Video games are an excellent way to learn about history, science, and even other cultures. It’s getting easier and easier to find fascinatinggames with unique visuals, great stories, and moving characters that take their players around the world. The same is true when it comes to Japan. Gaming fans can easily travel to and around Japan thanks to these fun and complex games that let their players explore everything from modern Tokyo to Feudal Japan. Some of thebest game animeoptions even introduce gamers not only to various parts of Japan but also to its gigantic and renowned anime industry.
The allure of exploring Japan and its many facets via the immersive medium of video games can’t be stated enough. Players can get lost in these open worlds as they explore well-known locations, interact with familiar Japanese tropes, and explore both the urban and rural locales of the areas present in Japan through an authentic lens that cuts no corners.
Updated June 12, 2025, by Hamza Haq:Games set in Japan can be roughly divided into three distinct categories. First are the games that use the ‘high school’ setting, which use the heavily romanticized version of teen drama popularized by anime. Second are the ones that lean into historical Japan, involving Samurai, Warlords, and rural areas. And third are the ones that dive into the Yakuza fantasy, gangsters in Tokyo roughing up locals with their own brand of honor and justice. Of course, there are games that fall outside of these three major tropes, but they are few and far between.
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Platforms
Android, Linux, Microsoft Windows, Mac operating systems, Classic Mac OS
Gaming fans who love playing with relaxingvisual novels on Steamwill love the heartwarming world ofOne Night, Hot Springs. This charming game focuses on the world of Japanese onsens.
Players will control a young transgender woman named Haru who simply wants to enjoy the hot springs of Japan. While it’s a simple and relaxing game it also explores important current issues that transgender people have to face on a daily basis. Thanks to its captivating storytelling and charming art style players can embark on a calming yet thought-provoking adventure.
Platform
Android, Microsoft Windows
In The Rural Village of Nagorois one of the mostfun side-scrolling gamesset in Japan that lets players explore Shikoku island’s charming village called Nagoro. It’s a simple and minimalist game that’s also a great choice for beginners and casuals alike.
During their short but relaxing adventure, players will get to engage with the inhabitants of the village and witness the transformation of the once-thriving community. It’s an emotional and meditative experience with educational insights into the beautiful Nagoro village and its evolution over the years.
Nintendo Switch, Microsoft Windows
Senren＊Bankais one of the most family-friendly Japanese sim games that’s a great choice for beginner and more advanced gamers as well. This feel-good sim has a cute design, a fun story, and a wide range of characters.
Even thoughSenren＊Banka’s story is fantasy-inspired, it’s still a great choice for all gamers who are looking for video games about Japan since, during their adventures, players get a chance to learn more about Japanese history, architecture, as well as about Japan’s customs, traditions, and mythology. They can explore a charming rural Japanese village and build relationships with the divine beings who live there as they uncover the mysteries of the village’s past and present.
Action-adventure game, Action role-playing game, Casual game, Beat ‘em up
Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita
Anime fans have a love/hate relationship with fan service, as it is an ever-present reality in almost all anime, whether or not the tone suits it. What would happen if someone created a game based entirely around fan service?Akiba’s Tripis here to answer that very question.
Players control Nanashi, an otaku-turned-vampire-turned-freedom fighter. Freedom from what? Clothes! The goal of the good guys, in so far as there is a goal, is to undress as many residents of Akihabara (modern-day Japan) as possible by literally beating it off of them. It’s funny, it’s chaotic, and mindless fun. It has the same over-the-top, balls-to-the-walls feeling as the Like a Dragon series’ most unhinged moments but with no seriousness in between. Understanding the premise of why we’re doing what we’re doing can take some time to wrap one’s head around, but it’s explained suitably well, all things considered.
Trek to Yomiis another action-filled video game that transports its players back in time and takes them on an epic adventure filled with bloody battles. This cinematic action-adventure game not only has beautiful graphics but a gripping story and chilling soundtrack.
Trek to Yomisteps into the shoes of a young swordsman named Hiroki and embarks on a dangerous journey as the lone samurai fights against demons to protect those he loves the most. It’s a deep dive into feudal Japan, as well as the traditional weapons that samurai warriors used. Casuals can check out usefulbeginner tips forTrek to Yomito get started with the game more easily.
Set in the early Edo period of Japan,Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogunis a top-down stealth strategy game where players take on heavily defended fortresses and encampments using only a couple of fighters of their own. It has clear inspirations from the Commando series, from way back in the day, and shows that even though that style of game has fallen out of mainstream favor, there is still fun to be had if it is made by the right developer.
Yuki the thief excels at being sneaky and using her knife to execute enemies from the shadows. In contrast, Mugen the Samurai can use his sword to devastating effect and take down groups of enemies in a flurry of sword slices that allow for no retaliation. More crew members are unlocked as time goes on, introducing new facets to the strategy as the encounters start scaling up in difficulty. Every level is a puzzle requiring the player to figure out which enemies to take out when and which character to use. It’s an addictively fun brain teaser that fans of these sorts of games can enjoy for dozens upon dozens of hours.
Tokyo Jungleis a fun survival horror game that takes its players to a post-apocalyptic Japan where humans have gone extinct. Tokyo looks like a deserted wasteland populated by only wild animals. The graphics are beautiful in their own way, and a wide variety of animals can be controlled.
To unlock more and more animals, gamers have to complete various fun challenges. It’s a great game with a dystopian feel, exotic animals, as well as household pets who all fight each other to stay alive in the wild. The game can be difficult at times, but thanks to its unique world, it keeps everyone entertained until the very end.
Rise of the Roninis anopen-world samurai action RPGset in the historical setting of mid-19th century Japan. The game has incredibly satisfying combat, with the protagonist having several different weapon types at their disposal, besides just the standard katana. The gameplay is fun and addictive, and the vast map is filled with collectibles, pickups, and knick-knacks of all varieties. The only aspect where this game falls short of expectations is the graphics.
Rise of the Ronindraws natural comparisons toGhost of Tsushima, the de facto king in this category, as both games promise the samurai fantasy. However, the similarities between the two titles are only on the surface level. Ghost of Tsushima takes a somber, realistic approach to storytelling and world design, whereas Rise of the Ronin is a much more lighthearted,Yakuza-esque game.
Judgmentis the spinoff of the popularYakuzaseries, and it quickly became just as beloved by gaming fans.Judgmentis one of the newest video games set in Japan with epic fight scenes, just likeYakuza 8. It’s one of the most cinematic crime games where Tokyo’s darkest alleys can be explored while investigating a twisted crime mystery.
Players will get to test their combat skills as well as their critical thinking skills if they want to survive the brutal underworld of Tokyo and uncover the dark mystery. It’s a more difficult but deeply atmospheric game with an immersive story which makes it perfect not only for avid gamers but beginners and casuals who are looking for a highly entertaining challenge.
NEO: The World Ends with Youis one of the newest action JRPGs set in Japan that’s also one of 2022’s most celebrated games. This colorful and fun game takes its players on a battles-filled and emotional adventure during which they will have to compete in the Reapers' Game.
It’s a beautifully animated game experienced from the point of view of Rindo, who has to learn to use his sudden psychic powers while battling against other players of the Reapers' game in the streets of modern-day Shibuya, Tokyo. It’s a perfect choice for beginners and more experienced gamers who like action games with great storytelling.
