Highlights

• Dive deeper into samurai culture & action-packed gameplay with these exciting and underrated samurai-themed games.
• Enjoy brutal combat and strategic thinking in games like Katana Zero, Samurai Gunn, and Brave Fencer Musashi.
• Explore diverse samurai experiences, from real-time strategy in Kessen to hack-and-slash in Samurai Shodown and Nioh 2.

The way of the samurai has always been a subject of fascination for fiction. Anything from their iconic swords to their code of honor makes them just as interesting, if not more so than knights, especially when it comes to video games. That's something Ghost of Tsushima has proven, and it ought to spark renewed interest towards these obsolete Japanese warriors.

Now, if Ghost of Tsushima has left many players wanting more bushido action, or even just the signature Japanese aesthetics involved, then fret not, because there are other samurai-themed games that offer more gameplay involving katanas and cool ponytails.

Updated on March 22, 2024, by Dennis Moiseyev: The samurai hype is real these days. FX and Hulu's Shogun is on TV and Team Ninja's Rise of the Ronin has come to PS5, a worthy adversary to Ghost of Tsushima. But there are lots of cool samurai games on top of Rise of the Ronin to fill the void Ghost of Tsushima may have left, whether you're in it for the gameplay or the story. Here are some more options.

22 Katana Zero

Fans of hard titles with great combat will fall in love with the brutal gameplay of Katana Zero. The game places you in the shoes of a skilled swordsman who uses a katana to deal death and destruction all around him.

Katana Zero is definitely not an easy game, with your character being downed in a single hit. However, dealing with multiple failed runs only to settle upon the perfect one never ceases to be satisfying. It's another Devolver Digital gem!

21 Samurai Gunn

An indie party game featuring powerful warriors, Samurai Gunn is a fun title to whip out at a moment's notice. It might not have the deepest gameplay around, but the systems are competent enough to serve up some fun rounds that you can enjoy with friends.

It's easily one of the most underrated games on this list. The game deserves more love, especially given how fun its brawler combat can really be.

20 Brave Fencer Musashi

Squaresoft was on a roll in the 90s, releasing a wave of amazing games that are still held in high regard to this day. Brave Fencer Musashi is one of its many releases during this time period that was absolutely stellar.

The game features a main character who's a reincarnation of the famed swordsman, Musashi. It's a light-hearted game that fans of entertaining JRPGs will find to be right up their alley.

19 Afro Samurai

Well, he might not have a ponytail, and he might not be Japanese, but the titular Afro Samurai is voiced by none other than Samuel Jackson—can't say no to that! It's a rather simple game based on the animated series of the same name.

This time around, players take on the role of Afro in his quest to become the number one warrior. It just so happens that the current number one is a dude named Justice who killed his father. It's a two-for-one revenge story that's worth playing for Samuel Jackson's voice alone.

18 Way Of Samurai 4

Now, for a samurai-themed game where the protagonist is actually a Japanese samurai, and the whole thing takes place in Japan, Way of the Samurai 4 should do the trick. It's the latest entry in the series, and it was released in 2012.

It might not be as highly-acclaimed as Ghost of Tsushima, but the time period Way of the Samurai 4 takes place in is interesting. That would be the post-isolationist era of Japan, around the same time period the Rurouni Kenshin anime is based on.

17 Kessen

Speaking of Japanese history, the Kessen games should attract any interested audience. It's a real-time strategy released back in the year 2000 for the PlayStation 2, a console that didn't see many entries in the genre.

Kessen — the first one, at least — is a digital battleground where players get to control the outcome of the Battle of Sekigahara and many other conflicts between the Tokugawa Clan and the Toyotomi Clan during the Sengoku period.

16 Samurai Warriors Series

If China has Dynasty Warriors, then Japan has Samurai Warriors. The fourth entry in the series is the highest-rated among the bunch and continues the Dynasty Warriors-Esque gameplay of lone warriors hacking down enemy hordes like lawnmowers.

Of course, Samurai Warriors also has its own stars in the form of the most popular samurai icons in Japanese history. Like most Japanese games involving samurai, it takes place during the warring states period of Japan. It's worth noting that this game has the same publisher/developer as Dynasty Warriors.

15 Warriors Orochi Series

What if Dynasty Warriors crossed over with Samurai Warriors? The answer is Warriors Orochi, a series that also has a habit of persisting into multiple sequels while keeping the same gameplay formula. Warriors Orochi 4 is the latest among them.

Anyone who has played both the Dynasty Warriors and Samurai Warriors games should be familiar with the game and the characters. This time, however, the variety goes up through the roof with the combined roster of heroes.

14 Samurai Shodown (2019)

On the surface, Samurai Shodown looks like another 2.5D anime-style fighting game, like Street Fighter 4 but with weapons. Delve deeper and players will find that it’s a far more strategic and tactical fighting game that requires timing and patience.

There’s a certain rhythm to Samurai Shodown’s combat system that makes the game feel totally unique. There are counter-attacks and defensive moves, like rolls and parrying, that can change the tide of battle in an instant. Yet despite these hardcore mechanics, Shodown is very accessible and easy to pick up for brand-new players.

13 Bushido Blade

Released on the PS1 in 1997, Bushido Blade is a purist's dream and a sword-fighting game that was the polar opposite of the arcade-style mechanics of the SoulCalibur series. It remains as close to a samurai combat simulator as it can possibly get.

Every fight is about targeting body parts to weaken the opponent or going for an instant kill strike. Players need to learn how to time their parries and deflect attacks with precision-perfect timing while also honoring the Samurai code of Bushido.

