The 12 Best Ninja Games for the PS5

I’m pretty sure we all agree that ninjas are cool. They are some of the most remarkable characters in fighting games, and they always steal the scene even when they are not the protagonist.

If you’re into ninjas, you’ll enjoy my list of the 12 best ninja games on the PS5.

I selected games from many different genres, but I kept it all very ninja.

Onimusha: Warlords HD

• Genre: Action-adventure, Hack and Slash
• Developers: Capcom
• Release Date: December 20, 2018
• Platforms: Android, iOS, Windows, PlayStation, Xbox
• Multiplayer: No
• Average Playtime: 4 hours

Onimusha is one of the biggest classics from the PlayStation 2 era. It comes back with High-Definition graphics and a stunning interface on PlayStation 4.

The player starts as Samonosuke Akechi, living in the Sengoku period, and goes on a journey to defeat Nobunaga Oda and rescue Princess Yuki.

The game is set in a war period, in which you frequently clash swords with Nobunaga’s forces as things escalate.

One of the things that makes the classic Onimusha feel different from the other games is the fact that the characters are pretty easy to understand and relate to.

Although this is not a Ninja game per se, Onimusha feels a lot like Nioh and Sekiro’s inspiration, and those two are pretty popular combat games on ps5.

Also, you can be stealthy in Onimusha; the battle planning within the game even rewards you for doing so. Surprising, isn’t it? That’s why you can never count a classic out of a list.

Ninja Senki DX

• Genre: Action, Platformer, Side-scroller
• Developers: Tribute Games
• Release Date: February 23, 2016
• Platforms: PlayStation, Windows, Mac OS
• Multiplayer: No
• Average Playtime: 3 hours, 30 minutes

I know it might sound like a joke, but it isn’t. I seriously love platformers, and I love run-and-gun games like Mega Man. Ninja DX is very much like that, a platformer in which your gun and gun people, but without a gun, so you actually run and throw shurikens.

Back in the 8-bit era, jump-and-shoot games were not uncommon. Shinobi was a famous franchise with that premise, and so was Megaman. Thankfully, some developers understand what was good about that simplicity and reproduce it in modern games with retro styles.

When a monster kills Princess Kinuhime, Hayate gets obsessed with getting even. In his action-packed quest for revenge, the blue ninja abandons the invisibility technique and unleashes the might of shurikenjutsu onto mythical beings, demons, and other foes.

The game has 16 stages, multiple endings, many enemies, and secret modes available to those who beat it. The theme of the game is what made me love it more.
I do like Mega Man, but looking at the blue bomber for over 10 years might get tiresome.

Ninja Denki DX nails the mythical aesthetics of legendary Japan. To be honest, there’s not much else to talk about the game. It is short and sweet, so try it if you feel like you’d enjoy such a game.

Mark of the Ninja: Remastered

• Genre: Action, Stealth
• Developers: Klei Entertainment
• Release Date: October 9, 2018
• Platforms: Windows, Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo Switch, Linux, macOS
• Multiplayer: No
• Average Playtime: 8 hours

Ninjas in all shapes and sizes, and Mark of the Ninja: Remastered is an expansive example of how diverse these warriors can be. This two-dimensional stealth game has multiple levels that feature a range of obstacles and challenges in surprisingly fun manners.

The fact that Mark of the Ninja takes place in a 2D setting makes it very intriguing. It’s the ideal combination of a 2D platformer and a stealth game. This kind of genre fusion hasn’t always been successful, but I love seeing it.

You will understand what it means to be a ninja in this game. It’s perfect for newbie ninjas and seasoned pros alike who want to hone their skills even more. There are many different ways to approach a situation. You can just get by or be the perfect stealthy infiltrator.

Mark of the Ninja takes place in a setting with stunning landscapes. Its visual design and fluid animation are beautiful. You must be stealthy, agile, and cunning to fool your opponents. With cursed tattoos enhancing your senses, you have choices in any circumstance.

