Ninja Gaiden 2 Black has shadow-dropped onto Xbox and Xbox Game Pass

Promotional trailer screenshot of Ryu Hayabusa in Ninja Gaiden 2 Black
Ryu Hayabusa returns to Izuna-drop demons in Ninja Gaiden 2 Black (Image credit: Team Ninja)
  • Team Ninja has announced Ninja Gaiden 2 Black and it has shadow-dropped today for Xbox consoles and Xbox Game Pass
  • Ninja Gaiden Black 2 is an HD remaster of Ninja Gaiden 2, the 2nd entry of the 3D Ninja Gaiden games released back in 2008 for the Xbox 360.
  • Ninja Gaiden 2 Black is now available for purchase on Xbox Series X|S and Xbox Game Pass via Console, PC Game Pass, and Xbox Cloud Gaming.

During Xbox's January 2025 Developer Direct, Team Ninja opened the show with two new titles for the Ninja Gaiden franchise. The first of which is a completely new mainline called Ninja Gaiden 4 and the other is Ninja Gaiden 2 Black, which has just shadow-dropped right now onto Xbox consoles and Xbox Game Pass.

NINJA GAIDEN 2 Black Official Launch Trailer | Developer_Direct 2025 - YouTube NINJA GAIDEN 2 Black Official Launch Trailer | Developer_Direct 2025 - YouTube
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Ninja Gaiden 2 Black is an HD Remaster of Ninja Gaiden 2, the 2nd major installment of Ninja Gaiden's 3D action reboot series that was released back in 2008 for the Xbox 360. This game was regarded as one of the finest games in the Ninja Gaiden franchise for its over-the-top violence, brutal difficulty, and fast-paced, in-depth combat system.

Now old-school fans and new modern fans will able to relive this classic title in its definitive form as Ninja Gaiden 2 Black features completely revamped Unreal Engine 5 graphics, "enhanced battle support functions", and all the additional content and playable characters featured in Ninja Gaiden 2 Sigma.

Ninja Gaiden is back with a vengeance!

Promotional screenshot of Ryu Hayabusa killing enemies in Ninja Gaiden 2 Black

Strike from the shadows and slay demons with the force of a raging storm. (Image credit: Team Ninja)

Like Ninja Gaiden's mascot Ryu Hayabusa, Team Ninja has jumped out of nowhere to strike a chord with the videogame industry with several hot new titles. First we had the side-scrolling retro-throwback title Ninja Gaiden Ragebound revealed during the 2024 Game Awards, and now we have Ninja Gaiden 4, the first major 3D title in over a decade since 2012's Ninja Gaiden 3: Razer's Edge, and Ninja Gaiden 2 Black, an unexpected remaster of the best Xbox titles of the Xbox 360-era.

Needless to say, Ninja Gaiden is back, and it's coming to remind the world why this franchise revolutionized 2D and 3D action games.

Ninja Gaiden 2 Black

Ninja Gaiden 2 Black

Relive one of the violent and high-octane adventures of Ninja Gaiden 2 with all its additional content bundled together with remastered graphics in its definitive form: Ninja Gaiden 2 Black.

Buy at: Microsoft Store

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Alexander Cope
Contributor — Gaming

Alexander Cope is a gaming veteran of 30-plus years, primarily covering PC and Xbox games here on Windows Central. Gaming since the 8-bit era, Alexander's expertise revolves around gaming guides and news, with a particular focus on Japanese titles from the likes of Elden Ring to Final Fantasy. Alexander is always on deck to help our readers conquer the industry's most difficult games — when he can pry himself away from Monster Hunter that is! 

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