Ghost of Tsushima Guide: Release, Gameplay, Story & Rumors

UPDATE: 07/17/2020

Ghost of Tsushima - LIVE

Just in time for the release of Ghost of Tsushima for the PlayStation 4, we sharpen our samurai swords and jump into the battle for the island of Tsushima. In addition to our numerous guides to the game, you can also get a first impression of the PlayStation 4's latest blockbuster together with us.

On our YouTube channel, we play the first hours of the samurai epic with you. However, you won't go away empty-handed.

Win a Ghost of Tsushima Collector's Edition

During the stream and the release weekend of the game, we'll be giving away one of the highly coveted Collector's Editions of the game. It includes the game in a fancy steelbook as well as a Japanese Sakai mask, a war banner, a cloth map and many more goodies. So you can win:

  • 1 x Ghost of Tsushima Collector's Edition

With a little luck, you'll also get the highly coveted Ghost of Tsushima Collector's Edition, complete with traditional Sakari mask, Sashimono war banner, and much more

To enter the competition, all you have to do is fill out the form below and cross your fingers. Whether you win or not will be decided by chance.

The competition will run from July 17, 2020 until July 20, 2020 at 10:00 am.

If the sweepstakes form does not display correctly, please click here:

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In this guide to Ghost of Tsushima you will learn:

  • What we already know about the story
  • How the gameplay will look like
  • When and on which platform the game will be released

Last update: 25.06.2020

Developer studio Sucker Punch - creators of the Infamous franchise - has been working on its latest project Ghost of Tsushima for over 5 years. With the gameplay reveal trailer at E3 2018, the game caused open mouths and wowed with its unparalleled attention to detail. Now, the release is finally just around the corner.

For you, we have gone the way of the Samurai and gathered all the information on gameplay, story and release.


This is what is known about the story

Kublai Kahn, ruler of the powerful Mongol Empire, sends thousands of warriors towards Japan in the year 1274. Tsushima, a small island off the coast, meets the full force of the Mongol storm. Jin Sakai, one of the few surviving samurai, forms the last line of defense between the onrushing horde and the mainland.

The samurai code prescribes man-on-man combat and invokes honorable frontal engagement with the enemy. However, this would lead to the downfall of the shogunate due to the numerical superiority of the opponents. In order to protect his homeland, Jin eventually changes the rules and becomes the Ghost of Tsushima.

Nate Fox, game director at Sucker Punch, explains the decision to use the previously unused setting: "When we stumbled upon the Mongol invasion of 1274, it clicked [...] Suddenly you knew who the heroes were, who the bad guys were, what was at stake for the world, and you had a video game."

Ghost of Tsushima gameplay: how does the action adventure play?

The Mongol invasion takes place in a huge open world which is supposed to bear the signs of war more and more as the days go by. However, Ghost of Tsushima doesn't offer a minimap or directional information in the game world. Instead, you can activate a gust of wind at any time at the touch of a button, which will point you in the direction of your next target.

As a samurai, Jin Sakai is a master of the sword. Accordingly, there will be a bunch of steel-heavy fights against a variety of different opponents. They'll wield swords, lances, shields and bows, all kinds of different weapons.

As the last State of Play issue in May 2020 showed, the focus of such confrontations is on patiently reading the opponent's movements and then countering them. Executed at the right moment, these immediately turn the enemies into bloody fountains.

If Jin is not careful and neglects his defense, he'll face the same fate within seconds. According to co-founder Chris Zimmerman, Ghost of Tsushima wants to push the player to his limits and offer merciless gameplay.

As mentioned earlier, the young samurai faces a superior number of battle-hardened and well-equipped enemies. A direct confrontation poses in the you should avoid if possible. Sneaking and climbing - which resembles a mixture of Tenchu and Assassins Creed () - is an integral part of the gameplay and requires a precise scouting of the area.

Using a climbing hook, the Ghost of Tsushima can transport himself to trees and rooftops and ambush the unsuspecting enemy. At the right time, he finally lunges sword-first into the enemies. The onset of slow motion allows for the subsequent selection and assassination of additional fighters after the first bloody encounter.

Other aids in the fight for the homeland are gadgets like smoke grenades, which you can use to confuse the enemies and escape from tricky situations.

In the gameplay reveal trailer from E3 2018, Jin can also be seen with a fellow combatant taking out enemies with a bow and arrow in the distance, while Jin himself is busy taking out an enemy's throat.

How does character customization work in Ghost of Tsushima?

As you progress through the game, you'll find different armor sets for Jin, each with special bonuses. You can even dye the armor pieces to your liking with flowers, which can be found all over the open world.

This is where you sneak up on your enemies.

Amulets - so-called charms - give you additional bonuses, such as life regeneration, when you put them on. With Technique Points you'll learn new skills and improve your abilities, which indicates that Ghost of Tsushima will offer a skill tree for your character.

Ghost of Tsushima: Release and Platform

It has been known for a while now that Ghost of Tsushima is scheduled for release in the summer of 2020 for PlayStation 4 (). In the meantime, we know that the title will be released on July 17, 2020.

This means that the action adventure will probably be Sony's last major first-party title for the PS4. Since the release is so close to the release of the PlayStation 5 - the PS5 is scheduled for release at the end of 2020 - a re-release for Sony's next console generation is not out of the question.

You can freely explore the open world in Ghost of Tsushima.

Perhaps a technically improved version of Ghost of Tsushima will be released for the PlayStation 5 in early 2021. A free upgrade of the PS4 version would also be possible. However, nothing has been confirmed yet.

This is why the hype is justified

The development team wants to send the player on a time travel to feudal Japan and therefore attaches great importance to authenticity. Sucker Punch worked with a renowned martial arts master for the combat system. The developers even went so far as to record original nature and game sounds in Japan and implemented them into the game.

The Japanese dubbing - with English subtitles, of course - should finally make the immersion perfect. But don't worry, according to the first trailers, Ghost of Tsushima also features a German synchro. If that wasn't enough, the team also visited the Komohadama Shrine, which honors the warriors who resisted the Mongol invasion.

Furthermore, Sucker Punch puts great emphasis on the graphical representation of 1274 Japan, from tall grass swaying in the wind to burning villages in the distance to the ever-changing weather, always pleasing the eye and never giving the feeling of a static world. The visuals shown so far give hope for a graphic firework.

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