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Whether sneaking through enemy encampments or facing waves of foes head-on, it feels good to be a samurai. Even with the industry’s history of varied melee weapons, not many can compete with the empowerment provided by a steel blade. If you’re on the lookout for some Xbox Series X/S samurai games, our list has you covered.
#13 Like a Dragon: Ishin
Platform: PC PS4 Xbox One PS5 XSX|S
Release Date: February 21, 2023
The Yakuza games have a strong following; you might have already played through this spin-off. But if not, this is one over-the-top samurai game you can’t miss out on. It’s a game that can also be a perfect jump point if you haven’t played the previous games from the franchise since this one is set back in the 1860s. Without getting too deep in the weeds here about the narrative, you’re essentially a samurai who charts off on a quest to avenge your father’s murder. But in true Yakuza franchise fashion, the more you dig into this narrative, the more conspiracy and politics play comes out, making this revenge journey anything but simple.
#12 Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty
Platform: PC PS4 Xbox One PS5 XSX|S
Release Date: March 03, 2023
Team Ninja, known for their acclaimed games like Ninja Gaiden, has now brought us a new thrilling game IP to take on with Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty. This action RPG transports players to the Later Han Dynasty China. In this immersive game, a new demonic plague has ravaged the world, leaving kingdoms in ruins. As a militia soldier, players must rise to the challenge and cleanse the lands from the clutches of the demonic creatures that now rule the kingdoms. If you’re a fan of action RPGs or have enjoyed Team Ninja’s previous releases like Nioh, Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty is a game that shouldn’t be missed.
#11 Trek To Yomi
Platform: PC PS4 Xbox One PS5 XSX|S (Switch January 30, 2023)
Release Date: May 05, 2022
Trek To Yomi might capture your attention from the aesthetics alone. This is a black and white side scroller action-adventure game. In this title, players take the role of Hiroki, a young swordsman who finds his village has burned down. Vowing to his dying Master, Hiroki sets off on a path of revenge. Using the skills he’s learned from this master, Hiroki will travel to the deepest and darkest parts of Japan to take down those responsible for the careless destruction of his home and loved ones. Since this is a side-scroller, the camera is mainly fixed as you venture into different environments. Meanwhile, combat requires players to plan their attacks carefully and when to parry.
#10 Shadow Assault: Tenchu
- Platforms: Xbox 360
Developed by FromSoftware, Shadow Assault: Tenchu takes the traditonally dark stealth franchise in an unexpected direction. Making use of a more vibrant color palatte and art direction, this Xbox Live Arcade title also takes liberties with the series’ framework. Rather than placing players in expansive non-linear levels, Shadow Assault: Tenchu‘s confined rooms make way for a puzzle-centric experience in which traps are the name of the game. There’s even multiplayer for up to four players, which we may never see again assuming the series ever makes a resurgance.
#9 Samurai Jack: Battle Through Time
- Platforms: Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, PC
While its visual style doesn’t do justice to the original animated series, Samurai Jack: Battle Through Time still feels like a faithful interpretation of the source material. This is largely down to the studio bringing back the cartoon’s original voice actors, lending an aura of authenticity so few licensed games capture. The story was even written by its original creators. It’s also a solid action adventure game with varied levels made possible due to its time travelling antics.
#8 Onimusha
- Platforms: Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 2, PC
Despite no longer kicking, Onimusha might be one of the first franchises that springs to mind when samurai are part of the conversation. This first installment mixes typical action gameplay with survival horror elements such as fixed camera angles, limited resources, and sometimes obtuse puzzles. Once you acclimate to its older control scheme, it’s a solid samurai action game within a survival horror framework. Fans of old-school games will definitely appreciate what Onimusha offers.
#7 For Honor
- Platforms: Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, PC
For Honor is one of Ubisoft’s most enduring live services, releasing only a year after the still successful Rainbow Six Siege. It was criticized at launch for a lacklustre campaign and server issues, but that doesn’t take into account what it does well. As far as Xbox Series X/S samurai games are concerned, you’re not likely to find many with a combat system that’s this intricate. The fact that such complex mechanics are able to work in a competitive player vs player setting makes it all the more impressive. Xbox Series X/S owners also get to play the game at 60 FPS, which was never an option on last-gen consoles.
#6 Cyberpunk 2077
- Platforms: Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, PC
Cyberpunk 2077 may have an unshakeable reputation due to its abudance of technical issues across all platforms at launch, but it’s still worth playing. By this point in its life cycle, the majority of notable bugs have been fixed, leaving a great open world RPG with a slick sense of style. Anyone playing on a high-spec PC or next-gen console will have the best possible experience. Aside from the obvious disparity in visual fidelity and performance, these platforms received exclusive improvements to the crowd AI, making for a more believable city.
#5 Ghostrunner
- Platforms: Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, PC
Ghostrunner is not for the feint of heart. Don’t let its slick cyberpunk aesthetic and acrobatics fool you. This is a deceptively difficult game in which one hit leads to death. However, this difficulty becomes its greatest strength. Each room is a new puzzlebox of sorts, challenging players to traverse the scene while taking enemies out without taking damage. It calls to mind the “one more try” mentality of games like Super Meat Boy. Making it through any room leaves you feeling incredibly accomplished, with a continually escalating complexity to its moveset and level design.
#4 Soulcalibur II
- Platforms: Xbox 360, Xbox, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 2, GameCube
For many players, Soulcalibur II is where the weapon-based fighting series peaked. Later entries such as Soulcalibur V and VI were bogged down by contemporary trappings such as meter management, super moves, and unfair comeback mechanics. Soulcalibur is at its best when it isn’t chasing modern trends, letting the core gameplay speak for itself. There’s also a satisfaction to using different melee weapons that standard fisticuffs can’t quite match even when fighters have completely different styles.
#3 Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun
- Platforms: Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PC
Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun probably went under many people’s radars due to its perspective. It is a 3D stealth game played from an isometric point of view. This provides a greater sense of your surroundings than many stealth titles without resorting to powers like seeing through walls. The tactical part of Shadow Tactics comes in the form of managing which squad member to use for which occasion in the heat of the moment.
#2 Samurai Shodown
- Platforms: Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, PC
As a modern reinvention of a classic fighting game franchise, Samurai Shodown is a resounding success. Unlike fighting games such as Tekken or Dead or Alive, combos are de-emphasized. Rather, Samurai Shodown is about waiting for the most opportune moment to strike, dealing tons of damage with few attacks. This leads to intense mind-games between opposing players. To further sweeten the deal, Samura Shodown runs at 120 frames per second on Xbox Series X/S, making it the only commercially released fighter to officially support such a high refresh rate. It also makes it the definitive version, seeing as there was never a PS5 upgrade.
#1 Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice
- Platforms: Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PC
FromSoftware fans might have missed out on Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, but it is worth a look for anyone that wants intense samurai action. Unlike the studio’s titles that fall under the Soulsborne label, Sekiro is paced more like a typical action game. Aggression is your best friend, with parries being your most reliable tool. This is arguably FromSoftware’s hardest game because farming for experience doesn’t have quite the same impact on the gameplay experience. If you want a game that is constantly pushing you, Sekiro is one of your best bets.
