It finally happened. After years of rumors about a sequel to Jin Sakai’s journey, Sucker Punch Productions pulled the rug out from under everyone during a State of Play. We aren't going back to Tsushima. Instead, we’re heading north. Way north.
If you go looking for the Ghost of Yōtei PlayStation 5 store page right now, you’ll find it, but it’s basically a digital placeholder. It’s a "coming soon" vibe. You can’t throw your money at it just yet, but you can definitely hit that "Add to Wishlist" button to make sure you get the notification the second pre-orders go live. Honestly, that's probably the smartest move right now because Sony has been getting increasingly aggressive with their digital pre-order bonuses lately.
What is Ghost of Yōtei anyway?
People were expecting Ghost of Tsushima 2. Instead, we’re getting a story set more than 300 years after Jin Sakai’s era. The year is 1603.
The protagonist is a woman named Atsu. She’s wandering the lands surrounding Mount Yōtei in Ezo, which we know today as Hokkaido. It’s a wild, lawless frontier. Back then, it wasn't even part of Japan in the way we think of it now. It was outside the rule of the clans. This shift in setting is massive. It means the "Ghost" isn't just a person anymore; it’s a legend or a mantle. Maybe even a curse? We don't really know yet.
Sucker Punch is building this specifically for the PS5. That's a huge deal. Ghost of Tsushima was a PS4 game that looked incredible, but it was held back by decade-old hardware. With the Ghost of Yōtei PlayStation 5 store listing confirming a 2025 release, we are looking at a game built from the ground up for the SSD and the DualSense haptics. Expect the wind to feel different in your hands. Expect those load times to be non-existent.
The store page details you need to track
The PlayStation Store is notoriously vague until about six months before a big release. Right now, the listing focuses on the "underdog" story. Atsu is on a journey in a landscape filled with sprawling grasslands and snowy tundras. It’s gorgeous. It’s also dangerous.
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You should keep an eye on the different editions. Based on how Sony handled Horizon Forbidden West and God of War Ragnarök, we are almost certainly going to see a Standard Edition and a Digital Deluxe Edition.
The Digital Deluxe usually nets you:
- A digital mini art book.
- A "Director's Commentary" (which Sucker Punch is great at).
- In-game skins for Atsu and her horse.
- Charm bonuses for early-game progression.
If you’re a physical collector, the Ghost of Yōtei PlayStation 5 store page won't help you much with the "Regalla" or "Jotnar" style physical statues, but it will give you the heads-up on when the digital pre-load begins. Usually, that’s 48 to 72 hours before launch.
Why 1603 matters for the gameplay
In 1603, the Sengoku period was ending and the Edo period was beginning. This is a time of transition. Firearms were becoming more common. In the trailer, we see Atsu carrying a kusarigama (a chain-sickle) and traditional swords, but the presence of matchlock rifles in this era means the combat is going to be way more volatile than Jin's parry-and-strike style.
Hokkaido is also much colder. Mount Yōtei is a volcano. The verticality of the map is likely to be a massive focus. Sucker Punch has hinted that they wanted to create a more "organic" discovery system. Think less "follow the yellow wind" and more "see that mountain? Go there."
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Managing your expectations on the PS5 Store
Don't expect a demo. Sony rarely does them for their prestige first-party titles anymore. Instead, they lean on "Deep Dive" State of Play videos.
The price point is another thing. It’s going to be $69.99. That’s the standard now. If you see it cheaper on a third-party key site, be careful. The official Ghost of Yōtei PlayStation 5 store link is the only place to guarantee you get the pre-order entitlement for the PS5 Pro enhancements. Speaking of the Pro, this game is clearly being positioned as a "Pro Enhanced" flagship. Expect 60fps at a higher resolution than the base console can handle.
The Technical Leap
Sucker Punch mentioned that they have new tech for their engine. They are talking about "massive sightlines." In the first game, the foliage was impressive, but there was a lot of clever trickery to hide the distance. On the PS5, they can render miles of Ezo without the "pop-in" that plagued open-world games in the past.
They are also looking at how snow behaves. If you've played The Last of Us Part II, you know how much a good snow-deformation system adds to the immersion. Walking through the shadows of Mount Yōtei with realistic footprints and wind-drifts is going to be a highlight of the 2025 gaming calendar.
Will there be a "Legends" mode?
The store page is currently listed as "1 Player." This has some fans worried. Ghost of Tsushima: Legends was a surprise hit—a co-op mode that actually felt deep and rewarding. While the current Ghost of Yōtei PlayStation 5 store listing doesn't mention multiplayer, that doesn't mean it won't be added later. Sony often updates these listings closer to launch. Or, they might be planning a standalone multiplayer experience. For now, plan on a solo journey.
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How to prepare your PS5 for the Ghost of Yōtei release
If you haven't upgraded your internal storage yet, now is the time. Open-world games of this fidelity are ballooning in size. It's a safe bet that this game will clock in between 80GB and 110GB.
- Check your M.2 SSD space. You want at least 150GB free to allow for the download and the "copying" process that the PS5 occasionally still does for patches.
- Verify your region. Digital pre-orders are locked to the region of your account. If you’re traveling, don’t buy it on a foreign store unless you want to deal with DLC compatibility headaches later.
- Enable Auto-Download. Go into your PS5 settings under Saved Data and Game/App Settings > Automatic Updates. You want "Auto-Download" and "Install in Rest Mode" toggled on.
The official release date hasn't been narrowed down beyond "2025," but the chatter suggests a late summer or fall window. That's when Sony likes to drop their heavy hitters.
Final takeaways for the savvy gamer
Keep your eyes peeled for a "State of Play" specifically dedicated to Atsu’s journey. That’s usually when the pre-order button on the Ghost of Yōtei PlayStation 5 store actually turns from a "Wishlist" button into a "Buy" button.
Don't fall for "early access" scams on social media. Sony does not do early access for their single-player narratives to avoid spoilers leaking. If someone tells you that you can play Ghost of Yōtei in 2024 by clicking a link, they are trying to steal your PSN credentials. Stick to the official storefront.
The move to Hokkaido is a bold one. It's a fresh start. New Ghost, new era, new rules. It’s exactly what the franchise needed to avoid becoming a repetitive Ubisoft-style map clearer. Atsu has a lot to live up to, but the sheer power of the PlayStation 5 might just make her story even more legendary than Jin’s.
Check the store once a month. The moment you see the "Digital Deluxe" assets appear, you'll know the marketing machine is in full swing. Until then, maybe go back and finish those Iki Island challenges. You're going to want your parry timing to be sharp when 2025 rolls around.