Ghost of Tsushima release date confirmed by thrilling new story trailer

After years of waiting, the release date for Sucker Punch and Sony Interactive Entertainment's Ghost of Tsushima has finally been revealed, and it's coming much sooner than previously expected.

In the game's first showing since its appearance at the Game Awards in December, Sony revealed Ghost of Tsushima's release date of June 26, 2020 along with a trailer that focuses on the game's epic story. If you thought that Ghost of Tsushima looked too good to come out before the PS5 was available, you have been proven wrong. Regardless, it is still one of the best-looking PS4 games ever, something that is highlighted in the latest trailer for the game.

Dubbed "Story Trailer," this new video shows only a bit of gameplay and instead focuses mostly on more story-focused cinematics. The protagonist is Jin Sakai, the sole survivor of a battle at Tsushima. As such, he acquires a kind of miraculous reputation as something more than a mere samurai. "You are more than a samurai," someone says. "He is a vengeful spirit back from the grave to slaughter the Mongols."

The game will see players fighting back against the invading Mongols in order to avenge their fallen comrades, though the trailer establishes that in forsaking his honor to focus on revenge, Jin may lose his humanity along the way.

All of this makes for a gripping premise that'll rival the likes of The Last Samurai and Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice in its quality. While we haven't had a lengthy gameplay video for Ghost of Tsushima since E3 2018, this trailer does sprinkle in some in-game footage highlighting the visceral combat, stealth, and horseback riding. It's one of the best gaming trailers of 2020 so far and this might become one of the year's biggest releases this summer when it comes out.

Following this release date announcement, Sony and Sucker Punch made the game available for pre-order and confirmed on the PlayStation Blog that multiple versions of it can be purchased. The $69.99 digital deluxe edition will include a dynamic theme, director's commentary that can play over the game, a digital mini-art book, and the "Hero of Tsushima" skin set, one skill point, and the Charm of Hachiman's Favor in-game.

A physical Special Edition will be available for the same price and will include all of the Digital Deluxe Edition's bonuses in addition to a nice steelbook. For those that are down to drop a lot of money on the game, the $169.99 Ghost of Tsushima Collector's Edition is your best option: It comes with everything from the special edition plus a replica Sakai mask, a war banner, a wrapping cloth, a world map, and a physical art book. No matter what version of Ghost of Tsushima you get, there's a lot of cool bonuses to be had.

The Inverse Analysis

Once The Last of Us Part II was delayed to May 28, it seemed possible that Ghost of Tsushima could have faced comparable delays. It was originally slated for "summer 2020" but could have been pushed to August or September. Fortunately, that's not the case here. Now fall 2020 is wide open for Sony's next-generation console, the PlayStation 5. It will be great to see what will be in Sony's fall 2020 lineup, whether it be Ratchet & Clank or something that we aren't even considering right now. Maybe Ghost of Tsushima will be available via some kind of Smart Delivery option for PS5? We can only hope.

Ghost of Tsushima will be released for PS4 on June 26, 2020.