Its stance-based combat and stamina management demand mastery; the more you adapt to constant pressure, meaningful progression for your character takes form. Against a vibrant, neon, mythical backdrop, Nioh has positioned itself as the worthiest challenger to FromSoftware – matching, perhaps even surpassing, Souls games’ specific brand of masochistic maximalism.
After Nioh 2, Team Ninja took a worthy detour through Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty and Rise of the Rōnin before returning for Nioh 3, the long gestation bringing fresh ideas and overhauls. For a rundown on what Nioh 3’s changes are, you should check out our “15 Things to Know” and “Nioh 3 vs Nioh 2 Gameplay Differences” features, but the bottom line is this: if 2026 is stacked with prestige action games on PS5, Nioh 3 is the one that feels most like a generational statement. Not just bigger, denser, or packed with more enemies, but a sequel rethought.
To get here, Team Ninja side-stepped their unremitting success. In an industry where sequels are increasingly built on iteration and incremental improvement to ensure safety and sales, for Nioh 3 Team Ninja has taken a riskier approach, breaking cleanly out of Soulslike’s slipstream to redefine their flagship action RPG series. The threequel balances tight corridors with open field exploration, expands avatar customisation to maximise player expression, and – perhaps the bravest of all – introduces a duo of freely switchable playstyles. The Samurai, the series’ noble powerhouse, returns alongside a newcomer, the quick and agile Ninja.
So, even before Nioh 3, Team Ninja couldn’t be accused of riding FromSoft’s coattails. Yet, they’re still focused on redefining their most popular series, strengthening its relevance while giving it longevity. See, incremental, “more of the same” isn’t guaranteeing success anymore. If Nioh demands you adapt to survive its hellish locales, then Team Ninja is doing the same.
Speaking of sequels, PlayStation 5 has a follow-up to one of its most significant post-launch exclusives on the horizon. On first glance, Saros – from bullet hell pioneers Housemarque – could be billed as Returnal 2. Harbouring third-person gunplay, sci-fi peril, momentum, and particle effects, the sequel emanates Returnal’s DNA, yet broadens it with new powers, tools, and mechanics to hasten its forebearer’s steady progression.
Two of PS5’s other big 2026 exclusives embody the same pace and physicality as Nioh 3 and Saros. Wuxia-inspired martial arts adventure Phantom Blade Zero sits with Nioh in gameplay and tone, its aggressive hack ‘n slash battling and striking visuals singling it out as one of PlayStation’s most anticipated up-and-comers.
Then we have Marvel’s Wolverine, with Insomniac Games deviating from Spider-Man to give Marvel’s second-most popular superhero a romp of his own. With gameplay showcasing visceral, third-person hyperviolence, Wolverine will find a substantial audience off the back of the studio’s reputation alone, so long as you’ve the stomach for its flesh-shredding gore.
Taking these four exclusives as examples – Nioh 3, Saros, Phantom Blade Zero, and Marvel’s Wolverine – PlayStation 5’s identity in 2026 is being shaped by third-person physicality. Skilful, cinematic action through blades, blaster guns, and claws, each delivering immediate reward, where satisfaction lands in rhythm, movement, and awe-striking art design. Singling one title out over another is a fool’s errand, but if we were to imply a leader amongst the pack we could ask ourselves which of these games gives you the greatest room to be yourself.
See, each title fulfills a fantasy – Saros with its superhuman explorer commanding slick maneuverability; Phantom Blade Zero and its martial artistry; Marvel’s Wolverine because, well, it’s Wolverine – but Nioh 3, arguably, is where you’ll get to express your personality the most. Where Souls games tend to carve their style through intricacy, in Nioh’s third entry emerges a unique identity forged by infinite possibilities. It is set to give you agency and authorship like you might never have experienced before. You’re not just playing a character – or in this case, two swappable forms – but systemically building beyond role playing’s usual character creation tools. This is why it is shaping up to be one of the biggest PS5 exclusive games of the year.
As mechanically deep as its combat systems are, their design gives you the freedom to figure out how best to take down Nioh 3’s gauntlet of tricky enemies and minibosses. While you can stick with either the Samurai or Ninja playstyles, the game encourages you to switch between the two, not only because there aren’t any restrictions on when your form can be swapped, but triggering a switch precisely as a red telegraphed attack is about to land unleashes a “burst counter”, stunning your enemy, dealing damage, and letting you string counters together.
Remarkably, despite new tools, weapons, manoeuvres, and more, Nioh 3 hasn’t lessened the challenge established by the series’ first two games. Burst countering, for instance, isn’t a one-and-done move. Its timing windows are tight, and they vary between enemy types. The game’s more expansively designed levels let you curate your own learning curve, but its layouts are still pockmarked by troublesome opponents. This is most apparent in the Crucible, the formidable epicenter of each level where the challenge ramps up.
And, what’s more, by Nioh 3 refining the series formula Team Ninja’s own growth gets reflected too. The studio received an influx of magnetically drawn talent post-Nioh 2, while spending time away from Nioh to ship two other titles has seen them come back changed; they’ve transformed, and are more capable as a result.
In Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty, the team all but perfected deflect-focused combat – elements which they’ve built into Nioh 3’s swordplay – while the threequel’s semi-linear openness imbues influence from Rise of the Rōnin (and, by their own admission, a hint of Elden Ring’s the Lands Between). Compare with Housemarque who are proudly refining their own brilliance in Saros, or Insomniac who are experts in translating prestige IP to blockbuster AAA experiences. Phantom Blade Zero’s developer S-Game is a fledgling studio that is introducing a bold debut to the international stage. Team Ninja, though, feels the hungriest of them all. This is a studio that is reaching their zenith, stretching a genre that has become all-too common in recent years beyond its limitations.
In Nioh 3, the philosophy that Nioh has always been about endurance and self-reinvention converges. It isn’t here to reassure, to smoothen edges, or to simply iterate on what has already worked. Instead, it demands of you the same thing it asks of its creators: shed habits, adapt, and emerge transformed. Team Ninja’s willingness to risk their series’ core identity is, without doubt, radical.
And ultimately, that’s what disguises Nioh 3 from even the strongest of its peers. Saros, Phantom Blade Zero, and Marvel’s Wolverine are all crafted by talent, and honed by passion and ambition, but Nioh 3 invites you to overcome adversity through your own personal style, by carving survival out of interlocking systems designed to foster experimentation as much as precision.
Look – six years into its lifecycle, 2026 may be PlayStation’s most defining year yet, with a lineup of big exclusives characterised by cinematic, third-person action. Yet, Nioh 3 feels poised to realise this definition clearer than anything else, not through comfort, or graphical fidelity, nor bigger enemies or more loot but, through growth, refinement, and choice. It’s adapt or die, whether you’re a player, game, or the studio.
Note: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, GamingBolt as an organization.
