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[Draugoth]

Platforms:

• PC (Feb 6, 2026)
• PlayStation 5 (Feb 6, 2026)

Review Aggregator:

OpenCritic - 89 average - 95% recommended - 21 reviews

MetaCritic - 88 - PlayStation 5 - 34 Reviews

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Critic Reviews

AltChar - Denis Haman - 10 / 10

Nioh 3 delivers everything Nioh fans wanted - refined combat, smoother progression, and gorgeous visuals - without sacrificing the brutal challenge that defines the series. This is iterative design at its finest.

Analog Stick Gaming - Jordan Andow - 8.5 / 10

If you haven't played Nioh before but you enjoy soulslikes and character action games, then this is definitely a game you need to try. Its focus on player choice in approach, combined with more cinematic storytelling than its competition have made it my favourite game in the genre so far.

Atarita - Seyidcem Öztürk - Turkish - 85 / 100

With its deep, enjoyable combat and build variety, Nioh 3 stands out mechanically but falls short in terms of visuals and story.

Capsule Computers - Travis Bruno - 9 / 10

Nioh 3 evolves the series with open‑field exploration, brutal Crucibles, and a fresh Ninja style, delivering a tough but rewarding sequel despite a few lingering flaws.

Cerealkillerz - Gabriel Bogdan - German - 9.1 / 10

Nioh 3 combines all of Team Ninja's previous ventures into different genres into a comprehensive overall package, offering what is arguably the best gameplay the series has seen so far. The open areas and equipment management may not appeal to every fan of the series, but aside from that, this is one of the studio's best games to date. We also recommend playing the title in Japanese, due to the poor English voice acting.

Console Creatures - Console Creatures Guest - 9 / 10

Nioh 3 fractures Team Ninja's formula, pushing players to master brutal Samurai power and lethal Ninja agility in every demanding encounter.

Digitale Anime - Raouf Belhamra - Arabic - 9.5 / 10

"The pinnacle of the series" Nioh 3 cements Team Ninja's position as one of the top developers of action fighting games. The wide variety of combat systems, the freedom to create characters, and the semi-open level design give the game a strong identity and a cohesive experience. Despite some minor visual quibbles, the technical performance, depth of mechanics, and battle design make it a high-quality experience aimed at players seeking challenge and precision.

EmuGlx.org - Vladimir Glamočanin - Unknown - 9.5 / 10

When you take everything into account, what you get is a fusion of Team Ninja's incredible attention to detail and clear love for the Nioh series, seamlessly wrapped - albeit rarely so well - into an open-world structure with an outstanding exploration-reward system. As a result, despite a few questionable design choices, you're left with an exceptional game that never becomes dull for a single moment.

EvelonGames - Joel Isern Rodríguez - Kaym - Spanish - 9 / 10

Nioh 3 is the natural evolution of a franchise that has truly listened to its community. It retains the hardcore essence and complexity we love, while injecting freshness through the new Ninja Style and open-field exploration. Although it isn't technologically flawless in its larger environments and the narrative won't be winning any Oscars, the gameplay at the controls is, quite simply, second to none.

Gameliner - Joey Visser - Dutch - 4.5 / 5

Nioh 3 is a strong addition to the franchise, offering an engaging story, deep combat, and a rewarding open-field design that invites constant exploration, and despite occasionally being too easy and not fully showcasing the PlayStation 5's graphical potential, it delivers a smooth, immersive action-RPG experience.

Gamer Escape - Eliot Lefebvre - 8 / 10

The game's sheer complexity and overwhelming mass of systems and stuff makes it a bit hard to recommend, and there were definitely times when I was pulling out my hair in frustration in the game or finding myself unclear on how I was supposed to proceed. I feel like a smaller and more balanced game would have likely been an overall better experience. But at the end of the day, Nioh 3 aims big. While I can't say if it's going to satisfy series fans perfectly, this one is definitely earning a thumbs up from me.

Gamersky - 奕剑者柴王 - Chinese - 9 / 10

Team Ninja clearly understands what fans of the Nioh series are looking for. As a result, Nioh 3 feels like a Warriors Orochi-style entry made specifically for the Nioh franchise.

