aesthetics, it still looks pretty good. Sure, there are a few mishaps when it comes to performance, but it was performing a lot better than expected for an alpha build.
The separation between the two combat styles and giving players access to an additional loadout is amazing. Not only have they been able to sort of balance the game’s many weapon types, but they’ve also done it in a way where you can use more of them at the same time. Also, the bigger map size enhances the exploration experience, which, to me, was one of the more underrated aspects of the previous games.
Let’s get this straight. Nioh 3 is already shaping up to be a massive game that is a direct upgrade from its previous release. I already can’t wait for 2026, as it seems that it’s going to be yet another good year for action RPGs.
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Nioh 3 Product Information
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| Title | NIOH 3 |
|---|---|
| Release Date | Early 2026 |
| Developer | KOEI TECMO GAMES CO., LTD. |
| Publisher | KOEI TECMO GAMES CO., LTD. |
| Supported Platforms | PC (Steam), PlayStation 5 |
| Genre | Action, RPG |
| Number of Players | 1-3 (Online) |
| ESRB Rating | M17+ |
| Official Website | Nioh 3 Official Website |
