There’s something that will always attract us to the samurai in film, novels, television, and, of course, video games. Whether it’s the tradition, the history, or the nobility, we just can’t get enough. These are our picks for the best Xbox One samurai games.
#11 Like a Dragon: Ishin
Platform: PC PS4 Xbox One PS5 XSX|S
Release Date: February 21, 2023
Steam | Playstation | Xbox
The days of ancient Japan might be long behind us, but its impact is still felt to this day, and there are still stories to tell.
In the story that is Like A Dragon: Ishin, you will be Sakamoto Ryoma, a lone Samurai who has been framed for the murder of his father and is desperate to clear his name. To do so, you must head to Kyoto, a place full of both injustice and hope; through your actions, you’ll determine the future of your nation!
Wield your sword, take down your foes, and learn why your father died. Can you reclaim the honor you lost?
#10 Samurai Jack: Battle Through Time
- Publisher: Adult Swim Games
- Developer: Soleil Ltd
- Platform: Xbox One
- Release Date: Aug 2020
It’s rare that an anime-licensed game blows people away, but that’s the impact that Samurai Jack: Battle Through Time had on many Samurai Jack fans, as well as the many converts to the franchise. Nine superb campaign missions take Jack on a fairly linear path and the game has its fair share of quirks, but it rises above all of them to be greater than the sum of its parts.
#9 Samurai Shodown
- Publisher: Deep Silver
- Developer: SNK
- Platform: Xbox One
- Release Date: Jun 2019
The first impression of 2019’s Samurai Shodown isn’t a positive one, held back by appalling load times and a poor story mode, but the core systems underpinning the fighting experience are excellent and the flamboyant visual style is incredibly appealing. Samurai Shodown is an excellent console fighting experience.
#8 Onimusha: Warlords
- Publisher: Capcom
- Developer: Capcom
- Platform: Xbox One
- Release Date: Jan 2019
Onimusha was excellent when it first launched on the PS2 in 2001, but the 2019 remaster upped the experience to new heights. The action still feels great, the combat as precise as ever, and the story that blends Japanese historical fact with fiction still appeals like few games have succeeded in doing.
#7 Trek To Yomi
- Publisher: Devolver Digital
- Developer: Flying Wild Hog
- Platform: Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S
- Release Date: May 2022
Trek To Yomi excretes style from its every pore. Its sensational visuals collide with breathtaking sound design and an impactful soundtrack to blow the senses away, while the combative experience presents multiple layers of depth that few players will hit the bottom of. If you haven’t jumped in, now’s the time.
#6 For Honor
- Publisher: Ubisoft
- Developer: Ubisoft Montreal
- Platform: Xbox One
- Release Date: Feb 2017
Ubisoft was certainly shooting for the stars when they first launched For Honor, and if we’re being honest, it was not the honorable launch befitting of the samurai. It was a rough start, but what Ubisoft has done with the game over many years of continued support and collaborations has created a multiplayer combative title that has created a tight-knit community that is longing for more.
#5 SoulCalibur VI
- Publisher: Bandai Namco
- Developer: Bandai Namco
- Platform: Xbox One
- Release Date: Oct 2018
There were few fighting games this last generation that was as excellent across all key disciplines as SoulCalibur VI. Superb combat, sensational production value, engaging campaigns, and some really cool collaborations (Geralt, anyone?), all alongside numerous samurai-inspired fighters make SoulCalibur VI a gem.
#4 Cyberpunk 2077
- Publisher: CD Projekt
- Developer: CD Projekt Red
- Platform: Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S
- Release Date: Dec 2020
We all know the history of Cyberpunk 2077. It promised us the world but landed with a thud, taking some time to recover. The Cyberpunk 2077 experience of 2022 isn’t what the 2020 launch was, and upon further reflection, players will discover one of the coolest cyber-samurai adventures you’re ever likely to encounter.
#3 Ghostrunner
- Publisher: 505 Games
- Developer: Slipgate Ironworks, One More Level
- Platform: Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S
- Release Date: Oct 2020
We never quite got a repeat of the Mirror’s Edge experience until Ghostrunner came along. Centimeter-perfect first-person free-running parkour platforming and superb combat make Ghostrunner one of the most exhilarating gameplay experiences of the generation.
#2 Shadow Tactics
- Publisher: Kalypso Media
- Developer: Mimimi Productions
- Platform: Xbox One
- Release Date: Jul 2017
In a day and age where tactics games have been shunned and fans have been longing for only one or two particular entries, Shadow Tactics came along and blew us all away with an incredible deep title that puts the samurai skillset at the forefront, and implements all of the best elements of the samurai way of life into an excellent tactical experience.
#1 Sekiro: Shadow’s Die Twice
- Publisher: Activision
- Developer: FromSoftware
- Platform: Xbox One
- Release Date: Mar 2019
There’s no samurai title on Xbox that comes even remotely close to the bar set by FromSoftware’s Sekiro: Shadow’s Die Twice. The game changed what people expected from FromSoft titles, and delivered one of the coolest, most stylish, and most mechanically perfect combat experiences that the last generation has seen.