Hinsusta - Pascal Kaap - German - 10 / 10

Nioh 3 is not just a sequel, but the consistent further development of an already outstanding series. It is the best action RPG of the year and a true masterpiece of its genre!

Just Play it - Lamine BENYAHIA - Arabic - 9.5 / 10

Nioh 3 is an unforgettable experience that redefines the series within an enchanting open-world framework. Team Ninja didn't just continue the legacy. they boldly pushed beyond it, delivering a rich and secret-filled world that carries the soul of the original series while giving it bold new wings. Here, longtime fans are honored with the depth and substance they expect, while newcomers are warmly welcomed through the gates. If you love soulslikes, Nioh 3 is undoubtedly a journey worth taking.

PSX Brasil - Marco Aurélio Couto - Portuguese - 85 / 100

Nioh 3 evolves the series' formula with semi-open world maps and an even deeper and more dynamic combat system, maintaining challenging and highly satisfying encounters. Despite stumbles in the narrative, enemy repetition, and visual aspects, the gameplay remains the highlight of the experience, and should easily please fans of action RPGs.

Pizza Fria - Filipe Villela Barroso - Portuguese - 8.5 / 10

Team Ninja managed to take everything that worked in the previous games and expand upon it intelligently, delivering a much more ambitious experience here.

Prima Games - Ali Hashmi - 9 / 10

Nioh 3 is yet another incredible action title from Team Ninja that further refines the series' formula with thoughtful additions to its combat, most notably the Style Shift system and the Ninja and Samurai forms that come with it. The open field structure is a largely positive change thanks to the added freedom and emphasis on exploration, but it does not feel entirely necessary, coming across more as a remix than a true genre shift. It is packed with content that can easily last hundreds of hours, and the depth of its combat and build systems never stops impressing.

ReGame It - Mustafa Zayni - Arabic - 8.3 / 10

Nioh 3 keeps what the series promises us and adds a lot of new things that make the game enjoyable and more fun to play.

Saudi Gamer - Arabic - 9 / 10

Nioh 3 is Team Ninja's finest, it improved on what made Nioh 1 and 2 special without losing its identity along the way, a soulslike with a fastpaced combat and tons of exploration.

SmashPad - Tanay Sharma - 4 / 5

Nioh 3 is an excellent entry in the series, simply because of how open it is to experimentation. The dual fighting styles between a Samurai and a Ninja highlight this aspect of its gameplay philosophy, and that's just the beginning of what you can expect from Team Ninja's commitment to an intricate combat and exploration system. If you've never played a Nioh game before, that's okay! I believe this one can attract a lot of new fans to the series.

The Outerhaven Productions - Keith Mitchell - 4.5 / 5

Nioh 3 doesn't reinvent the series, and it does not need to. Instead, Team Ninja refines nearly every system the franchise has built over the years and layers meaningful additions on top. The dual combat styles, interconnected world, improved co-op structure, and player-friendly respec system all feel like natural evolutions rather than gimmicks. But let's be honest, the reason you're here is the combat, and it does not disappoint.

Video Reviews

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[Gonzito]

Let's go papitos

 

[hououinkyouma00]

I've literally never heard of a single publication in that list outside of Noisy Pixel as their videos pop up on my YouTube from time to time.

 

[Cumulus]

The demo impressions were right.

There goes my gaming time for the next ~2 months

 

[Baemono]

Wow, I should try the demo

 

[Efren is G.O.A.T.]

Neat! I expected 7s and 8s

 

[Fake]

Looking good.

 

[Signalis]

I was expecting higher scores. Pre-order cancelled

 

[splattered]

Hell yeah great scores. Only played and beat the first one but I enjoyed it. Really should get around to playing the second one.

 

[Zacfoldor]

 

[Donkaapo]

Oh man these scores are looking great, i can't wait for Friday. And thank god we even get 3 whole Weeks for this Masterpiece until RE9 drops which is more then enough to do everything.

 

[The artful mincer]

Game is Fire!

