10 Samurai Games on the PlayStation 5 You Need To Play (2024)

Back in the 2000s and 2010s, it was incredibly rare to see any video games about samurai come to the West. While there would be the occasional title like Way of the Samurai, most of the time samurai representation in video games came in the way of giving a modern-day character a katana or inserting a samurai-like character into a fantasy world.

That trend has seemed to change in recent years, as nowadays there are plenty of games set in historical Japan and star characters who are samurai. So many, in fact, that the PlayStation 5 is flooded with them, making it hard to recommend which ones people should play. However, if we take into account factors like gameplay, world design, and what era of Japan these games are set in, it becomes a bit easier to determine what the best samurai games available on modern platforms are.

10 Samurai Shodown

Brutal 1v1 Katana Battles

In 2019 SNK finally released a new game in their popular fighting game franchise Samurai Shodown for modern platforms. The game has developed a roster of 30 characters which all have a samurai or ninja theme. Battles in this game are all fast-paced, sport beautiful stylized graphics, and include fantastic finishing moves.

Now, while Samurai Shodown is a fantastic fighting game, it must rank low on this list as the format of 2D fighting games does very little to make you feel like a samurai. Compared to the other entries on this list, it's more aesthetical.

9 Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice

The S in Samurai Stands for Souls

In 2019, Fromsoft once again innovated on the Soulslike genre by releasing Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice. A Soulslike game with a samurai theme that takes place in a fictional period of Japan. The game featured a heavy focus on counters and extra-movement tools that set it apart from other souls-likes by the company.

Unfortunately, it must rank low on this list as while many of the game's samurai aesthetics are fantastic, many parts of the world and the Dragonrot disease make the game feel much closer to Dark Souls than any other samurai game.

8 Shadow Tactics: Blade of the Shogun

Bringing Strategy to Bushido

Daedalic Entertainment's 2016 title Shadow Tactics: Blade of the Shogun has a unique twist on the samurai aesthetic. While most samurai games go for an action-RPG or Soulslike approach, Shadow Tactics instead takes various feudal Japanese archetypes and forms a strategy game around them.

With six main characters who all come equipped with unique skills to defeat or sneak past enemies, the ninja and samurai of Shadow Tactics truly feel like a cohesive unit and lead one of the most unique games in the strategy genre. Unfortunately, it must rank low on this list solely due to how polished every other game is.

7 Samurai Warriors 5

Witness Nobunaga's Rise to Power

In a shocking turn of events, Koei Tecmo chose to reboot their long-running Samurai Warriors franchise for the series’ fifth mainline entry. Samurai Warriors 5 sported a much smaller roster and weapon list than previous games in the series, but despite that, the magic of mowing down thousands of enemies in Musou combat remained. With a story focused on Oda Nobunaga, a phenomenal soundtrack, and excellent stage design, Samurai Warriors 5 is one of the best Musou games currently available on the PlayStation store. Despite this praise, however, there are better samurai-themed Musous for the console so it ranks low on this list.

6 Nioh

Samurai vs. Demons

Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice isn't the only samurai-themed Soulslike currently available for PlayStation consoles. Team Ninja's Nioh franchise has been critically acclaimed as one of the best non-Fromsoft Soulslikes on the market. The games follow the samurai known as William as he fights through hordes of demons and other creatures that have begun to take over Japan.

With a focus on parrying enemy attacks and judging for yourself which attacks can and cannot be feasibly parried by a human being, Nioh’s gameplay is fun and engaging for any player who can overcome the immediate difficulty curve. Any long-time fan of the games when they first came out will also be a fan of the PS5 upgrade the first game received via the remastered collection.

5 Samurai Warriors: Spirit of Sanada

A Young Warrior's Rise to Fame

While Samurai Warriors 5 was a fantastic game in its own right, few would consider it a better Musou than the game that came before it: Spirit of Sanada. Spirit of Sanada focuses on the Sanada clan of samurai and their struggle to survive in the ever-changing Sengoku Era. With the phenomenal level design, a roster of over 60 characters pulled right from Samurai Warriors 4, and a new older design for Yukimura Sanada, Spirit of Sanada has everything one can ask for from a Samurai Warriors game.

While it is one of the best Musou games ever made, many gamers feel dissatisfied with the Musou genre in general, thus it only places halfway on this list. With titles ranking above it for their broader appeal.

4 Ghost of Tsushima

A Western Open-World Interpretation of the Genre

In 2020, the legendary game developer Sucker Punch Productions gave the world Ghost of Tsushima. An open-world game where the player takes control of a samurai trying to defend his land against Mongol invaders. Although it is known as one of the best samurai games available on PS5, it has also received a PC port recently. Ghost of Tsushima is commonly praised for its incredibly engaging open-world exploration and how seamlessly the player is transported from task to task by following the wind. Action segments in Ghost of Tsushima allow the player to either stealthily eliminate enemies similar to Batman in the Arkham franchise or challenge them to sword duels like a proper samurai. Balancing both of these gameplay mechanics is what sets Ghost of Tsushima apart from other games and makes it one of the best currently available samurai games.

3 Like a Dragon: Ishin

Yakuza in 1800s Japan

In 2023, Sega took their beloved Yakuza franchise and gave it a new coat of paint by setting a game in the Bakumatsu period of Japan. In this title, you take control of the samurai Ryoma Sakamoto as you infiltrate the Shinsengumi to learn who killed your master.

This title is a remake of the original Yakuza Ishin, which introduced many gameplay mechanics players are familiar with today. Such as having multiple fighting styles you can switch between mid-combat. The styles in Ishin range from using katana to using guns, giving a true samurai feel to the combat. If you are a fan of Yakuza or the Shinsengumi, you can't go wrong with playing this title.

2 Rise of the Ronin

The Best Open-World Japan

Team Ninja has once again chosen to grace this list with another samurai-themed Soulslike: Rise of the Ronin. Unlike the Nioh games which took place in the Sengoku Era of Japan, this game takes place during the Bakamatsu period. Similar to Like a Dragon: Ishin, the player is given the option to join the Shinsengumi group of samurai in the lead-up to the Boshin War as you hunt down a certain ronin. The gameplay of Rise of the Ronin is very similar to Team Ninja's previous games, with a large emphasis on parrying attacks to tire out your opponents. However, what makes Rise of the Ronin from the studio's previous works is the excellent open-world design filled with Japanese landmarks which truly make you feel like a samurai exploring this land. From activites like sneaking up on cats to taking photos of real Japanese landmarks, you couldn't ask for a more auethenic experience, placing it very high on this list.

1 Fate/Samurai Remnant

What Makes a Better Samurai Than a Saber?

Placing at the top of the list is Koei Tecmo's Fate/Samurai Remnant. This title combines Type-Moon's Fate franchise with a gameplay style similar to Koei's Dynasty Warriors franchise and sets the game right in Edo Japan.

One would suspect that this extreme combination of contrasting styles wouldn't work, but the gameplay, story, and world of Fate/Samurai Remnant shine through in a way that makes the title stand out from every other game in the Fate IP and every other Dynasty Warriors title produced by Koei. With 14 currently playable characters, a very replay-friendly main campaign, and DLC content releasing throughout 2024, Fate/Samurai Remnant currently reigns supreme as the best samurai-themed game available for the PlayStation 5.