The wait for Nioh 3 has felt like an eternity for some of us, but thankfully, we’ll be able to experience this new adventure a bit sooner than expected. If, for whatever reason, you missed The Game Awards, you should know that Koei Tecmo surprised everyone by showing a brand-new trailer for Nioh 3, and hang on to your Spirit Guardian because that trailer also unveiled the date for the demo. That’s right, all players will be able to try Nioh 3 ahead of its launch, and the progress they make during this demo will transfer to the full game.
Nioh 3 Launches Its Demo on January 29, 2026
In case you missed the trailer, we’ve attached it above. In it, we can see some more gameplay, a few of the Yokai we will be facing in this new installment, a few new weapons and moves, and the fast-paced action that’s so iconic of this series. However, the big announcement is the release date for the demo, which will launch on January 29, 2026, just a few days before the game’s release on February 6, 2026. The cherry on top of this yokai-hunting experience is that all the progress will transfer to the full game, meaning that you can start your journey much earlier and then jump into the whole experience once it goes live.
So far, the early previews of Nioh 3 have been beyond favorable. While many thought it was putting a huge gap between the second installment and this one, many have said that Nioh 3 feels like the pinnacle of everything Team Ninja has done in the past. It has that open-world feel of Rise of the Ronin, the iconic combat from the Nioh series, and even the feeling of the most recent Ninja Gaiden 4.
If you haven’t jumped into the franchise yet, we recommend giving the demo a try. If you want to see its beginnings, the Koei Tecmo Winter Sale is live on Steam and runs until January 5, with several game discounts, including the first Nioh game. Either way, you should really keep Nioh 3 on your radar, and if you haven’t, there’s plenty of time to pre-order it and unlock some of the exclusive outfits that you’ll be able to use in-game.
