Nioh 3

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Nioh 3 is a multiplayer role playing game. It was developed by KOEI TECMO GAMES CO., LTD. and was released on February 5, 2026. It received positive reviews from players.

Nioh 3 is an action RPG featuring intense combat against deadly yokai and fierce warriors in a dark, supernatural world. Players can customize their character with various armor sets and weapons, utilizing skillful tactics to overcome challenging enemies. The game offers extensive DLC content, expanding the story, enemies, and equipment for an immersive experience.

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84%

Audience ScoreBased on 3,291 reviews

gameplay185 positive mentions

optimization217 negative mentions

Nioh 3 combines the best elements of Nioh 1 and 2, offering a refined combat system and engaging gameplay.
The open world design allows for exploration and discovery, making the game feel rewarding and immersive.
The ability to switch between Samurai and Ninja styles adds depth and variety to combat, catering to different playstyles.

The game suffers from significant performance issues, including stuttering and high CPU usage, making it unplayable for some players.
Enemy and boss variety is lacking, with many recycled from previous games, leading to a sense of repetition.
The story feels disjointed and less engaging compared to previous entries, with time travel elements that may confuse players.

optimization
985 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
16%
62%
22%
The optimization of the game has received overwhelmingly negative feedback, with many players reporting severe performance issues, including stuttering, frame drops, and high CPU usage, even on high-end systems. While some users have experienced stable performance, the consensus is that the game is poorly optimized, particularly in open-world areas, leading to an overall frustrating experience for many. Players are hopeful for future patches to address these issues, but as it stands, the game's optimization is a significant drawback.
- “Performance for me was fine, pretty much stable 120fps (fg enabled with base fps hovering around 90-100).”
- “I just wish it was better optimized and didn't incinerate my CPU.”
- “Once they address the optimization a bit better this game will go down as a masterpiece.”
- “Optimization is garbage.”
- “The game optimization is practically non-existent and a fabric lie whereas nothing matters and it just sucks if you don't own the best equipment.”
- “The performance is awful, graphics settings have barely any effect on performance (or even visuals, for the most part) whether you turn them up or down, the engine still seems to be streaming in tons and tons of effects and parts of the overworld that it doesn't actually need to, leading to the same sporadic bursts of unplayable mega slowdown.”
gameplay
494 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
37%
61%
2%
The gameplay in Nioh 3 has been widely praised for its depth, fluidity, and the introduction of new mechanics such as the samurai/ninja style switching, which enhances combat variety and strategy. While many players appreciate the robust combat system and the engaging open-world design, some express concerns about performance issues and the overwhelming number of mechanics, which can detract from the overall experience. Overall, the game is seen as a significant evolution of the Nioh series, maintaining its core appeal while offering fresh gameplay elements.
- “The gameplay is where it truly shines.”
- “The new samurai and ninja style system allows for so much variation in both gameplay and builds.”
- “The gameplay loop is extremely enjoyable, especially once you start figuring out your build or swapping between different ones.”
- “In a game this precise, such a finicky mechanic is genuinely frustrating.”
- “Any difficulty the game throws at you is just wrapped up in the aforementioned cheap mechanics and/or the classic Nioh boss grab one-shot BS.”
- “It's wearing Nioh 2's skin in a fairly sloppy and haphazard bid to shuffle the gameplay and I don't think it fully works.”
story
425 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
18%
75%
7%
The story in Nioh 3 has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it average or lacking compared to its predecessors. While some appreciate the historical elements and time-travel aspects, others criticize it for being forgettable and poorly delivered, often overshadowed by the game's combat and exploration. Overall, the narrative is seen as a secondary aspect, with players primarily drawn to the engaging gameplay rather than the storyline itself.
- “The main story bosses, however, are spectacular - epic, challenging, and beautifully designed encounters that rank among the series' finest.”
- “Nioh 3 has a really wholesome story that kept me interested from start to finish.”
- “The story is better than people give it credit for.”
- “The story is lacking, but that's not why you play this.”
- “The story has never been the franchise’s strongest element, but this time it feels especially shallow and uninspired — even by the genre’s usual standards.”
- “The story is also meaningless as it is the same story from Nioh 1 and Nioh 2.”
graphics
281 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
28%
62%
10%
The graphics of the game have received mixed reviews, with many players noting that they feel outdated and reminiscent of previous console generations, particularly the PS3 era. While some appreciate the art style and aesthetic choices, others criticize the poor optimization and high CPU usage, leading to performance issues even on high-end systems. Overall, the visuals are seen as a step up from previous titles, but they do not meet the expectations for modern gaming, often resulting in a frustrating experience for players.
