Nioh 3 Shows Off 17.5 Minute Gameplay Showcase, Highlights Samurai and Ninja Switching Across Multiple Japanese Eras
Koei Tecmo has unveiled fresh Nioh 3 gameplay in a 17.5 minute showcase that gives a stronger sense of how Team Ninja is evolving the series for its February 6, 2026 launch on PC and PlayStation 5. The new footage reinforces that Nioh 3 is built around multiple time periods, spanning the early Edo period, the Sengoku era, the Heian period, and the Bakumatsu period, with each era bringing its own tone, terrain, and combat pressures.
The showcase begins in the Sengoku period, the Warring States era, where the land is overrun by Yōkai and an ominous realm called the Crucible has manifested. The player explores a large open field while pushing toward the Crucible, setting the stage for a structure that feels more expansive than typical corridor based mission flows. In this version of history, the supernatural pressure is not just an occasional encounter, it is a constant layer over the world’s logic.
The protagonist is Tokugawa Takechiyo, tied to the historical Tokugawa lineage, and the headline system is that he can switch between classic Samurai style and a new Ninja style at any time during combat. This is positioned as more than a gimmick, since switching allows you to react to enemy behavior and terrain flow, or simply pivot into the style that fits your personal execution. Samurai mode is built for direct confrontation, using martial arts, deflecting attacks, and stance switching to chain different strike patterns. Ninja style, in contrast, emphasizes mobility and outmaneuvering with Ninjutsu, using evasive movement alongside mid air and behind the back attacks to punish openings and reposition quickly. It reads like Team Ninja is trying to give players two distinct expression lanes that can be mixed in real time rather than locked behind loadout choices.
Notably, the showcase also teases that the world is not purely hostile. Team Ninja points out that Tokugawa will encounter friendly characters and even friendly Yōkai, and interacting with them can yield useful rewards. That is an important pacing lever in a series known for relentless combat stress, because it can create breathing room while also expanding the sense that this world has factions and personalities rather than being a pure kill corridor.
As the footage progresses, Tokugawa reaches the Crucible, which is framed as a high threat zone ruled by dangerous hostile Yōkai and designed to deliver tougher fights. The developers describe the forces behind the Crucible as heroes who lost their way, consumed by ambition and misguided causes, which sets up a narrative hook that can make bosses feel like fallen legends rather than random monsters.
The video then shifts into the Heian period, where the landscape is entirely frozen. The through line remains the same: the protagonist must cleanse the Crucible to restore the land and purge Yōkai corruption. The frozen Heian look is a strong tonal pivot from the Sengoku field exploration, and it suggests the multi era structure will be more than cosmetic. Different eras can support different traversal challenges, enemy behaviors, and environmental hazards, which is exactly how you keep a long action RPG from flattening into repetition.
Release timing is now clear. Nioh 3 launches February 6, 2026 on PC and PlayStation 5. A free demo is set for January 29, and its save data carries over into the full game, which effectively makes it a true early slice of the opening experience rather than a disposable test. For players who care about mastering timing and build direction early, that carry over detail is a big value add.
Are you more excited by the real time Samurai and Ninja switching system, or by the multi era structure and how it could reshape enemy and level design?
