Hertfordshire, 19th August 2026 – Today, KOEI TECMO Europe and developer Team NINJA invite players to once again conquer the Crucible with the release of Hell Rising, the first DLC for their popular dark samurai action RPG, Nioh 3. In addition, Nioh 3’s second DLC, Bloody Insurrection, is currently in development, with more information to be revealed soon. Hell Rising is now available for PlayStation®5 and Windows PC via Steam®.
In Hell Rising, players will travel to the Keian era where they will encounter a version of Edo in the midst of a crisis following the death of the future shogun, Takechiyo. Joined by the one-eyed swordsman Yagyu Jubei and the Spanish envoy Rodrigo, players will explore an emerging mystery surrounding the Spirit Stones. The new open-field map, the Keian era, will feature a hellish wasteland ravaged by the gales of the Crucible, where yokai, human rebels and alchemists from foreign lands roam.
Players will enter the fray with new weapons in their arsenal, the Hoko and Shield for both the Samurai and Ninja Styles, combining the offence of the short spear with the defence offered by the shield. These weapons will allow fans to battle using more tactical manoeuvres, such as flinging the shield at enemies. In addition, players seeking a greater challenge will be able to utilise the Hundred Demon Realms Picture Scroll, a new equipment category, which will allow for customisable battles to be fought and replayed. Enemies will sometimes drop a Picture Scroll as rare loot, and players must achieve victory in the automatically generated battle associated with that scroll to equip the item. These battles can be repeated to allow players to randomly alter one of the scroll’s special effects, as well as strengthening and customising it.
Furthermore, players will be put to the test in a new difficulty setting for those wishing to attempt a third playthrough, the Enlightened One’s Journey. In this extreme difficulty mode, certain enemies will randomly receive a Curse buff that will make them significantly more powerful, but will reward players with divine-rarity items if they manage to defeat them. Players will be also able to further enhance their character builds with divine-rarity Grace set bonuses and powerful special effects. Finally, fans can look forward to developing new strategies for the fierce battles ahead with the introduction of Martial Arts, Skills, Ninjutsu, Onmyo Magic, and a new Guardian Spirit.
In Nioh 3, released in February 2026, players take on the role of Tokugawa Takechiyo, poised to become the next shogun during Japan’s prosperous Edo era. The story unfolds on a larger scale than ever before in series history, covering various eras and regions including Edo Castle, the Totomi region during the Warring States era, the Heian era’s capital city of Kyoto, and, for the first time in the franchise’s history, the Bakumatsu era. Players can freely explore each era as a vast open field, featuring beautiful and distinct environments.
Before launching into the full game, players have the opportunity to hone their skills in the free demo, which includes both solo play and online multiplayer mode for up to three players on both PlayStation®5*and Windows PC via Steam®**. Fans can create their own custom character and dive into the turbulent Warring States era, even testing their abilities in an electrifying boss fight against Jakotsu-baba, with the ability to carry over save data to the full version of the game.
* PlayStation®5 users in Germany will need to have a PlayStation®Plus account in order to download and play the demo.
**Cross-play is not supported for online multiplayer mode.
Nioh 3 is now available worldwide on PlayStation®5 and Windows PC via Steam®. The game includes Japanese and English voices with texts in English, French, Italian, German and Spanish.