Ghost of Yotei out exclusively for the PS5 in October

Sony’s most important first-party title of the year looks impressive, but is it next-gen enough in terms of gameplay?


Ghost of Yotei
Ghost of Yotei has some large shoes to fill, as its predecessor – Ghost of Tsushima – was one of the most noteworthy and successful Sony titles of the PS4 generation. Can Sucker Punch strike gold twice in a row? (image: Sony)


So, all three are now dated: the most important Sony-published games for the PS5/PS5 Pro in 2025 are coming in June (Death Stranding 2), September (Marathon) and October (Ghost of Yotei). The company officially announced that the sequel to the immensely successful Ghost of Tsushima will be out on October 2, more than five years after Sucker Punch released the original title on the PlayStation4. The new title was unveiled last September featuring a different protagonist, a different location and a different timeframe but also a similar visual style and gameplay mechanics.

The first trailer of Ghost of Yotei was admittedly not as well received by fans as Sony probably hoped: it was impressive, but not impressive enough for a true PS5 title and seemingly not different enough to Ghost of Tsushima in the eyes of many. The new trailer Sony offered today looks much better in audiovisual terms but Sucker Punch is still keeping its cards close to its chest when it comes to new gameplay features, promising to share more closer to the title’s release date. The creative studio is also quiet regarding the technical enhancements owners of the PS5 Pro can expect from the new title, although it’s practically certain that there will be several (especially given the nature of its open world).


Sony also confirmed that – as is the case with almost any AAA release nowadays – Ghost of Yotei will be made available in three different editions. The standard edition will cost $69.99 USD/£69.99/€79.99 in physical or digital form, the Digital Deluxe Edition will cost $79.99/£79.99/€89.99 accompanied by a small number of bonus items and the Collector’s Edition will cost $249.99/£249.99/€249.99 including all kinds of physical items and digital bonuses. As is also sadly the case now with most AAA titles over the last few years, the Ghost of Yotei Collector’s Edition does not come with a game disc (at least Sony did not include the silly empty disc case this time around). Pre-orders open on May 2.

It’s fair to say that, when it comes to first-party, award-winning-level titles, a lot rides on Ghost of Yotei being a high-quality production for PlayStation in 2025: Marathon currently looks far from a sure bet and Death Stranding 2 is a (timed?) PlayStation exclusive but not a Sony-made game per se. The date of the new game’s release is also interesting: it falls within the supposed release timeframe of Grand Theft Auto VI, which most publishers are currently planning to avoid (despite Rockstar not having officially confirmed anything yet). Maybe Sony knows something we don’t, then, or maybe the company is just confident that Ghost of Yotei will attract its target demographic’s interest regardless of when GTA VI is released. Or maybe… both?

Ghost of Yotei
Ghost of Yotei looks beautiful, but PlayStation fans will rightly expect at least a couple of its gameplay aspects to feel different and/or improved over what Ghost of Tsushima offered on the PS4. (image: Sony)


Whatever the case may be, it would be nice to see Ghost of Yotei deliver a taste of true next-generation gaming to PlayStation fans, especially after all major cross-gen Sony titles and even Spider-man 2 basically failed to do so. It will be a game of beautiful art direction and audiovisual excellence, that much is almost certain – but will it feel like a video game we could never have enjoyed in the PS4 era? Yours truly can’t wait to find out.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR


Kostas Farkonas

Veteran reporter and business consultant with over 30 years of industry experience in various media and roles, focusing on consumer tech, modern entertainment and digital culture.

Veteran reporter and business consultant with over 30 years of industry experience in various media and roles, focusing on consumer tech, modern entertainment and digital culture.