Mark of the Ninja allows players to upgrade new tools and skills to keep things interesting. In other words, you can modify the main character to fit your preferred playing style.

New skills make it easier to complete side missions and open up brand-new game modes. Finishing the main plot unlocks the New Game Plus mode, which has even more options and difficulties if you prefer to take on every obstacle in a game.

Shadow Tactics: The Blade of the Shogun

• Genre: Stealth, Tactical
• Developers: Mimimi Productions
• Release Date: 2017
• Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux, PlayStation, Amazon Luna
• Multiplayer: No
• Average Playtime: 25 hours

Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun is a real-time tactics video game with a stealth focus that was created by Mimimi Productions and released by Daedalic Entertainment.

The gameplay is reminiscent of the Commandos and Desperados franchises. The game takes place in feudal Japan. After years of conflict, the Shogun has united Japan.

However, things do not stay calm for long. After a while, a mysterious warlord appears. That warlord goes by the name Kage-Sama and endangers the nation’s stability.

Oshiro Mugen, a warrior in the Shogun’s service, is tasked with discovering Kage-Sama’s identity and bringing him to justice.

In order to do what he was asked, Mugen solicits the assistance of four allies. He counts on the cynical ninja Hayato, Yuki, a bright, curious teenage misfit and thief; Aiko, a female ninja and Mugen’s love interest; and Takuma, a skilled marksman and alchemist.

Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun is a real-time tactics game that emphasizes stealth and is influenced by the Commandos and Desperados game series.

The player leads a small team in espionage, sabotage, and assassination missions. You will do things like penetrating strongly fortified places, destroying adversaries from within, capturing specific targets, and so many other things that require a ninja.

Warframe

• Genre: Action RPG, Shooter
• Developers: Digital Extremes
• Release Date: November 2013
• Platforms: Windows, PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch
• Multiplayer: Online co-op, Online multiplayer
• Average Playtime: 100 hours

Free-to-play cooperative third-person shooter/RPG Warframe is one of the most popular games on PlayStation 4. Warframe puts you in a sci-fi world with some pretty kickass robotic ninjas running around. In Warframe, players control members of the Tenno.

They are a race of ancient warriors who have awoken from centuries of suspended animation far into Earth’s future to find themselves at war in the planetary system with different factions. Although it is somewhat decent, the story is here as an excuse to put space ninjas against machine aliens.

When it comes to that, Warframe is phenomenal. It is one of the best looter shooter games out there, and it is free to play. Besides looting enemies and doing missions, you can buy weapons, upgrades, warframes, cosmetics, and much more.

The gameplay is fluid and really delivers on the space ninja fantasy. There’s plenty of content for the solo player to enjoy, but Warframe is probably more fun when played with friends in co-op mode. 

Strider

• Genre: Platformer, hack and slash, Metroidvania
• Developers: Double Helix Games
• Release Date: February 2014
• Platforms: Xbox, Windows, PlayStation
• Multiplayer: No
• Average Playtime: 5 hours, 30 minutes

Another big title from the classics, Strider, deserves a spot on the list. This is by far one of my favorite games and one of the best Metroidvania games on the Xbox Series S / X. As Hiryu, the best agent on the Striders program, the player sets out to defeat the most powerful Grandmaster Meio, who took over the planet a few years after his arrival.

The game tells Hiryu’s story with many details. You learn about his training to be a ninja throughout the Strider program and much more. Although different than traditional ninja approaches, Hiryu wields a futuristic weapon called Cypher. This weapon has a ton of various functionalities, most of them not exactly akin to ninjas as we know them.

Hiryu also counts on many different machines as the player moves on with the game, gaining some upgrades that enable safer conducting to proceed with the story. As a 2D side-scrolling action game, the gameplay is what you’d expect.

You jump, explore, and hack ‘n slash the enemies you find. Much like Metal Gear Rising, in which you play a sci-fi ninja in a futuristic world, there are plenty of machines to fight in this game. The game offers easy-to-use controls, which are pretty common for 2D games, but things get much more complex as you advance.

