The feudal era of Japanese history was a dark and bloody one. It featured both the Edo and Sengoku periods, restless with the political upheaval and warring of Daimy — the great feudal lords, and landholders — who led their clans into great battles for power. This was the era that saw the rise and fall of the samurai, the warrior nobility. A loosening of the samurai culture and the admittance of those outside the social elite allowed those proficient in combat to make a name for themselves as de-facto samurai warriors.
With a period full of war and political unrest, it's unsurprising to find this era of Japanese history often at the center of many successful video game titles. With such a wide period of history to choose from, whether you're looking to be placed into the shoes of samurai, or star as a surprisingly fluffy Shinto Sun Goddess, here are some of the best games that will take you straight to the heart of feudal Japan's brutality and beauty.
Updated April 13, 2022, by Michael Llewellyn: Video games are a unique medium where they can take a player by the hand and let them discover unforgettable events on a visual level. The same is true for games that can take us back in time to experience incredible moments in history like Feudal Japan. This period in Japan's history has captured the imagination of moviemakers, novelists, and of course video game creators. It includes ninjas, samurai, and famous warlords, many of whom have appeared countless times in video games. This list has been updated to include more games that are set during the era of Feudal Japan. Whether it's fantasy swordplay, strategy, or all-out warfare this list will have something for history fans.
12 Shadow Tactics: Blades Of The Shogun
- Released: 2016
- Developer: Mimimi Productions
- Platforms: Mac OS, Linux, PC, PS4, and Xbox One
Released in 2016, Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun is a tactical stealth game inspired by the classic Commando series. Taking command of a team that includes Samurai and ninjas you are tasked with infiltrating enemy camps, assassinating warlords, and performing spy missions.
The real-time strategy game is perfect for those that prefer stealth over pure action games. It's very challenging but its gameplay mechanics are some of the most rewarding in the genre.
11 Samurai Warriors 5
- Released: 2021
- Developer: Omega Force
- Platforms: PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One
Fans of the Dynasty Warriors games should be well acquainted with the mechanics of Samurai Warriors 5. Instead of being set during the events in the Chinese novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Samurai Warriors 5 is set during Japan's Sengoku period.
Even though it's numbered as the fifth game, Samura Warriors 5 is a reboot with improved mechanics and visuals. The efforts paid off because Samurai Warriors 5 is one of Omega Force's most critically acclaimed titles.
10 Way Of The Samurai 3
- Released: 2011
- Developer: Acquire
- Platform: PS3
The Way Of The Samurai takes place during the tumultuous Sengoku period, focusing on the fictional land of Amana, ruled by new feudal lord Fujimori Shuzen. As the Fujimori clan begins to rise in power, it gains enemies with the Takatane villagers it's forcing to work and heavily taxing, along with the rival Ouka clan scheming in the shadows.
You play as a Samurai warrior whose decisions directly involve the plot and outcome of this politically unstable region. You need to fight with honor, make the correct choices, and be a good citizen to achieve one of 22 of the game's unique endings and maybe even help bring back harmony to Amana.
9 Sengoku Basara/Devil Kings
- Released: 2005
- Developer: Capcom
- Platform: PS2
Capcom's Sengoku Basara 3D hack-and-slash franchise goes further than its highly successful game series, with a fantastic anime, manga, trading card game, and even stage play inspired by its ties to feudal Japanese history.
Sengoku Basara is loosely set within Japan's politically tumultuous Sengoku period and sees rival samurai clans fighting one another for power with unique special moves and abilities. It reimagines many of the hugely important historical events from the feudal era, whilst also allowing players to fight fantastical demons and supernatural foes.
8 Muramasa: The Demon Blade
- Released: 2009
- Developer: Vanillaware
- Platform: PS Vita and the Wii
Taking place in Honshu Island's Edo period, Muramasa: The Demon Blade follows the conflict for ownership of the fabled Demon Blades, two swords that force the wielder to endlessly kill, slowly driving them mad. It follows Momohime, a girl possessed by a vengeful ronin, and Kisuke, a ninja with amnesia on the run for a crime he can't remember committing.
The game is a classic 2D side-scroller beat-em-up, with design and artwork based on Kabuki theatre. Its story centers around classic Buddhist mythology and theology alongside retellings of classic feudal Japanese folklore and is a great start for those looking to gain some knowledge of Japanese culture and history.
7 Tenchu
- Released: 2008
- Developer: Acquire
- Platforms: PSP, Wii
Set within a fantasy reimagining of 16th century Japan, Tenchu tells the story of Rikimari and Ayame, two ninjas from the Azume Ninja Clan serving as spies to gather intelligence for Lord Gohda and protect his province from the demon warrior Onikage.
