For an outsider, the word ‘Samurai’ forms part of a common introduction to Japan, the oriental nation, also known as the Land of the Rising Sun. The samurai culture has been of much intrigue and interest to Westerners and non-Japanese in general. As such, multiple industries, including the video game industry, have taken great inspiration from it. This is evident with the recent popularity of Samurai games on PS5 and other major consoles!
For the ones not in the know (though we doubt it), the word ‘Samurai’ refers to the warrior class in old Japan. It has found its way into popular culture as well with books (‘Cloud of Sparrow’, ‘Tales of the Otori’), films by renowned directors Akira Kurosawa and Edward Zwick, and of course, video games.
Also Read: Best Samurai Games on PS4
The Popularity of the Samurai in Video Games Industry
Over the years, it has been seen that the samurai can work well with a lot of video game genres. For example, they are central characters in third person open-world games like Ghost of Tsushima and side-scrolling action-adventure titles like Trek To Yomi. You want your own team featuring the samurai versus another team or want single-player battles against warrior classes that are not from Japan, you can go play For Honor.
If you want real-time stealth-based tactical games where you get to control a group of warriors to complete a specific mission, there is Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun. In this game, you control five assassins with unique skillsets.
Japan is a playable faction in Age of Empires III: The Asian Dynasties, so you got the RTS (real time strategy) genre covered too.
For people who would love to see large scale battles on the screen, there are turn-based real-time strategy games entirely devoted to the samurai clans like Total War: Shogun 2.
For deep, personal stories built around actual historical events, you can live the life of Jin Sakai (or the ‘Ghost’) in Ghost of Tsushima who sees his brethren losing to the Mongols and the island of Tsushima being taken by the Mongol warlord Khotun Khan. In Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, you actually play as a shinobi but your antagonist is a whole samurai clan. Though Elden Ring is not a samurai game, you’ll find a well-rounded character class of Samurai in it.
If you are already enamored of the samurai and/or wish to live as them in a video game, then we have some excellent recommendations for you. Here are the best samurai games you can play on PS5.
Also Read: Best PS5 Games for Kids
For Honor
For Honor is a third-person fighting game from Ubisoft. The game supports single player as well as multiplayer gameplay. It gives you the option to choose from a noteworthy roster of warrior classes like Knights, Samurai, Viking, Wu Lin, and Outlanders. Each of the warrior class constitutes of a set of warriors specialising in some weapon or fighting style. For example, the Samurai class has got Kyoshin, Kensei, Orochin, Shinobi, Shugoki, Hitokiri, Aramusha, and Nobushi.
For Honor also features a campaign story mode. You can play it alone or with a friend in a two-player co-op. The game has got some diverse multiplayer modes like Tribute, Dominion, Duel, Brawl, Skirmish, Breach, and Elimination. To give you an idea of how spread out the multiplayer modes are on the basis of the number of players, Brawl is a 2v2 mode where the winner is decided on the basis of best of five rounds whereas Elimination is a 4v4 mode with the same best-of-five-rounds rule.
We’d recommend you try this out as soon as possible, as it’s one of the best Viking games as well, apart from having a decent coverage of samurai warriors to choose from!
Developer: Ubisoft Montreal
Publisher: Ubisoft Entertainment
Release Date: December 19, 2018
➡️ Check it out on the PlayStation Store.
Ghostrunner
Ghostrunner is a fast-paced cyberpunk-themed single-player fighting game. The game is set in a post-apocalyptic world, where whatever is left of humanity is sheltered in the Dharma Tower. The thing is, that tower is under control by a woman who does not have the best interests of humanity at heart.
She is Mara the Keymaster who has control over the Dharma Tower now. The tower was designed by the Architect — the consciousness of Adam — and Mara was his best friend. But since their views on the future of humanity didn’t match, Mara betrays Adam and seizes control of the Dharma Tower.
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Ghostrunner (PS5) | $29.90 | Buy on Amazon |
In the game, you play as the Ghostrunner, a technologically-enhanced human, and your task is to stop Mara and her plans from coming to fruition.
Developer: One More Level, 3D Realms, All in! Games and Slipgate Ironworks
Publisher: 505 GAMES S.R.L.
Release Date: September 28, 2021
Like a Dragon: Ishin!
In Like a Dragon: Ishin!, you play as Sakamoto Ryoma, a samurai who has gone into hiding after being accused of murdering his own wife. To find out the true killers, he joins the Shinsengumi under a new name of Saito Hajime.
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Like a Dragon: Ishin! - PlayStation 5 | $34.95 | Buy on Amazon |
In this third person action game, you get to use four different fighting styles as The Swordsman, The Gunman, The Wild Dancer and The Brawler. Your journey in the game will take you to two important cities: Kyo and Tosa.
Developer: Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio
Publisher: SEGA of America, Inc.
Release Date: February 21, 2023
Also Read: Best Multiplayer PS5 Games to Beat Friends and Strangers On
Sifu
Sifu is a martial arts-based action fighting game in which you play as a Kung-Fu student. It is a single-player game playable only in the third person.
Revenge is the main theme of the game as you go after the ones who murdered your family. Assisting you in your quest is a mysterious pendant that will help you gain the upper hand on your foes.
