February has arrived, which means the video game release mill will really start to turn again over the coming weeks. One of the games that will get it moving again is Nioh 3, which releases later this week on February 6. A PS5 console exclusive at launch, but its final trailer has provided hope for Nioh fans eager to play the game on other platforms.
The splash screen at the end of the trailer reconfirms Nioh 3 will launch on PC at the same time as PS5 – a first for the series, but something we already knew. What’s noteworthy is that in the second part of that small print, PlayStation confirmed the next Nioh game will only be tied to its platform console-wise for the first six months.
There’s Hope For Xbox-Owning Nioh Fans
There’s no mention of PlayStation’s rivals, of course, but that means Team Ninja is free to put Nioh 3 on the Xbox Series X|S starting from August 6, 2026. That would be quite a milestone for the series, as neither Nioh nor Nioh 2 has ever been made available on a non-PlayStation console. Just PlayStation at launch and then PC later, or in this case, a shared PS5/PC launch.
Nioh 3 Is Shaping Up To Be 2026’s First Must-Have Game
Nioh 3’s stellar new mechanics and greatly expanded levels make it feel like a true evolution of an already fantastic formula.
In fact, despite Team Ninja’s close relationship with Xbox, when Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty released on Game Pass, studio boss Fumihiko Yasuda told VGC that there was “not really too much of a possibility of having Nioh on Xbox platforms”. He then quickly steered the conversation back to Fallen Dynasty.
Maybe Team Ninja Is Considering Nioh 3 For The Switch 2
Those comments were made in 2022, and perhaps things have changed since then. Or, the six months of exclusivity could be so that Team Ninja is free to put Nioh 3 on Nintendo Switch 2 this summer. The original Switch almost certainly wasn’t capable of running the first two Nioh games, whereas the Switch 2 can very likely handle Nioh 3.
I’d imagine Team Ninja is keen to get Nioh games on as many platforms as possible since the decision to launch the next installment on PS5 and PC at the same time is already paying dividends. The Nioh 3 demo hit a concurrent player peak of more than 39,000 people on Steam at the end of last week. That’s almost more than Nioh 2’s player peak of 41,000.
That bodes well for the game’s sales, and makes it almost certain that Nioh 3’s peak player count will surpass its predecessor’s best efforts, probably within a few days of launch. It seems likely Nioh 3 will review well, too, but even though we’re only one month into the year, it might not quite have what it takes to be the best-reviewed game of the year thanks to Cairn’s strong scores.
