Nioh 3: Release Date, Combat Styles, Demo Access, and More

After five long years, Team Ninja has finally given us what you’ve been waiting for: Nioh 3 is finally happening! The dark samurai action RPG is coming back with some huge surprises. Team Ninja has been working on features that will completely change how you experience these brutal yokai battles. This guide covers all the important stuff you need to know about Nioh 3, including the release date, combat styles, demo access, and more!

New Combat Styles in Nioh 3

The awesome and stunning 2-minute trailer for Nioh 3 was revealed at the latestPlayStation State of Play 2025. In the game, you will play as a young warrior who wants to become the next Shogun. While Team Ninja hasn’t revealed much about why your characters fight yokai (demons), they said that the story will unfold as you progress.

The trailer shows one of the biggest changes in Nioh 3, which is thedual combat system. You are no longer stuck with just one fighting style throughout the game now. Instead, you can switch between two completely different playstyles:SamuraiandNinja.

Nioh 3 Release Date, Combat Styles, Demo Access, and More

Dual Combat System in Nioh 3 Explained

To understand more about the dual combat system, you can watch the trailer below:

Samurai Style

The Samurai style will feel familiar if you have played previous Nioh games. You get up close with your enemies, use heavy weapons, and face them head-to-head in awesome melee combat. There are two new features in Samurai style:

Ninja Style

The Ninja style is completely different. You will have to focus on speed, agility, and outsmarting your enemies. You can dodge attacks more easily and perform aerial moves too. The new key Ninja techniques are:

Imagining the gameplay in Nioh 3, here are a few tips you can learn:

Open Field Exploration

Previous Nioh games used a mission-based structure where you selected levels from a map. In Nioh 3, you have open field exploration where you can freely roam around and discover things on your own. This means you’ll encounter yokai randomly while exploring, stumble upon villages with dark secrets, and find challenging areas on your own. The game world feels much more alive and dangerous because you never know what’s around the corner, which is amazing.

Nioh 3 Release Information, Platforms, and Free Demo to Try

Nioh 3 launches inearly 2026forPlayStation 5andPC(Steam). Unfortunately, PC players will likely have to wait a bit longer than PS5 players. However, you don’t have to wait until next year to play Nioh 3. Team Ninja released afree demo that’s available right nowon PlayStation 5. The demo runs untilJune 18th, 2025.

The demo will include both combat styles so you may try them out, a character creation system, a sample of the open field gameplay, and a feedback survey to help the developer improve the final game. If you are interested in trying the game out, download the free demo and experience the new combat system!

Nioh 3 Samurai Style Gameplay

Shida Aruya

Shida is a gaming writer at TechWiser who loves getting comfy with a good book. When she is not writing, you’ll catch her growing crops in Stardew Valley and Fields of Mistria, or exploring Fortnite. For Shida, nothing beats a day split between reading books and playing games.

Nioh 3: Release Date, Combat Styles, Demo Access, and More