This is a third-person game where you control both ninjas as they undertake stealth missions by ducking, crouching, and hiding to avoid detection using their Ki meter, as well as delivering one-hit stealth kills to their enemies.
6 Onimusha Warlords
- Released: 2001
- Developer: Capcom
- Platforms: PC, PS2, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One
Capcom's highly acclaimed Playstation 2 classic Onimusha is a combat-heavy action game set within a supernatural reimagining of Japan's 17th Century Sengoku period. It reflected what fans loved from the company's successful survival horror Resident Evil franchise against a Japanese historical backdrop; with similar gameplay, level design, and a monstrous assortment of otherwordly enemies to face
Onimusha Warlords is perhaps the franchise's best, seeing you play as hero Samanosuke, returning to his lord's castle to find the 'Demon King' Nobunaga has risen from the dead at the head of a demon army. With Japan in turmoil and clans fighting for control, it's up to you to thwart Nobunaga and his demon horde, lest Japan falls under a dark new rule.
5 Nioh
- Released: 2017
- Developer: Team Ninja
- Platforms: PC, PS4 and PS5
The Nioh games are renowned as some of the hardest to hit modern consoles, rivaling even Dark Souls. The complex mechanics, Ki system, and ability to be one-hit killed by many of the game's brutal bosses sets it apart and continues to bring in fans old and new, helped by its beautiful reimagining of Japan's 17th century Sengoku Period and the helpful Guardian Spirits inspired by Japanese myth and folklore.
Nioh is a fictionalized retelling of William Adams, history's only known, Western samurai. It sees the final battles being fought to unify Japan during a period of political upheaval and clan warfare, only complicated that bit further by the emergence of Yokai, flourishing in humanity's brutality.
4 Total War: Shogun 2
- Released: 2011
- Developer: Creative Assembly
- Platform: Mac OS, PC, and Linux
Hailed as one of the best historical Total War games created, Total War: Shogun 2 is thought by many to be the definitive historical Total War title in the franchise, with stunning scenery, fantastic gameplay, and historically and culturally accurate representation.
Total War: Shogun is a turn-based real-time war strategy game, seeing you play as a Daimyo, a Feudal Lord in 16th Century Japan leading his clan through the country's darkest age as it becomes divided into warring clans looking to re-unite Japan under one ruler, a new Shogun.
3 Okami
- Released: 2006
- Developer: Clover Studio
- Platforms: PS2, PS3, PS4, Switch, Wii, and Xbox One
Hailed as one of the best Playstation games to have come out of the 2000s, Okami leaped onto our screens in all its artistic brilliance back in 2006, doing well enough to return later with a full HD remaster.
The Capcom classic sees you play as Amaterasu, the Shinto Sun Goddess taking the form of a white wolf who has returned to the open-world version of Japan (referred to by its formal name Nippon in-game). She's tasked with using her Celestial Brush to once again seal away the eight-headed demon Orochi, who was accidentally freed and is now sapping the life and color out of Nippon. The game's design is unique, based on real Japanese artwork, and its story takes you to the heart of an ancient land full of myth and wonder.
2 Nioh 2
- Released: 2020
- Developer: Team Ninja
- Platforms: PC, PS4 and PS5
Building upon the success of the first game, Nioh 2 features smoother and more technical combat, and a larger more explorable world for one to lose themselves in. Instead of being restricted to one character as in the first title, you can now create your warrior that goes by the preset name Hide.
The events of Nioh 2 precede the story of the first game, and the character Hide will serve under and interact with several key figures from Feudal Japan's history. Just like its predecessor, Nioh 2 blends elements of the supernatural and historical events in one of the best Souls-like games ever made.
1 Ghost Of Tsushima
- Released: 2020
- Developer: Sucker Punch
- Platforms: PS4 and PS5
If you were looking to step back in time to the land of the samurai, look no further than Ghost of Tsushima. This cinematic masterpiece is set in a near-perfect example of feudal-era Japan with a depiction so historically accurate it's even aided players in learning a thing or two about Japanese history.
The Ghost of Tsushima is an open-world action-adventure game taking you back to 1274 CE Japan, to the island of Tsushima, which the Mongol Empire has invaded and conquered, defeating all but you and a few other lone samurai. Playing as Jin Sakai, you need to go past the honorable samurai code and traditions to forge a new way of fighting and free your nation from Mongol rule.