The main character is nimble, easy to maneuver, and makes the player feel the adrenaline of moving back and forth to dodge incoming enemy attacks. 

The Messenger

• Genre: Action, Platformer
• Developers: Sabotage Studio
• Release Date: March 19, 2019
• Platforms: Windows, Nintendo Switch, Xbox, PlayStation
• Multiplayer: No
• Average Playtime: 12 hours

The Messenger is a side-scrolling action platformer with Metroidvania features. The Ninja Gaiden series served as the game’s primary source of influence.

A young ninja embarks on an expedition through a cursed world to deliver a scroll that is necessary for his clan’s survival while his hamlet is under attack by a demonic army.

The platformer, which initially seems to be a conventional game, gradually develops into an overwhelming adventure where you’ll be surprised and pleased quite often. The story is pretty decent, and the gameplay is enjoyable, significantly changing over time.

The Messenger has precise controls and dynamic, acrobatic gameplay, which fits the game’s purpose. After all, this is a grand ninja journey. You also obtain character improvements, new abilities, secret levels, and alternative routes during your playthrough.

The game begins as a linear platformer where you must complete stages in order to advance. Still, at some point, it changes entirely and becomes Metroidvania.

The game has an interesting gimmick where you sometimes go to the future. When that happens, the visuals and graphics change to 16-bit, which is a fun addition to the game.

Aragami 

• Genre: Action-adventure, Stealth
• Developers: Lince Works
• Release Date: October 2016
• Platforms: PlayStation, PC, Xbox, Nintendo Switch
• Multiplayer: Online co-op
• Average Playtime: 7 hours

You are Aragami, the enraged spirit with the power to control the shadows. You have been called by Yamiko, a young woman held captive in Kyuryu’s city fortress. Now, you have to enter the city of Kyuryu, which is under occupation, using your magical skills to fight Light with Shadow.

Part of the plot entails Aragami as it moves to free Yamiko from the stronghold where she’s being kept. The game explores the perks of stealth gameplay to its fullest. It works well with the main character’s objectives, which are to retrieve items and information and assassinate targets. 

This game is meant for players who appreciate the idea of lurking in the shadows. Some benefits and specific mechanics only show up if the player manages to not get exposed to any kind of light. 

At first, it might look a bit difficult since the game relies heavily on stealth as its premise, and it is challenging. Yet, the developers knew that some players would not appreciate that as much and made a workaround, the combat. Aragami can attack, dodge, and use a few special abilities that facilitate dealing damage to targets it’s fighting when it gets caught.

Cyber Shadow

• Genre: Action, platformer
• Developers: Mechanical Head Studios
• Release Date: January 26, 2021
• Platforms: PC, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation, Xbox
• Multiplayer: No
• Average Playtime: 8 hours, 30 minutes

Like The Messenger, Cyber Shadow is a game that is obviously influenced by the classic Ninja Gaiden titles. However, it has so many new features that it is hard to compare this new title to games from decades ago.

Like many others you might have played, this game has you starting as a somewhat weak character. You leap, drawing your weapon. Nothing radically different from Ninja Gaiden that we all played on the NES.

Don’t give up on the game, though. Things change, and they change a lot. As you go through the game, you are given upgrades that gradually increase your power and traversal abilities. At the same time, Cyber Shadow also presents you with even more difficult obstacles. You do feel powerful, but the enemies also step up, so the game never ceases to be challenging. 

This game looks considerably better than any 8-bit game, even though it was made to resemble the NES titles.

Many of the concepts featured in the art and gameplay are from more recent games, and the adversaries are well-designed and intricately detailed. I recommend this game to fans of platformers.

Ninja Gaiden Sigma (Master Collection)

• Genre: Action-adventure, hack and slash
• Developers: Team Ninja
• Release Date: June 10, 2021
• Platforms: Windows, Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo Switch
• Multiplayer: No
• Average Playtime: 14 hours

The Ninja Gaiden series became well-known back in the 8-bit era. The original Ninja Gaiden for the NES was an entertaining game with a memorable soundtrack.