12 Onimusha 3: Demon Siege

For a samurai-themed game with a fantasy twist, then players can't go wrong with the Onimusha series. Onimusha 3: Demon Siege is the latest among all three games and is also the highest-rated of the lot.

Onimusha 3 isn't just content with the fantasy spin, but it also adds a modern-day time-travel flavor by incorporating a French soldier voiced by Jean Reno who somehow got stuck in 16th-century demon-infested Japan. That ought to be interesting.

11 For Honor

By far one of the prettiest games here, For Honor isn't exactly focused on samurai, but, since a third of the game gives them a spotlight, then it may as well count. Being one of the playable factions in this competitive melee action game, For Honor is a breath of fresh air coming from single-player games.

It allows players to command different types of samurai or ninja archetypes to duke it out against other samurai or knights or Vikings, with some neat parry mechanics. The game itself doesn't make sense in the slightest, and it's best to just play it for the thematic fun.

10 Soulcalibur 6

Even though it’s a game that combines fighting styles from all over the world, SoulCalibur 6 features one of the most iconic Samurai fighters in the history of video games in Mitsurugi. He has been a mainstay of the series featured in every entry.

As a result, he is one of the most refined and powerful characters in the series. He has different stances to master which will feel familiar to fans of Ghost of Tsushima’s various stances and fighting styles.

9 Shadow Warrior Series

Check out our review of Shadow Warrior 3!

The Shadow Warrior series might be a bit more unexpected in terms of gameplay for those who are used to Ghost of Tsushima's combat system. This series of games is entirely FPS-based with a mix of katana and machine guns, adding some boomer shooter aesthetics to the gory hack-and-slash systems.

You are protagonist Lo Wang, not a samurai, but an equally skilled assassin in the present-day, who has to fight ancient demonic enemies that invade. Some of those enemies that you get to battle will even include samurai-armored Toro and Laser Shogun. And you can think of this game as Doom, Ghostrunner, and Nioh rolled into one, with an impressive gore system.

8 Nioh 2

Check out our 4/5 star review of Nioh 2!

Another fantasy samurai game would be the Souls-like Nioh series, the last installment being Nioh 2. It's more liberal in its use of monsters and demons compared to Onimusha, and it's certainly not a game for those looking to have casual fun and fulfillment.

Nioh 2 being a Soulslike makes it frustrating and more challenging than the typical samurai game. However, nothing should stop a good hardcore action RPG fan from trying it out. Besides, it has some of the best samurai fashion armor pieces ever in a video game.

7 Shadow Tactics: Blades Of The Shogun

Although it’s visually different, Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun is the perfect game for those players of Ghost of Tsushima who love tackling every enemy camp and base with a tactical mind. It’s a real-time tactical stealth game with mechanics that are very similar to the critically acclaimed Commandos and Desperados series.

Instead of a World War 2 or an American Wild West setting, Shadow Tactics takes place during Japan’s Edo period. You take control of a Samurai warrior, ninjas, a trap expert, and a rifleman who are tasked with infiltrating fortresses and camps using espionage, sabotage, and the element of surprise.

There's also an expansion called Shadow Tactics: Aiko's Choice, following Blades of the Shogun's character Aiko as the main protagonist.

6 Fate/Samurai Remnant

If you love anime, especially Netflix's Blue Eye Samurai, or anything using the heavy visual feedback Musou hack-and-slash combat system from developer KOEI TECMO, like Warriors Orochi, Samurai Warriors, or Dynasty Warriors, Fate/Samurai Remnant might just be right up your alley.

Similar to many games of its kind, it's likewise set in the Edo period of Japan's history. But it's also not just your regular samurai game, however, as you have the adorable mechanic of getting to pet dogs and cats to restore some of your health. This may feel reminiscent of petting the foxes in Ghost of Tsushima.

5 Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice

Check out our 4.5/5 star review of Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice!

Technically the protagonist of Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is a shinobi or a ninja, but that could be forgiven, as the game is chock full of samurai looking to kill him anyway. It involves Wolf, a fallen dishonored shinobi tasked with retrieving his kidnapped lord from power-hungry clan leaders.

Though they aren't all that similar, FromSoft's most recent Souls-like does bear a resemblance to Sucker Punch's Ghost of Tsushima. The former is far more unforgiving than the latter, however, and players without extensive experience in the Souls games will likely find progressing to be pretty difficult.

4 Trek To Yomi

Taking inspiration from Akira Kurosawa's movies like Ran, Seven Samurai, and Yojimbo, much like Ghost of Tsushima's Kurosawa Mode also does, Trek to Yomi's environment is designed fully in a black-and-white greyscale color. It adds a lot to the cinematic tone and dramatic flair that this game is going for.

The gameplay is essentially Ghost of Tsushima and Nioh as a side-scroller rather than an open-world hack-and-slash, as it also comes with lots of brutal animations and giant folkloric entities to fight, despite its minimalized aesthetic. It's truly one of the most memorable samurai experiences you'll have in a game.

3 Like A Dragon: Ishin!

Check out our 4/5 star review of Like a Dragon: Ishin.

The Yakuza/Like a Dragon games generally stick to the same modern-day period, but in 2014, there was a spin-off Japan-only release called Ryu Ga Gotoku Ishin!, which finally received a remake in 2023 and launched in the US and other regions. Like a Dragon: Ishin! takes you to 1860s Japan, following a samurai in the late Edo period.

It's the world of Yakuza you know and love, the familiar character counterparts like Majima and Kiryu, and the outrageously fun beat 'em up combat, but set in the historical backdrop of 19th century Japan. You now get a katana and pistol, and a story that revolves around real-life samurai Sakamoto Ryoma on a path to avenge his father's murder.