Nioh 3’s hectic style switching combat and rewarding exploration have made it my most anticipated game of early 2026

We’re inching ever closer to the release of Nioh 3 on February 6, 2026, and last week, I was able to sample four hours of the upcoming Team Ninja-developed soulslike at an event in Paris. I consider its predecessor, Nioh 2, to be one of the best soulslike games ever, so I was very excited to discover all the ways the third game is changing and freshening up the formula. I did not leave disappointed.

At a base level, Nioh 3 delivers the slick, fast-paced combat you might expect if you’re familiar with Team Ninja’s back catalog. You can also still expect enemies to drop boatloads of loot, to keep your stamina pool ticking with well-timed Ki Pulse uses, and of course, to have your back doors blown out by some aggravatingly hard boss encounters. If you’re looking forward to more bread-and-butter ...