The wait is nearly over for one of the most anticipated titles of the year: Ninja Gaiden 4 is launching soon, promising a brutal, fast-paced action experience for fans worldwide.
The game’s development started on the pre-pandemic times, circa 2018, according to Xbox’s Phil Spencer, and it is amazing that they have little to no leak on this, given the high anticipation of this title.
No more, though: since the game’s release date is just around the corner, we now have tons of info available, and we’ve compiled all the essential Ninja Gaiden 4 news concerning the official release date, expected gameplay features, and platform details.
Ninja Gaiden 4 gameplay will be fast-paced, but with a new face
Yes, the rumors were true all along: Ninja Gaiden 4 will not feature long time protagonist Ryu Hayabusa as the main character — not at first, at least. According to all info available, the player will now be represented by a new shinobi prodigy called “Yakumo”.
Now, this dude has got some tricks up his sleeve, chief among them the “Bloodraven form”, a technique that allows him to manipulate his and his enemies’ blood to create new weapons for fighting.
While not much is known about Yakumo, it is confirmed that Ruy Hayabusa will still feature a lot of importance within the game, serving as “a major challenge and growth milestone for Yakumo”, according to Koei Tecmo’s Fumihito Yasuda. This is to bring new players to the franchise, while keeping the nostalgic character available for older-generation fans.
As for the antagonism part, we’re back against the Dark Dragon, a powerful entity of old that we had to face on 2008’s Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword. Now, the world was plunged into darkness and chaos due to his awakening, and a futuristic looking Tokyo now acquires a more cyberpunk-y aesthetic due to the influence of the underworld growing ever stronger.
The part about Ryu got us admittedly curious, we should note: Yakumo’s Raven Clan and Ryu’s Hayabusa Clan were always at odds with each other. While not corrupted like the Black Spider Ninja Clan of older games, they were still scorned by the ninja society due to them being descendants of the Dark Dragon itself. Although they are directly related, the Raven Clan and the Dark Dragon do not meet eye to eye, and there is some resentment between the two that will surely come into play here.
Given the Ryu Hayabusa represents a more traditional way of life, while also being responsible for the clan that maintains the Dark Dragon seal, it is guaranteed they’ll come at odds, but for what reason, exactly, since both him and Yakumo have the same enemy?
The official Ninja Gaiden 4 release date
By all confirmed accounts, the Ninja Gaiden 4 release date is ever near: October 21, 2025.
The game’s development managed to stay quiet for most of its development, with the whole project starting before the pandemic. It was only on January 23, this year, that the game was made official.
The new title puts an end to a 13-year wait on the franchise’s mainline entries. Despite having a handful of spin offs and collections over the years, the brand’s last launch came…two Xboxes ago, in console generation terms.
Now, it is important to note that, while the Ninja Gaiden 4 release date is known and confirmed, timezones must be considered for you optimal experience. Luckily, Koei Tecmo was kind enough to detail it below:
- 9 AM ET (Eastern Time) on October 20.
- 6 AM PT (Pacific Time) on October 20.
- 10 PM BST (British Summer Time) on October 20.
- 9 AM JST (Japan Standard Time) on October 21.
Crucially, sources confirm that Ninja Gaiden 4 will not have a regional launch. This also signifies that tactics such as the “New Zealand trick” will not enable players to access the title early.
Nice try, though…
Ninja Gaiden 4 will maintain the brutality and gore from older titles
For players familiar with past Ninja Gaiden titles, the new installment is expected to feature similar core mechanics. The experience is defined by its intensity and steep challenge:
- Brutal Difficulty: Players should be prepared for a brutal experience.
- Fast-Paced Action: The combat is described as fast-paced and addictive.
- High Consequences: Players will be punished frequently if mistakes are made during gameplay.
- Gore and Deaths: Expect to encounter plenty of deaths and gore throughout the game.
Much like its previous entries, Ninja Gaiden 4 will also focus on linear progression and a mission-based system, no don’t expect any RPG type of exploration or free roaming: the idea here is to be a fast-paced, “get the mission accomplished quick” type of vibe. So we’re not expecting big numbers in terms of how long will it take to beat the game.
For comparison, Ninja Gaiden 3 took about seven and twelve hours to complete — add another 30 minutes or so for the Razor’s Edge version. We imagine something similar for this game.
Will Ninja Gaiden 4 come out on PlayStation 5?
YES!
There was some noise about this being an Xbox-exclusive since Microsoft Game Studios has a publishing partnership with Koei Tecmo, but that is not the case here.
In fact, not only Ninja Gaiden 4 will come to PlayStation 5 (PS5), it will be a completely multiplatform endeavor, also getting releases for PC (Windows) and Xbox Series S|X (and Game Pass).
Can I preorder Ninja Gaiden 4?
Also, yes! In fact, we got you:
- Pre-order Ninja Gaiden 4 on PlayStation 5 (PlayStation Store | Amazon)
- Pre-order Ninja Gaiden 4 on Xbox (Microsoft Store | Amazon)
- Pre-order Ninja Gaiden 4 on PC (Steam)
As for bonus content for whoever pre-orders Ninja Gaiden 4, only those who did so through digital code will get a free, cosmetic Dark Dragon Descendant Skin for Yakumo. Physical edition buyers won’t have it — at least not initially, as Koei Tecmo did raise the possibility of adding the item through paid or free DLC later (the latter, hopefully).
This is mostly because…
Ninja Gaiden 4 will have a Deluxe Edition — and THAT has tons of bonuses
Yup. As the game’s regular version comes out at $69.99, players who shell out and extra twenty bucks ($89.99) will gain access to Ninja Gaiden 4 Deluxe Edition.
This one comes with particularly enticing bonuses, as listed below:
- Future DLC Access: Automatically grants access to a future DLC pack called The Two Masters, which, as of now, we have no information about.
- Exclusive Character Skins: Ryu gets the Traditional Dark Blue and Legendary Black Falcon skins, while Yakumo gets the Divine Chimera and Raven Master skins.
- Exclusive Weapon Skins: Ryu will get a katana skin called “Blade of the Archfiend”; Yakumo will see five different divine-themed weapon skins.
- In-Game Currency and Items: 50,000 NinjaCoin to be used for upgrades and abilities and a collection of various in-game items, such as life elixirs, to help you through some early fights.