Combat depth and options in just the demo is categorically insane.

Will be the new combat standard for Souls-likes and maybe hack and slash in general.

 

[NeverYouMind]

If the Demo is anything to go by then the full game will have pretty smooth sailing relative to other Niohs. I am really curious what new weapon types will be in the DLC.

 

[coachmcguirk91]

I will most likely put 1000 hours into this game over the next 5hrs. 80hrs of content for a single playthrough. The replayability of this franchise is the best of any single player game in the industry

 

[Cumulus]

Oh man these scores are looking great, i can't wait for Friday. And thank god we even get 3 whole Weeks for this Masterpiece until RE9 drops which is more then enough to do everything.

FightingCowboy needed 60 hours for a singular playthrough not including any NG+ where most NiOh games just really start adding trials higher loot tiers etc.
So.... Unless you have no life, I´d not bet on it

 

[SHAKEZ]

I'm happy that KT and Team Ninja are cementing themselves further in the Japanese industry. There's never enough japanese action games in the market, it's the kind of pure gameplay fun I live for.

 

[Luipadre]

Ngl i uninstalled the demo 2 times and when i played it again the 3rd time it finally clicked. Finished the demo and really enjoyed it. Its just so overwhelming at first and i had to forget the souls muscle memory, because this game plays differently. Not sure if im buying this day 1, but definitely gonna play it at some point

 

[MiguelItUp]

Is there anyone else that just didn't have this click for them and they're a massive Souls fan? I played the demo and it just... didn't land to me. Which sucks because I was hearing/reading a lot of positive things about this series, especially this game via the demo. But it didn't hook me at all, it actually felt like it pushed me away. Maybe I just need to revisit it another time.

 

[Gonzito]

Is there anyone else that just didn't have this click for them and they're a massive Souls fan? I played the demo and it just... didn't land to me. Which sucks because I was hearing/reading a lot of positive things about this series, especially this game via the demo. But it didn't hook me at all, it actually felt like it pushed me away. Maybe I just need to revisit it another time.

Did you play the previous ones? I think if you like Nioh 2, this game is definitely that but on steroids

 

[Luipadre]

Is there anyone else that just didn't have this click for them and they're a massive Souls fan? I played the demo and it just... didn't land to me. Which sucks because I was hearing/reading a lot of positive things about this series, especially this game via the demo. But it didn't hook me at all, it actually felt like it pushed me away. Maybe I just need to revisit it another time.

As i said above, it took me 3 tries lol. I restarted the demo 3 times aswell

 

[Edmund]

Gonna be so busy with Nioh 3, Resident Evil Requiem and Trails Beyond The Horizon.

 

[Gamer_By_Proxy]

I guess Body Types 1 and 2 and covering a woman's thigh isn't gonna tank this. Ha!

The body type thing is stupid though. I'd have more respect for it if they made up a bunch of types, not just avoiding saying male/female.

 

[MiguelItUp]

Did you play the previous ones? I think if you like Nioh 2, this game is definitely that but on steroids

So, I have them cause I got them on the cheap, tried them both and at the time nothing clicked. But I felt the need to revisit them later, it could just be me, lol. But I don't want to believe that. Yeah, what I read was realllllly talking this one up. Worse come to worse I'll snag it on the cheap again like I did the previous games and give it another whirl down the line.

As i said above, it took me 3 tries lol. I restarted the demo 3 times aswell

Haha, and I noticed that. I read that and thought, "Tight, it's not just me", lol. Yeah, it's weird, I don't really know what made me push it away. Maybe all the pop ups felt a bit too hand hold-y to me? I don't know. Like I said about, I may just do the same I did with the previous games and wait for it to drop in price, snag it, and give it a whirl then.

 

[Northeastmonk]

I am so happy the press enjoyed it. Lol

 

[Toots]

Nice to see another win for Japanese studios

 

[The artful mincer]

A couple of things this game does that every soulslike should do else punishment by death.

1.Free respec.

So every tool, skill, weapon ability etc is easily accessible. No more defeating a super hard boss to be rewarded with a weapon not compatible with your build. Looking at you Elden Twat.