- “Incredible game, loved the combat, the art style, the soundtrack.”
- “Beautiful graphics, great combat, and it seems like they've taken everything they've learned from their previous titles and others' titles, and made this one a magnificent game.”
- “The aesthetics just didn't do it for me, and something about the games just felt off.”
- “The only thing that is a bit weak is the graphics have not really been improved all that much since #2.”
- “Poor performance and the graphics are pretty rough, but overall it’s brilliant.”
- “Unforgivable for a triple-A game with graphics from the PS3 era.”
stability
56 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
55%
2%
43%
The stability of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players experiencing significant issues such as frequent freezes, crashes, and performance drops, particularly in open-world areas. While some users report smooth gameplay on high-end systems, others find the game unplayable due to bugs and optimization problems. Overall, it appears that while the game can run well under certain conditions, many players are encountering frustrating stability issues that detract from the experience.
- “The game runs great, locked at 60fps, bosses are awesome, and the gameplay is extremely fluent if you set pick-up to 'automatic' in the options.”
- “Performance-wise, the game runs great, 150+ fps at 4k with DLSS (preset m) and frame generation x2 enabled.”
- “Game runs great at max settings (4k monitor/HDR) 100-110 fps running around the world and combat.”
- “Unplayable, the game keeps freezing my PC. I have been playing for 90 minutes and got 4 freezes.”
- “Constant crashes and stuttering; it feels like I've spent more time troubleshooting than playing the game.”
- “Absolutely horrendous optimization; it freezes every hour at the bare minimum, and I've lost well over 3 or 4 hours of progress due to this issue.”
music
52 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
35%
57%
8%
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some praising the soundtrack as beautiful and memorable, while others criticize it for being repetitive and heavily reliant on reused tracks from Nioh 2. Players appreciate the nostalgic elements but express frustration over the lack of new compositions and the absence of ambient music during exploration. Overall, while the soundtrack has its standout moments, many feel it falls short of expectations due to its repetitiveness and limited variety.
- “Incredible game, loved the combat, the art style, the soundtrack.”
- “I loved the soundtrack of the game; it's quite phenomenal, and I also loved the mix of new and old enemies.”
- “The music and sound details add heaviness and the feeling of a real confrontation with danger around every corner.”
- “Music is also pretty average and gets repetitive mid to end game.”
- “I also found the heavy re-usage of Nioh 2 bosses and music to be annoying; it felt like nearly 80% of Nioh 3's music and bosses were just from Nioh 2.”
- “There isn't even a lowkey ambient soundtrack; there's just no music at all 70% of the time.”
grinding
37 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
3%
2%
95%
The grinding aspect of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it tedious and repetitive, particularly in the context of farming for achievements and gear. While some appreciate the depth of loot and build experimentation, others criticize the inefficiency of certain farming methods and the overwhelming complexity of the inventory system. Overall, the grind can feel rewarding at times, but it often leads to frustration due to its repetitive nature and lack of meaningful progression.
- “The combat is smooth and more forgiving than Nioh 2, and I have been exploring every nook and cranny I can find along my way. This exploration, even though I'm not farming levels, may cause me to be 'overleveled' for certain encounters.”
- “This is a tedious grind fest of sadness and disappointment.”
- “By the time you figure out how to counter an enemy type, it just becomes a tedious health pool roadblock instead of a fun fight where you actually feel like a samurai/ninja shogun.”
- “Run from one point of interest to the next grinding +1% from repetitive events.”
atmosphere
17 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
65%
17%
18%
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its immersive and gritty dark Japanese style, blending mythology and demons to create an intense experience. Reviewers highlight the detailed environments and solid level design, which enhance engagement and exploration, despite some concerns about optimization and graphical fidelity. Overall, the atmosphere is considered a standout feature, contributing significantly to the game's appeal.
- “It was fun, beautiful, and atmospheric for the short 2.5 hours I played!”
- “The dark Japanese style mixed with mythology and demons creates an immersive and intense atmosphere from the first minute.”
- “The environments are atmospheric and packed with detail, and the dark mythological tone fits the series perfectly.”
- “This feels more like Ninja Gaiden half the time than Nioh; the story is underwhelming (at least as far in as I've gone), and the open world and collectibles water down the gameplay and atmosphere.”
- “I hope in the future we are given back the previous freedoms we had in character creation, and possibly some shading filters to tone down the grainy feeling of the game and atmosphere, but until then this will unfortunately have to sit on the back burner for me.”
