Ghost of Tsushima

Ghost of Tsushima
DeveloperSucker Punch Productions
PublisherSony Interactive Entertainment
Directors
  • Nate Fox
  • Jason Connell
ProducerBrian Fleming
ProgrammerChris Zimmerman
ArtistJason Connell
Writers
  • Ian Ryan
  • Liz Albl
  • Patrick Downs
  • Jordan Lemos
Composers
Platforms
Release
  • PlayStation 4
  • July 17, 2020
  • PlayStation 5
  • August 20, 2021
  • Windows
  • May 16, 2024
GenreAction-adventure
ModesSingle-player, multiplayer

Ghost of Tsushima is a 2020 action-adventure game developed by Sucker Punch Productions and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment. The player controls Jin Sakai, a samurai in the year 1274 on a quest to protect Tsushima Island during the first Mongol invasion of Japan. Jin must face an internal struggle between following the warrior code to fight honorably, or using effective but dishonorable methods to repel the Mongols with minimal harm to innocents. The game features a large open world which can be explored either on foot or on horseback. When facing enemies, the player can choose to engage in a direct confrontation using Jin's katana or to use stealth tactics to assassinate opponents. A multiplayer mode titled Ghost of Tsushima: Legends was released in October 2020 and made available separately in September 2021.

Sucker Punch began developing the game after the release of Infamous First Light in 2014, as the studio wanted to move on from the Infamous franchise to create a game with a heavy emphasis on melee combat. The studio collaborated with Japan Studio and visited Tsushima Island twice to ensure that the game was as culturally and historically authentic as possible. The team was heavily inspired by samurai cinema, particularly films directed by Akira Kurosawa, as well as the comic book series Usagi Yojimbo. The game's landscape and minimalistic art style were influenced by Shadow of the Colossus, and locations in the game were designed to be "the perfect photographer's dream". While the in-game landmass is similar in shape to Tsushima Island, the team did not intend to create a one-to-one recreation. Ilan Eshkeri and Shigeru Umebayashi composed the game's soundtrack.

Ghost of Tsushima was released for the PlayStation 4 in July 2020, and an expanded version for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5, subtitled Director's Cut and featuring the Iki Island expansion, was released in August 2021. A Windows version of Director's Cut, developed by Nixxes Software, was released in May 2024. The game received positive reviews from critics, who praised the melee combat, story, characters, performances, and music, though it received some criticism for its implementations of stealth gameplay and open world structure. It had sold over 13 million units by September 2024. It was nominated for several year-end awards, including Game of the Year at the annual The Game Awards and the D.I.C.E. Awards. A sequel, Ghost of Yōtei, was released in October 2025. A film adaptation based on the main game and an anime based on Legends are also in development.