Onimusha: Way of the Sword Tops Steam Charts After 18-Year Wait

Capcom's action revival Onimusha: Way of the Sword climbed to the number-one spot on Steam's top sellers list on Saturday, following its initial debut at number six the previous day. SteamDB recorded an all-time peak of 74,575 concurrent players on September 6, 2026, marking a major milestone for the publisher's first mainline entry in the supernatural samurai franchise since 2006's Onimusha: Dawn of Dreams.

The game's Friday debut brought in 40,000 active players as it competed against fellow new release The Blood of Dawnwalker, according to SteamDB. Within twenty-four hours, the Edo-period Kyoto adventure overtook both Halloween: The Game and WARDOGS to claim the top sales position.

While the commercial reception has been swift, critical feedback sits at a Metacritic score of 85, with reviews highlighting both intense combat and repetitive pacing. Writing for Polygon, Giovanni Colantoni described the game as "a battle worth surviving," though he criticized its repetitive side missions, noting that it "feels like a great 12-hour game stretched to an exhausting 25-hour one."

ScreenRant's Chris Carter acknowledged these repetitive elements but called the game "a triumph" for hardcore action fans, particularly on higher difficulties. Meanwhile, IGN's Will Borger praised the precision of the swordplay, writing that "the distance between you and Miyamoto Musashi is annihilated" during the game's best duels.

The details

• Active player peak: 74,575 concurrent players on September 6, 2026 (via SteamDB)
• Launch trajectory: Debuted at No. 6 on Friday before rising to No. 1 on Saturday
• Critical standing: Metacritic score of 85 at the time of writing
• Franchise history: The first mainline Onimusha release in 20 years.