- “You can clearly see the inspirations: a bit of Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty, a bit of Ubisoft-style open-world structure, even some Ghost of Tsushima vibes in the atmosphere and movement.”
replayability
13 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
23%
54%
23%
Overall, the game's replayability is highly praised, with many players enjoying the variety of builds and challenges available, leading to extensive playtime. However, some critiques highlight that the open-world design can diminish replay value due to repetitive checklist tasks, and the number of truly replayable missions is lower compared to previous titles. Future updates and DLC may further enhance the replayability experience, particularly in endgame content.
- “Absolutely astonishing and fun, tons of replayability. I'm on my second run now and it is getting even better.”
- “This is one of those games you can easily sink hundreds to thousands of hours into with replay value, challenge options, build variety, and the ridiculous amount of moves and abilities you can stack together.”
- “Awesome combat, visuals, options, and great replay value.”
- “Of course, 'open field' still means that everything is a bit more generic and replayability takes a huge hit compared to mission-based linear levels. Traditional style linear levels are also in the game in the form of the crucibles and submissions, and these can be replayed several times and scale to the level in NG+.”
- “Update: I finished NG+ and even though I understand it is too early to come up with conclusions since they'll likely add more NG+ content in future updates and DLC, I must say that, as expected, open world woes hit the replayability factor very hard. More than half of the main game is just doing checklist collectibles that we're not doing again, and the main replayable missions quantity is significantly lower than previous games. Also, being the easiest Nioh means that it is not as satisfying to explore gear builds.”
- “Time will tell how replayability unfolds -- we'll have to see the DLC cycle conclude to see how Team Ninja handles Nioh 3's abyss/underworld/depths system, since that's really the true endgame for these games.”
humor
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is characterized by its creepy yet occasionally hilarious enemies, particularly the new "jailer" type, which adds a grotesque charm reminiscent of previous installments. Players also find amusement in the game's performance quirks and the absurdity of its alternate history elements, though some critique the lack of new content and weapon variety. Overall, the game is described as entertaining and funny, despite some gameplay limitations.
- “They are creepy, grotesque, weird, and occasionally hilarious in the best way.”
- “Lots of bosses, build variety, exploration, and although people aren't giving much props to the plot - if you know any Japanese history, it's got some interesting/hilarious alt history going on.”
- “Claws are too hilarious, I'm just a blur of combos.”
emotional
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
86%
43%
Reviews highlight a mixed emotional experience in Nioh 3, with some players appreciating its wholesome story and sense of progression, while others criticize it for being repetitive and lacking the emotional depth found in Nioh 2. The narrative's complexity can lead to strong emotional moments for those willing to engage deeply, but overall, the sequel is seen as a disappointing downgrade in emotional impact.
- “Nioh 3 has a really wholesome story that kept me interested from start to finish.”
- “Finally, while Nioh's narrative can be a bit confusing for some, I feel the second game had very strong emotional moments that set it apart from the first game, but that's only if you're willing to put your time into understanding the characters, reading the text logs, and wanting to learn your history.”
- “The story in Nioh 2 made me feel like I was on an epic adventure with great music and characters and tons of missions using environments to tell the story.”
- “The game is very repetitive, even more so than Elden Ring, partly due to the terrible side quests and boring story.”
- “I felt no emotional connection to the characters, making it hard to care about their struggles.”
- “The attempts at emotional depth fell flat, leaving me feeling indifferent to the narrative.”
character development
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
While the character designs are praised for their excellence, the overall character development may not be groundbreaking or revolutionary.
- “The character designs are excellent, showcasing a unique and diverse range of personalities.”
- “The depth of character development really draws you into the story, making each character feel real and relatable.”
- “I love how the characters evolve throughout the game, with their backstories and motivations becoming more complex as the plot unfolds.”
monetization
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
67%
The game is praised for its complete experience without any microtransactions, offering a well-optimized single-player action-packed adventure. Players appreciate the added complexity and open field exploration, enhancing the overall enjoyment of the gameplay.
- “You should be playing this if you love single-player, action-packed samurai and ninja games with zero microtransactions, feature complete, and well optimized.”
- “You should be playing this if you love single-player action-packed samurai and ninja games with zero microtransactions, feature complete, and well optimized.”