Ninja Gaiden 4 is the Xbox Developer Direct mystery game, and is being co-developed by Team Ninja and PlatinumGames

(Image credit: Koei Tecmo / Microsoft)

Ninja Gaiden 4 has been revealed at the Xbox Developer Direct
It's due to release in 'Fall 2025' across all major platforms, except Nintendo Switch
Ninja Gaiden 2 Black, a remake, is also available right now

It's a glorious day for character action game fans as we witness the return of a long-dormant franchise: Ninja Gaiden.

Announced as the Xbox Developer Direct's surprise title, Ninja Gaiden 4 will be releasing some time in 'Fall 2025' for Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, PC and PS5. It'll also be available from day one on Xbox Game Pass.

This was swiftly followed by the news that Ninja Gaiden 2 Black, an Unreal Engine 5 remake of the 2008 Xbox 360 classic, is available to buy and play right now across all platforms (except Nintendo Switch) as well as Xbox Game Pass.

Ninja Gaiden 4 is being developed by Team Ninja and, surprisingly (or perhaps not given the developer's pedigree), PlatinumGames. It'll be Platinum's first major project since 2022's Bayonetta 3.

Ninja Gaiden 4 looks to offer two playable protagonists. Legendary ninja Ryu Hayabusa is returning, alongside a brand new character named Yakumo. Yakumo is a much younger ninja who initially seems to be at odds with Hayabusa, and we see the pair clash in the announcement trailer.

The game seems to be retaining what made the Team Ninja series so iconic in the first place, with lightning-fast combat, jaw-dropping visuals and no shortage of satisfyingly chunky blood and gore.

There's not much word on Ninja Gaiden 4's overall difficulty just yet, but we should probably expect a fairly challenging game. The Ninja Gaiden series has a reputation of being punishingly hard from its early NES days all the way to the more contemporary entries.

The reveal also confirmed that familiar characters from series' past will also be making an appearance in Ninja Gaiden 4, which means we can probably expect Momiji and Dead or Alive's Ayane to make a return, too.

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Rhys is TRG's Hardware Editor, and has been part of the TechRadar team for more than two years. Particularly passionate about high-quality third-party controllers and headsets, as well as the latest and greatest in fight sticks and VR, Rhys strives to provide easy-to-read, informative coverage on gaming hardware of all kinds. As for the games themselves, Rhys is especially keen on fighting and racing games, as well as soulslikes and RPGs.