Summary
Fans of the long-runningDynasty Warriorshack-and-slash action series will want to keep their gaming calendars open for May 21, 2025, whenDynasty Warriors: Originsis set to make its debut. The 10th mainline installment in the series,Dynasty Warriors: Originswill pit players against massive armies of soldiers led by formidable officers.
The firstDynasty Warriorsgame launched in 1997 on the original PlayStation console, but unlike all the games in the series that followed, it was a one-on-one fighting game. Since the second installment in 2000, the series has consistently followed the format ofhack-and-slash games, as players select their champion from one of three major warring ancient Chinese nations and build up combos while mowing through seas of enemy soldiers in an effort to control the battlefield.
Revealed during the recent PlayStation State of Play, a new trailer reveals thatDynasty Warriors: Originswill be coming on January 17 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC via Steam. Unlike previous games in the series,Dynasty Warriors: Originswill feature a nameless protagonist, who the trailer identifies as the “guardian of peace,” and it shows him both slicing through enemies and witnessing the plight of the common people, showing more depth of story than the series' games are typically known for. The game will serve as a prequel to the events of the Three Kingdoms Era in which all otherDynasty Warriorsgames have been set, and some younger-looking versions of familiar faces pop up throughout the trailer as well, including Liu Bei and Cao Cao, rulers of the Shu and Wei nations, as well as the legendary warrior Lu Bu.
Dynasty Warriors: Origins Launches on June 18, 2025
While there hasn’t been a new mainlineDynasty Warriorsgame since 2018’sDynasty Warriors 9, Koei Tecmo’s formula has been put to use in several other games throughout the years. TheSamurai Warriorsseries launched in 2004, applying the same formula to Japan’s Sengoku Period, with its most recent game launching in 2021. TheWarriors Orochicrossover seriespits characters from both therSamurai WarriorsandDynasty Warriorsfranchises against interdimensional demons, and theWarriorsgameplay style has also been applied to games likeThe Legend of ZeldaandFire Emblem: Three Houses.
Even for those who have never picked up aDynasty Warriorsgame before, some of the characters shown off in the recent trailer may look familiar. That’s because they were based on real Chinese warlords, as depicted in Luo Guanzhong’s 14th-century novelRomance of the Three Kingdoms. That novel also served as the basis for a strategy game series, also published by Koei Tecmo, as well as2023 SoulslikeWo Long: Fallen Dynasty.
Dynasty Warriors: Origins
WHERE TO PLAY
Fueled by exhilarating 1 vs. 1,000 action and the rush of massive armies, DYNASTY WARRIORS: ORIGINS delivers an unrivaled sense of realism to the battlefield! A nameless hero conquers the turbulent and chaotic Three Kingdoms alongside legendary figures in the latest entry of the DYNASTY WARRIORS series.The most exhilarating action in the series’ history: Tension-filled battlefields where you are challenged by a massive, endless army as far as the eye can see. How will you face the onslaught of enemies? In addition to your own military prowess, you may fight in tandem with your allies’ armies in tactical battles unique to the DYNASTY WARRIORS franchise and experience the most exhilarating action in series’ history.A new Three Kingdoms from the perspective of an original protagonistThe Three Kingdoms story is set in the vast Chinese continent, where beliefs of heroes intersect. See how this magnificent and alluring world is newly depicted through the eyes of the original protagonist, a “nameless hero”.
