What you need to know
- After it was announced that Ghost of Tsushima would release on PC in March, the PlayStation open world action game has launched on Steam and is available now for $59.99.
- The PC release includes all of the "DIRECTOR'S CUT" enhancements from the PS5 rerelease of the game, along with some PC-specific features like advanced graphics settings, extensive ultrawide support, and support for performance-boosting tech like NVIDIA DLSS 3 and AMD FSR 3.
- Ghost of Tsushima has gotten off to an incredibly strong start, with the game already in the peak position on Steam's Top Sellers chart above other paid games like Hades 2 and Helldivers 2, as well as free-to-play offerings such as Counter-Strike 2 and Destiny 2.
- At the time of writing, 57,707 fans are in-game and embarking on their samurai adventure, though that number is sure to rise exponentially during peak and weekend hours.
Just a few months after it was announced that Ghost of Tsushima was coming to Windows PC, the fan-favorite PlayStation action game has finally launched on Steam and is available now for $59.99. This makes it the third PlayStation Studios title to release on Valve's PC gaming platform this year so far, with the others being the popular PvE co-op shooter Helldivers 2 and the single player open world adventure Horizon: Forbidden West. The choice-driven horror game Until Dawn is also headed to PC later in 2024.
Ghost of Tsushima is off to an incredibly strong start since its release earlier this morning, with the game quickly rising to the peak position on Steam's Top Sellers chart; this puts it ahead of other trending top selling paid games like Hades 2 and Helldivers 2, as well as big free-to-play titles like Counter-Strike 2 and Destiny 2. Notably, at the time of writing, there are 57,707 fans playing the game on a Thursday morning, and that number is sure to soar higher during peak and weekend hours.
Developed by Sucker Punch Productions and originally released exclusively on PlayStation 4 in 2020 by Sony, the award-winning open world action game was loved by fans and critics alike for its engaging combat and impressive presentation, along with its narrative that follows samurai protagonist Jin Sakai as he tries to defend the Japanese island of Tsushima from Mongol invasion. The game was rereleased on both PS4 and PS5 with a "DIRECTOR'S CUT" in 2021 that added a Legends co-op mode, visual enhancements, and more, which is the version of the game that's now come to PC. The Steam version features some PC-specific features like advanced graphics options, extensive support for ultrawide displays, and support for performance-boosting tech like NVIDIA DLSS 3, AMD FSR 3, and Intel XeSS.
Notably, the PC launch of Ghost of Tsushima comes days after the game was controversially delisted from Steam in over 170 countries, with Valve — the creator and overseer of Steam — refunding preorders made by customers in these regions because "the publisher is now requiring a secondary account to play portions of this game — and this account cannot be created from your country." This notice refers to PlayStation Network (PSN) accounts, which can only be made in 70 countries and have to be linked to your Steam account if you want to play the Legends co-op mode.
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This debacle occurred days after Sony was preparing to reintroduce previously-cancelled PSN requirements for Helldivers 2 back to the PC version of the game, though a review bombing uproar ultimately drove the PlayStation publisher to reverse its decision. However, like what happened later with Ghost of Tsushima, Helldivers 2 was (and still is) delisted from Steam in non-PSN regions.
It's still unclear whether or not Sony or Valve took Ghost of Tsushima down from Steam in these countries, though a Steam Support message sent to a Helldivers 2 fan indicates Sony was responsible for delisting the co-op shooter. That's led many to speculate Sony chose to halt sales of Ghost of Tsushima in non-PSN areas as well, but ultimately, there hasn't been official communication on the matter from either company.
Analysis: Another PlayStation hit on PC?
While it's too early to say whether or not Ghost of Tsushima will be successful on PC in the long-term, the fact it's already a first place Steam top seller certainly bodes well for the action title. It won't have the legs of something like Helldivers 2 with its live service structure and community-driven metagame, but like Horizon: Forbidden West before it, I suspect it will sell well and be well-received by the PC gaming community.
At the moment, Ghost of Tsushima has a "Mixed" score on Steam, with 68% of all reviews posted positive (EDIT: Now it's "Mostly Positive" with 79% reviews being positive). Something important to note, though, is that many of the game's negative reviews are protesting the fact it was delisted in non-PSN territories. A handful of them are mentioning some bugs and crashing issues, but overall, it seems like the quality of the port itself is solid. Keep an eye on the reviews on its Steam page as more and more players jump in to check it out, though.
Personally, I'm just glad to finally have Ghost of Tsushima on PC, as I've wanted to play it for a long time but opted to wait until a port came. I do wish the game was made available in places where PSN isn't available, though I can understand not wanting to sell a full-price game to users who will only get access to the single player experience and not co-op multiplayer. Still, since the store page clearly warns players of the multiplayer's account requirement, I say they should have the freedom to buy the game and be limited to single player if they want to.
