# What is the best samurai video game of all time?

> Samurai games have brought feudal Japan's codes of honor and blade mastery to life across decades of gaming — which is the greatest of them all? From Ghost of Tsushima's cinematic open world to Sekiro's unforgiving precision, vote for the best samurai game ever made.

*By YPB Team · Published May 30, 2026 · https://youpick.best/ranking/what-is-the-best-samurai-video-game-of-all-time*

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## Current results (no votes yet)

1. **Onimusha: Warlords** — score 1000/1000
   Capcom's 2001 classic that fused samurai action with horror elements and resource management in feudal Japan, kickstarting a beloved franchise.
2. **Like a Dragon: Ishin!** — score 1000/1000
   SEGA's 2023 remake of the 2014 Japan-exclusive Yakuza spin-off, transplanting the series' drama and humor into the Bakumatsu period of Japanese history.
3. **Total War: Shogun 2** — score 897/1000
   Creative Assembly's 2011 grand strategy masterpiece set in the Sengoku period, still considered the finest entry in the Total War series.
4. **Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun** — score 692/1000
   Mimimi's 2016 real-time tactics game set in Edo-period Japan, acclaimed for its brilliant level design and deeply satisfying stealth-based gameplay.
5. **Trek to Yomi** — score 692/1000
   Leonard Menchiari's 2022 cinematic black-and-white samurai revenge story inspired by classic Kurosawa films, visually striking in every frame.
6. **Rise of the Ronin** — score 692/1000
   Team Ninja's 2024 open-world action RPG set during Japan's turbulent Bakumatsu era, blending character-driven storytelling with refined Nioh-style combat.
7. **Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice** — score 692/1000
   FromSoftware's 2019 precision-focused action game as a one-armed shinobi in feudal Japan, winner of multiple Game of the Year awards.
8. **Nioh 2** — score 323/1000
   Team Ninja's acclaimed 2020 prequel that refined every system of the original, widely praised as one of the finest action RPGs of its generation.
9. **Katana Zero** — score 323/1000
   Askiisoft's 2019 neon-soaked indie action platformer starring a katana-wielding assassin who can manipulate time, with a gripping neo-noir story.
10. **Ghost of Tsushima** — score 323/1000
   Sucker Punch's 2020 open-world epic set during the 1274 Mongol invasion of Tsushima Island, acclaimed for its stunning visuals and katana combat.
11. **Bushido Blade** — score 323/1000
   Squaresoft's 1997 one-hit-kill sword-fighting game that modeled realistic blade combat decades before the genre matured, still ahead of its time.
12. **Nioh** — score 1/1000
   Team Ninja's 2017 Souls-like action RPG set in a demon-infested sengoku Japan, featuring deeply layered weapon stances and mythological enemies.
13. **Assassin's Creed Shadows** — score 1/1000
   Ubisoft's 2025 open-world action game set in feudal Japan, offering two protagonists — shinobi Naoe and samurai Yasuke — across an expansive world.
14. **Way of the Samurai** — score 1/1000
   Acquire's 2002 cult classic with a branching narrative set in a single town over a single day, offering radical replay value through divergent paths.

Tags: japanese, games, action, japan, classics, rpg