2.Rechargeable tools/spells in game or at shrines.

No more have to go farm tools after you've used them all up at a hard boss fight. Looking at you Cuntsong.

 

[Zacfoldor]

Is there anyone else that just didn't have this click for them and they're a massive Souls fan? I played the demo and it just... didn't land to me. Which sucks because I was hearing/reading a lot of positive things about this series, especially this game via the demo. But it didn't hook me at all, it actually felt like it pushed me away. Maybe I just need to revisit it another time.

If you can get 2 for cheap give it a go. It's one of my favorite action games ever.

Thing about 2 is it starts you off in a scenario where you kill one or two easy enemies then it drops you right in on an end game midboss style enemy and you die like a million times before you start the game. It's endearing to suffer the beginning of Nioh 2 becasue it isn't like souls it's much more like sekiro in that it is a masocore game but just doesn't rely on parry which imho is a cheap way to achieve the real thing we all want which is perfection of gameplay in the games we already have.

By the end of Nioh 2 you are so, so, SO strong, like there is shit in the upgrade system that you can not imagine so by the end of the game the hardest shit becomes almost trivial.

I think the reason it became a cult classic though was the strong rpg systems. In Nioh 2 there are sytems upon systems upon systems and they are very reminiscent of a jrpg. Finding out how to take advantage of each system is key to progression.

Thing is that Nioh 2 is like a soulslike if it evolved the gameplay several iterations. In the gameplay department Nioh has everything other masocore does but they just do it better. The combat is simply deeper and more involved. Khazan last year was reminiscent of Nioh 2 and was a very good game but not as good as Nioh 2. I'm ready. Like just the number of weapon types in Nioh 2, it's designed to be replayed despite being huge.

 

[mèx]

Is there anyone else that just didn't have this click for them and they're a massive Souls fan? I played the demo and it just... didn't land to me.

Game has nothing to do with Souls games, aside from a few minor elements. Gameplay is so far removed from Souls that we have Nioh-likes now (Khazan).

 

[Gonzito]

So, I have them cause I got them on the cheap, tried them both and at the time nothing clicked. But I felt the need to revisit them later, it could just be me, lol. But I don't want to believe that. Yeah, what I read was realllllly talking this one up. Worse come to worse I'll snag it on the cheap again like I did the previous games and give it another whirl down the line.


Haha, and I noticed that. I read that and thought, "Tight, it's not just me", lol. Yeah, it's weird, I don't really know what made me push it away. Maybe all the pop ups felt a bit too hand hold-y to me? I don't know. Like I said about, I may just do the same I did with the previous games and wait for it to drop in price, snag it, and give it a whirl then.

The Nioh franchise are games that take a while to click. The most satisfying part for me, its seeing all the mechanics coming together and the character progression. You build your character little by little, making it stronger and dominating the depth of combat system. For anyone who feels like the game doesn't click, I would advice them to spend a good amount of time with the game before dropping it. Some games click faster than others. I believe this franchise takes more time

That being said, we have been constantly bombarded with souls games so it makes sense that some games don't click when you have so much to choose in the genre

 

[geary]

Probably the most competent review....

 

[Gonzito]

A couple of things this game does that every soulslike should do else punishment by death.

1.Free respec.

So every tool, skill, weapon ability etc is easily accessible. No more defeating a super hard boss to be rewarded with a weapon not compatible with your build. Looking at you Elden Twat.

2.Rechargeable tools/spells in game or at shrines.

No more have to go farm tools after you've used them all up at a hard boss fight. Looking at you Cuntsong.

Another one: if you die and lose your souls in a boss, when you repeat the combat you get them automatically without having to pick them up. I loved that in the demo

 

[mckmas8808]

Game has nothing to do with Souls games, aside from a few minor elements. Gameplay is so far removed from Souls that we have Nioh-likes now (Khazan).

This is good to know.

 

[Disciple of MSSP]

Nice! Glad I picked up the first recently. Gotlod to know the last entry I get to will be awesome. Demo was excellent.