An official Ghost of Tsushima PC port seems more a case of when than if. However, with the highly anticipated Director’s Cut (and PS5 upgrade) approaching, it may be a longer wait than initially anticipated.
A Ghost of Tsushima PC port makes perfect sense. The acclaimed action adventure from Sucker Punch Productions took the world by storm when it was released as a PS4 exclusive halfway through 2020. But the fact that you needed a PS4 console to play it meant that many interested gamers missed out.
Time has passed, but if hype for the upcoming Ghost of Tsushima Director’s Cut is anything to go by, many players still desire to explore the gorgeously rendered world of 13th century feudal Japan. This expanded version of the game has led many to argue that the time is right for Sony to embrace an official Ghost of Tsushima PC port.
There are some strong indicators that this rumoured Ghost of Tsushima PC port will happen, but the timing of the release is still very much up in the air. Sony may well be hoping that this new version of the game results in a spike in PlayStation console sales.
With that said, let’s explore some of the most applicable speculation and explain why we’re pretty sure that a Ghost of Tsushima PC release is justifiably expected by many in the industry.
New box art leads to Ghost of Tsushima PC port speculation
Eagle-eyed fans have noticed that the newest version of the game’s box art, seen on Sony’s official PlayStation Direct store, no longer includes the phrase ‘only on PlayStation’. This alteration has led some to believe that the old box’s statement will soon be incorrect because, you guessed it, a PC version will soon be announced.
The exact same thing happened before PC versions of Horizon Zero Dawn and Days Gone were announced. So while hardly official, this development does suggest a Ghost of Tsushima PC port could well be in the works.
Sony’s new philosophy on first-party exclusives
Over the last year, Sony’s position regarding console exclusives has softened. In a bygone era the Japanese tech giant were more than happy to dig their heels in and make sure that no other platform would have access to the fruits of their labour.
It appears that they have reconsidered this philosophy though – with a strategic eye on maximising profits and winning over new fans. This new line of thinking is more in sync with that of Xbox, who have decided that PC gamers, rather than being the enemy, are an untapped market.
https://twitter.com/ImJasonSaint/status/1407403299939176452?s=20
By embracing timed console exclusives (over absolute ones), Sony has given gamers who otherwise wouldn’t have experienced their titles a seductive taste. From there they hope they can persuade them to purchase one of their consoles in the future – with the obvious benefit being they can play these premium titles when they are first released.
This strategy was on full display as Sony navigated the release of Horizon Zero Dawn on PC – which has regularly been held up as proof and validation for hype surrounding the rumoured Ghost of Tsushima PC port.
It's confirmed! Horizon Zero Dawn Complete Edition is coming to PC 🏹
We're excited that more players will be able to meet Aloy and explore the world of Horizon Zero Dawn this summer! https://t.co/Q1BknmCsQT
— Guerrilla (@Guerrilla) March 10, 2020
Lending even more credence to the argument that this is Sony’s new de facto position on first-party ports, a God of War (2018) PC port has been announced for January 2022.
Embark on Kratos’ deeply personal quest into the brutal Norse realms when God of War (2018) comes to PC on January 14, 2022. Details: https://t.co/WCCbnZa3L9 pic.twitter.com/HEPfQ1ello
— PlayStation (@PlayStation) October 20, 2021
When can we expect a Ghost of Tsushima PC port?
This is where things get tricky. There is currently no Ghost of Tsushima PC release date. The internet can whip itself into a frenzy with very little actual information, and separating reasonable speculation from purely fabricated bullshit can be challenging.
While researching this article I came across pages that literally claimed you could play Ghost of Tsushima on PC right now through the PlayStation Now app. Public service announcement: you can’t and you never could, because the game was never on that service.
The only thing we have to go on here is Sony’s past behaviour regarding their console exclusives, and the assumption that it will be indicative of future behaviour. That and a 2020 Sony corporate report that read: “We will explore expanding our 1st party titles to the PC platform in order to promote further growth in our profitability.”
With all that in mind, I believe that mid-2022 is the earliest we can realistically expect a Ghost of Tsushima PC port. It took Horizon Zero Dawn over three years to make its way onto PC, and Days Gone just over two.
Basically the longer a game continues to sell well, the longer it appears to take Sony to approve a port.
A mid-2022 release would mean that Ghost of Tsushima will have been a PlayStation exclusive for over two years, with the Director’s Cut being given roughly a year to do its own thing in the market. A Ghost of Tsushima PC release date in that ballpark would strike a nice balance between encouraging customers to purchase consoles and not allowing the game to lose its hype.
Whether my reckoning is more closely related with reason or bullshit though, we’ll have to wait and see. Nonetheless, we’ll be keeping this page updated with any new developments, so feel free to check back in.
Update: Unfortunately, it appears that our initial forecast of a Ghost of Tsushima PC port arriving midway through 2022 was overly optimistic. There has yet to be an official announcement, but a late 2022 or early 2023 release date now seems most likely.
Ghost of Tsushima 2 leak
Rather excitingly, it appears Sucker Punch Productions have started work on Ghost of Tsushima 2. The leak comes in the form of a job posting, on the developer’s official website. The position in question requires a designer who can “deliver interesting and varied encounters in an open world game, with a particular focus on melee combat and stealth“.
Sound familiar? Exactly. It should come as no surprise that Sucker Punch Productions are working on a sequel to what ended up being a highly successful project. This news suggests we might receive an announcement on a Ghost of Tsushima PC port soon; Sony have demonstrated before they like to bring the original game of a series to PC before the sequel releases.
Ghost of Tsushima 2 has seemingly been leaked by a Sucker Punch job listing!https://t.co/hEHvX8lhIE pic.twitter.com/CzME0Jsjwk
— ComicBook.com (@ComicBook) June 21, 2022
Ghost of Tsushima on Steam?
Will you be able to purchase and play Ghost of Tsushima on Steam? Almost certainly. Sony’s recent game plan for releasing their AAA games on PC essentially revolves around Steam. It is their preferred partner for distributing their PC games digitally, and we see no reason why that would change for a Ghost of Tsushima PC port. That said, Ghost of Tsushima isn’t on Steam currently.
Ghost of Tsushima Xbox edition?
Alright, so people have been asking if we are ever going to see a Ghost of Tsushima Xbox port. And while Sony may have seemingly softened their approach to PC ports, I don’t think there much chance of this happening.
Honestly, there’s about as much chance of us seeing Game Pass on PS5 as there is of a Ghost of Tsushima Xbox edition. It’s just not going to happen.
Update (September 17): Nvidia GeForce Now leak
A leaked list of games that are not yet supported on Nvidia’s GeForce Now streaming service has sent the internet into a bit of a spin; partially because it suggests a Ghost of Tsushima PC port is coming. The underlying logic is that a game that’s listed as currently unsupported on a PC platform must eventually be coming to PC. It’s not an unreasonable position, but there have already been denials regarding a number of the titles on the list.
Nvidia have also responded to the leak, calling the list “speculative“.
Ghost of Tsushima Director’s Cut is out August 20 on PS4 and PS5.
