You Can Already Play One of the Biggest New PS5 Games Releasing Next Week

Nioh 3 is set to launch on PlayStation 5 and PC on February 6, 2026, but eager fans can already play it thanks to a lengthy demo that was just released. This free Nioh 3 demo is available now via the PlayStation Store and Steam, with progress from the demo carrying over to the full game upon its release next week.

Debuting in 2017, Nioh is a Team Ninja-developed, Koei Tecmo-published action-RPG that sees players assume the role of William Adams, a 17th century English navigator who became a samurai in Sengoku period Japan. Nioh was met with very strong reviews upon its initial 2017 launch, with it earning an 88 Top Critic Average on OpenCritic. Three years later, Team Ninja released Nioh 2, a sequel that improved upon most aspects of its predecessor. Over the last few years, both Nioh games have been heralded as some of the best Soulslikes available, which means Nioh 3 has some big boots to fill.

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Nioh 3 Demo Is Available Now on PlayStation 5

As of January 29, anyone on PlayStation 5 can try out Nioh 3 for themselves, with a free demo now available via the PlayStation Store. The demo encompasses Nioh 3‘s entire opening section, including a vast open area and a climactic Yokai boss fight. Before engaging in any of that, however, players must first customize Nioh 3‘s protagonist, Tokugawa Takechiyo, the grandchild of the famous real-world samurai and shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu. This character creator is surprisingly substantial, letting players fully customize both the protagonist’s Ninja and Samurai appearances.

Once customized and ready to go, players will then assume the role of Tokugawa Takechiyo as they’re thrust into a large open field. Much like Elden Ring, players can explore this open field in any direction, and encounter its many obstacles in any order they wish, which is a bit of a departure from the more linear structure of Nioh 1 and 2. They’ll find enemy encampments to clear, new items and weapons to collect, and a wealth of Yokai monsters who need to be slain. Once players have looted and leveled up enough, they’ll be able to head to Hamamatsu Castle Town in the center of the map and take on the demo’s final boss. Throughout the demo, players will be able to experiment with Nioh 3‘s Ninja and Samurai combat styles, a core new feature of the sequel that lets players swap between two radically different movesets.

Defeating this final boss and completing Nioh 3‘s demo by February 15 will reward players with Twin-Snake helmet in the full game. After February 15, this helmet will only be obtainable as a rare drop from the Jakotsu-baba boss. Any progress made in Nioh 3‘s free demo will carry over to the full game, letting players use their already-customized character and jump straight back into the action next week after purchasing the full game. Nioh 3‘s demo also supports online multiplayer for up to three players, letting friends take down the hordes of Yokai together.

Nioh 3‘s latest demo is also available now on PC via Steam, where players can experience all of the same content and earn the same reward as PS5 players. It should be noted, however, that although saves are carried over from the demo to Nioh 3‘s full release, that’s only true if players purchase Nioh 3 on the same platform they originally played the demo on. For instance, someone can’t play the Nioh 3 demo on PS5 and transfer their save data to the PC version of Nioh 3 upon the game’s launch on February 6.