Team NINJA has unveiled Nioh 3’s Bakumatsu period setting, marking the first time the action RPG series ventures into the final era of the samurai. The 1800s Kyoto stage features Shinsengumi troops wielding firearms and gatling guns when the game launches February 6th, 2026.
Team NINJA’s taking Nioh 3 to the Bakumatsu period for the first time in franchise history, and things are getting properly violent. The latest stage reveal for Nioh 3 showcases 1800s Kyoto transformed by the Crucible’s influence, with iconic landmarks like Kiyomizu and Honnoji temples twisted into nightmarish battlegrounds.
Samurai Meet Modern Warfare
The Bakumatsu period is the twilight years of samurai dominance, marking a significant mechanical shift to Nioh’s combat. Players will face the Shinsengumi, a military squad serving the shogunate, who’ve decided traditional swordplay isn’t quite enough and brought firearms to the yokai party. Gatling guns, rifles, and ranged attacks create multi-directional combat scenarios that the series hasn’t attempted before. Brave.
Fighting enemies with actual guns whilst wielding traditional weapons sounds either brilliant or absolutely maddening, depending on your tolerance for getting shot repeatedly. Either way, it’s a bold departure from Nioh’s established combat rhythm, which typically involves reading melee attack patterns rather than dodging bullet trajectories.
PR
It’s shooting time in Nioh 3
New Era, New Characters
Protagonist Takechiyo Tokugawa encounters period-specific characters throughout the Bakumatsu timeline, including Takasugi Shinsaku, Okita Soji, and Tokugawa Yoshinobu – the 15th and final Edo shogun. Team NINJA promises distinctive casts for each time period, suggesting the game jumps between eras rather than sticking solely to 1800s Kyoto.
New yokai naturally accompany the setting shift, though Koei Tecmo hasn’t detailed specific creature types yet. Given Nioh’s track record for horrifying Japanese folklore interpretations, expect appropriately disturbing designs that’ll haunt your nightmares for weeks.
PR
The Crucible’s influence transforms 1800s Kyoto into a nightmarish battleground in Nioh 3’s Bakumatsu setting
British Museum Tie-In and Pre-Orders
In a rather posh bit of cross-promotion, Nioh 3 and the broader franchise will feature in the British Museum’s Samurai exhibition launching in February 2026. Nothing says “violent demon-slaying action game” quite like prestigious museum validation, does it?
Pre-orders are live now for the base game, Digital Deluxe Edition, and SteelBook edition across PlayStation 5 and Steam. Early purchase bonuses are available for a limited post-launch window, though Koei Tecmo hasn’t specified what those bonuses actually include or how long “limited” means.
System requirements for the PC version have been published on the official Nioh 3 website for players concerned whether their rigs can handle gatling gun-wielding Shinsengumi troops at acceptable frame rates.
Nioh 3 launches February 6th, 2026 on PlayStation 5 and PC via Steam, with Japanese and English voice options plus text localisation in English, French, Italian, German, and Spanish.
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