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Shenmue 3 is finally getting its second chance, to a literal new audience.
ININ Games and Ys Net have announced Shenmue 3 Enhanced. This new version of the game coming to the Xbox Series X|S and Nintendo (TBC) for the first time.
It will be published as a new title on PlayStation 5 and PC. If you own the original version of Shenmue 3, ININ Games will provide an upgrade path. We don’t have the release dates or prices for these releases yet.
What Is Getting Enhanced?
This new version of the game comes with these new features:
- Enhanced Graphics & Performance – Sharper textures, richer details, faster load times, and smoother gameplay.
- 4K Texture Uplift – Refined, more detailed environments and characters.
- DLSS/FSR Support – High-quality upscaling without sacrificing performance (supported platforms only).
- Increased NPC Density – The city village Niaowu feels more alive with more characters populating the streets.
- Classic Camera Mode – An optional camera perspective inspired by Shenmue I & II, alongside the modern view.
- Gameplay Tweaks – Optional stamina system adjustments, health restoration before fights, and reduced money barriers for smoother progression.
- Improved Interactions – Cutscene and conversation skip options, expanded QTE timing window for more accessible gameplay.
- Menu & UX Enhancements – Streamlined navigation and helpful purchase alerts.
- Optionality First – All major changes can be toggled to preserve the original experience for purists.
Why Is This Only Happening Now?
Not everyone will remember this, but Shenmue 3 released all the way back in 2019. Unfortunately, its poor critical and commercial success became a huge setback.
It isn’t just that it seemed unlikely we would get more Shenmue games. We were not sure if Shenmue 3 would even get published again in the future.
Thankfully, ININ Games came in last year. They acquired the publishing rights to Shenmue 3 last November 2024. They did not make specific promises at the time. But they called it ‘the beginning of a new chapter for Shenmue III.’
What Does Nintendo (TBC) Mean?
On a technical level, we know that the Nintendo Switch won’t be able to run the 2019 version of Shenmue 3. Some fans speculated that Ys Net might make a special version for the console, but that didn’t happen.
It’s clear that Shenmue 3 Enhanced is coming to the Switch 2. We can’t discount that ININ might have made changes that could also make it run on the original Switch. But it does not seem like that effort would be worthwhile.
ININ’s intent to bring the game to Switch 2 may be facing some practical roadblocks. As of last month, we know that there is a backlog for Switch 2 dev kits.
It’s possible that ININ Games and Ys Net have some Switch 2 dev kits. But even if that’s the case, it doesn’t seem likely that a Shenmue 3 Enhanced port would be ready at this point.
But then again, we just saw rumors that WWE 2K25 got an excellent Switch 2 port thanks to Shiver Entertainment. So they may not have to get the dev kits themselves to make this port happen.
For all we know, ININ and Ys Net could make the announcement with a big Switch 2 trailer later today for Gamescom. We would love to get that update soon.
