Nioh 3: Hell Rising is a masterful microcosm of everything that made the base game great

I reviewed Nioh 3 back in January of this year, and it quickly cemented itself as one of the best soulslike games in my eyes.

Changes it made to the series' formula, including a clear distinction between Samurai and Ninja styles, as well as a shift to vast explorable open maps, really helped it to stand out from the pack.

Review info Platform reviewed: PC Available on: PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC Release date: August 19, 2026 Now the game's first of two major expansions, Hell Rising, has arrived.

It's not as expansive as Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree or Lies of P: Overture (it took me around 8-10 hours to complete all main missions and a handful of side quests), but it is more Nioh 3 in the best way possible.

Long story short, if you enjoyed Nioh 3 and played it all the way to completion, you'll find a lot more to love about Hell Rising.

You can expect all-new enemy types, challenging boss encounters, a new weapon archetype, as well as a sprinkling of added skills, ninjutsu, and onmyo magic.

You will need to be caught up in order to properly access the DLC, though.

Hell Rising requires you to have beaten the base game, and you'll want to be rocking a competent endgame build to face its higher difficulty and level recommendations.

Enemies hit harder than ever, and bosses are among the toughest in Nioh 3 as a whole.

So be sure to kit yourself in Divine tier gear (ideally with your preferred set bonuses) before jumping in.

Beyond the grave (Image credit: Koei Tecmo) Nioh 3: Hell Rising takes place in 1651 during Japan's short-lived Keian era.

After being appointed Shogun at the end of the base game, protagonist Takechiyo learns of a resurgence of the Crucible and the demonic forces brought on by it.

So, they travel to the Keian era with their spirit allies in order to quell the threat for good.

It's a simple setup, but I enjoyed Hell Rising's narrative.