In Sifu, you learn new fighting techniques of Pak-Mei Kung-Fu as you progress through the story. The game requires you to use everything you can in the environment you find yourself in. These can be items you can throw and weapons you can make quickly. You can also utilise windows and ledges to surprise your enemies.
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Sifu: Vengeance Edition (PS5) | 480 Reviews |
$80.74 |
Buy on Amazon |
Developer: SloClap
Publisher: SloClap
Release Date: February 8, 2022.
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is a third-person open-world PS5 game. In this brutal take on medieval Japan’s martial culture, you play as the ‘one armed wolf’, a shinobi entrusted with the protection of a young lord named Kuro. Since the one you protect is from an ancient bloodline, you attract the attention of plenty of enemies, many of whom are truly larger-than-life.
But before you became the ‘one-armed wolf’, you were the ‘Wolf’. Genichiro from the Ashina samurai clan needed Kuro to create an immortal army to protect his clan. You went up against him and lost both Kuro and one of your arms. Hence the name, ‘one armed wolf’.
Your lord is taken from you and now you must restore your honor. You will get healed and gifted a prosthetic arm to compensate for your loss. And now your true mission begins.
Developer: FromSoftware
Publisher: Activision
Release Date: March 22, 2019
➡️ Check it out on the PlayStation Store.
Soul Calibur VI
Soul Calibur VI is a fighting game developed by Bandai Namco Studios in collaboration with Dimps Corporation. The game’s story is set in 16th century and you can experience what happened in the first SoulCalibur game in the Soul Chronicle mode.
The game features a base roster of 21 players. Geralt of Rivia from The Witcher games is also available as a playable character. For this game, new battle mechanics have been added like Reversal Edge and Soul Charge. With the former, you can perform a block and then unleash your counter-attack while the latter grants you a power-up for a short time.
Developer: BANDAI NAMCO Studios Inc., Dimps Corporation
Publisher: BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment
Release Date: October 19, 2018
➡️ Check it out on the PlayStation Store.
Also Read: Best Racing Games for PS5 That Deliver Unparalleled Thrills
Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun
Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun is a tactical stealth game in which you control five assassins for various espionage related tasks. The five people under your command are Oshiro Mugen, a samurai, Yuki who’s a thief, two ninjas Hayato and Akio and Takuma, who happens to be a sharpshooter and a master in alchemy.
Coming to the game’s storyline, the Shogun has unified Japan but there a new threat in the form of ‘Kage-sama’ has emerged. The Shogun asks Oshiro Mugen, one of the samurai under him, to investigate the matter and learn Kage-sama’s true identity. For this mission, Mugen enlists four more people, and thus starts your journey in feudal Japan.
Developer: Mimimi Productions
Publisher: Daedalic Entertainment
Release Date: August 1, 2017
➡️ Check it out on the PlayStation Store.
Ghost of Tsushima
In Ghost of Tsushima, you play as Jin Sakai, a samurai who’s part of the Japanese forces when their island of Tsushima is invaded by the Mongol hordes. The Mongols overwhelm the Japanese troops but Jin survives somehow.
Jin knows that the Mongols have no regard for the samurai principles of an honourable fight and due to this, those who adhere strictly to Bushido will fall against the cunning of the invaders. So he decides to change his battle tactics. He will now become the ‘Ghost of Tsushima’, a figure Mongols would be terrorized of.
Ghost of Tsushima has received multiple accolades, and rightly so. It’s one of the best PS5 RPGs that you can get your hands on today!
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Ghost of Tsushima Director's Cut - PlayStation 5 | 3,023 Reviews | $59.99 | Buy on Amazon |
Developer: Sucker Punch Productions
Publisher: Sony Interactive Entertainment
Release Date: August 20, 2021
Trek To Yomi
Trek To Yomi is a sidescrolling action-adventure game. Hiroki, a young samurai, is the protagonist of the game. When Hiroki’s master is dying, the young man vows to protect his people and place from whatever danger they face.
In this game, you will get to use the traditional weapons of the samurai. Against you will stand enemies who’ve specialised in different weapons, like spear experts, archers, rifle guys and even some supernatural ones.
One of the most striking things about the game is that it is made entirely in black and white, to honor the classic samurai films.
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Trek to Yomi | $46.99 | Buy on Amazon |
Developer: Leonard Menchiari, Flying Wild Hog
Publisher: Devolver Digital
Release Date: May 5, 2022
Nioh
Nioh is a third-person action role-playing game set in 1600 in Japan. The game’s storyline sees an Irish traveller William Adams come to Japan in pursuit of an enemy. After he lands, he faces more challenges in the form of Japanese warrios and the supernatural Yokai.
Nioh’s world is inspired from the late Sengoku period, before the unification of Japan under Tokugawa. When you come to Japan, you will get the attention of Tokugawa Ieyasu himself.
Your primary enemy in the game is Edward Kelley, a Westerner.
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The Nioh Collection (PS5) | $48.50 | Buy on Amazon |
Developer: Team NINJA and Koei Tecmo Games
Publisher: Sony Interactive Entertainment
Release Date: February 8, 2017
Final Thoughts
All in all, we can say that the samurai are a popular lot in video games. The rich history of Japan has provided a lot of inspiration for samurai video game characters and stories. Hence, if you want to get your samurai fix on the PS5, our list has got some great games for you.
And, if you love engaging in virtual adventures, make sure not to miss out on our list of the best PS5 adventure games!
