Sony and Sucker Punch Productions just wrapped up their July 2025 Ghost of Yōtei State of Play, showcasing a better look at its world, combat, and new modes ahead of its release date this fall.
The 20-minute gameplay presentation, hosted by creative directors Jason Connell and Nate Fox, arrived today to help showcase how Atsu’s journey will be both familiar and new for players who enjoyed 2020’s Ghost of Tsushima. Any way you cut it, the Ghost of Yōtei State of Play is the closest look at one of the PlayStation 5’s biggest games of the year that we’ve seen yet.
For those who missed out on the State of Play, IGN took the time to gather all of the highlights for you right here. You can check out everything revealed during the presentation below while we wait for more updates ahead of Ghost of Yōtei’s October 2, 2025, release date.
The Sights and Sounds of Ezo
Ghost of Yōtei focuses on Atsu as she seeks revenge against the Yōtei Six at any cost. It’s a bloody journey that has led Atsu’s enemies to fear her, with many worried that she is a legendary Onyro spirit come to life. Ghost of Yōtei fuels its journey of vengeance in a completely new way, allowing players to flash back to its protagonist’s younger years with the simple press of a button.
Traveling throughout Ezo means encountering a land far different from the war-torn island of Tsushima. Beautiful in its own right, Ghost of Yōtei’s new map encourages players to experience Atsu’s journey how they please, with Sucker Punch going as far as to say the adventure “focuses on player freedom more than any game” it has ever made. One example of this newfound player freedom can be found in the Clue System, which can lead the player in new directions. While some information gained during an interrogation may see Atsu travel to snowy mountaintops that hide hidden attackers, another may take her to a village ravaged by fire and an army of samurai.
Sucker Punch wants players to choose to focus on combat, exploration, story, or whatever it is that satisfies their quest. However, one recommended way to see all Ezo has to offer involves simply using a spyglass and walking toward whatever catches your eye.
Exploring a 1603 Japan means finding familiar points of interest, such as new Bamboo Strike challenges and even more Hot Springs to relax in, but players can also look forward to taking out difficult fights as a bounty hunter, too. There are also Altars of Reflection, which unlock new abilities for Atsu that will no doubt aid her on her journey.
Ghost of Yōtei Combat Get an Upgrade
With a hefty price on Atsu’s head, players will need to utilize an arsenal of new tools and weapons. While it looks like fans will have plenty of opportunities for standard sword encounters, some new blades will help spice things up. Highlights include the weapons like the katana and spear as well as the more unconvential kusarigama chain blade, the lengthy odachi, and even dual swords. Each offers specific advantages in battle depending on the circumstances, with all weapons featuring upgrades to utilize, too.
Ranged combat, meanwhile, will see Atsu primarily using two tools: a bow and a gun. The Ghost of Yōtei gameplay showed off a glimpse at how the latter can be used to quickly take out a distant enemy at the cost of stealth. In other words, Atsu comes with a few more tools than Ghost of Tsushima’s Jin did, and she’s got no reservations when it comes to using them to take out the Yōtei Six.
In between combat encounters and brushes with death, players can allow Atsu to rest under the stars. Here, you can cook food, play music, and even meet up with allies while taking in all Ezo’s skies have to offer. With these changes also comes a replacement for the standard journal that is known as Atsu’s Wolf Pack. Sucker Punch calls the menu system a “more character-driven way of managing allies and vendors” met during Atsu’s journey. It’s a straightforward way to see who might have something to offer, and it’s wrapped up with art for each face you meet.
Where Ghost of Tsushima approached its connection to nature in one way, Ghost of Yōtei appears like it may depend the connection players have with the world around them. One way it will do this involves a new wolf companion who, as shown during the State of Play, can tear out an enemy’s throat during combat. Traveling through a field of flowers, meanwhile, can give your character a boost while riding on your horse. Sucker Punch also showed off a first look at what appears to be a dense customization system for Atsu’s armor as well as the ability to disarm enemies with enough well-timed attacks.
Kurosawa Mode Returns Alongside New Immersive Options
Kurosawa Mode, a black-and-white omage to legenadary director Akira Kurosawa, makes its return after fans fell in love with it in Ghost of Tsushima. It’s a sign not only that Sucker Punch is happy with the response it received the first time around but that the team remains influenced by some of the prominent artists in the genre.
This influence can also be felt in two additional modes: Miike Mode and Watanabe Mode. As some movie fans might have guessed, the former takes after 13 Assassins director Takashi Miike, moving the camera in closer with more blood and more mud. The latter, meanwhile, brings in the work of Samurai Champloo anime director Shinichirō Watanabe by featuring original lo-fi beats that back moments of exploration and combat.
Other highlights from the Ghost of Yōtei State of Play include a first look at photo mode as well as options for Standard English audio, Subtitled English audio, and Samurai Cinema, which features fully voice acted Japanese dialogue with English subtitles.
Ghost of Yōtei launches October 2, 2025, for PS5. As a last-minute surprise, Sucker Punch promised that special edition Ghost of Yōtei PS5 consoles and unique DualSense controllers will also be available at launch. For more details while we wait to see more, you can check out everything else we know about Ghost of Yōtei here.
Michael Cripe is a freelance contributor with IGN. He’s best known for his work at sites like The Pitch, The Escapist, and OnlySP. Be sure to give him a follow on Bluesky (@mikecripe.bsky.social) and Twitter (@MikeCripe).
.jpg?width=1920&height=1920&fit=bounds&quality=70&format=jpg&auto=webp){kind=tracking}
25 Standard Edition