The series has changed quite a lot since then. Ryu Hayabusa has become a famous character. His modern games are often in the style of Devil May Cry. Hayabusa was so popular that he appeared as a guest character in several other games, including Dead or Alive. 

Ninja Gaiden Σ is one of the best modern takes on Ninja Gaiden, and it presents itself as a remake of the original game. Starting with its gameplay, Ninja Gaiden Σ has everything a fan of action, stealth, and hack ‘n slash wishes for.

It has a rewarding system for those who prefer evading and sneaking, a battle system for fans of combat, and a tough-but-fair difficulty that makes you addicted and frustrated at the same time. The game makes you experience the cinematic ninja power fantasy of doing things in a cool way.

The Ninja Gaiden Master Collection comes with three games and adds some extra elements to a couple of them. For instance, the developers added more characters, stages, and gameplay elements to the third game.

Ghostrunner

• Genre: Action, Platformer
• Developers: One More Level, 3D Realms, Slipgate Ironworks
• Release Date: September 2021
• Platforms: Windows, PlayStation, Amazon Luna, Nintendo Switch, Xbox
• Multiplayer: No
• Average Playtime: 7 hours

A gloomy cyberpunk megastructure serves as the setting for the intense first-person hack-and-slash game Ghostrunner, which features frenzied action and thrilling, high-speed parkour sections.

Your objective is to reach the top of the Dharma Tower. This place served as humanity’s final refuge following a global calamity but is now controlled by a nasty ruler. Work your way up from the bottom, meet the ruthless Master of the Keys, and wreak revenge.

I love this game, but I can’t play it for too long. Hopefully, you won’t suffer, but just in case, get ready to be dizzy and feel nauseous after a few hours. I’ve never seen any game that forces you to spin the camera like Ghostrunner.

As a cyborg ninja who can run faster than bullets, you will flip and dip through the many different areas of this game. The Ghostrunner is not immortal but can overpower his enemies with unmatched speed and inhuman reaction time.

I feel like the more you play Ghostrunner, the faster you want to go. Most enemies in this game can be defeated with a single attack, but you must learn their weak spots and patterns.

You always feel like a God after cutting a few bullets, dodging attacks, and cutting in two an annoying enemy after a lightning-fast wall run. This game was designed to make you feel badass all the time, and that’s why I love it so much.

Ghost of Tsushima

• Genre: Action-adventure
• Developers: Sucker Punch Productions
• Release Date: August 20, 2021
• Platforms: PlayStation
• Multiplayer: Online co-op
• Average Playtime: 25 hours

This highly anticipated game was released on July 17, 2020, and sold over 9 million copies in two years. However, nobody who has played the game is surprised by how popular it was. This fantastic game has made its way into the closed circle of Sony’s well-performing First Party games. 

As a triple-A title, Ghost of Tsushima did not fail to deliver: stunning graphics, incredible ways of playing, and a somewhat new way of playing different roles while controlling the very same character.

In Ghost of Tsushima, the player controls Jin Sakai.

He is a samurai tasked to defend his homeland, Island Tsushima, from a Mongol invasion led by Khotun Khan. After suffering a grave defeat and having his homeland ravaged by the invaders, Jin decides that he needs to recruit an army if he wants to retake the island.

From here on out, the player hops on an incredible adventure involving exploring an open world, fighting enemies, and strategizing different ways to accomplish multiple objectives throughout your playthrough.

In between all that, the player can decide on two different takes as to how to beat enemies: Jin, as The Ghost, is able to sneak behind enemies and finish them stealthily, while The Samurai confronts enemies head-on, as Jin’s ancestors have done before him. 

Considering the fact that there’s a relatively small number of really good ninja games to recommend, consider trying out some more of the PS5’s best hack-and-slash titles.

Both categories share some similarities and you should have a lot of fun with those options as well!