The surprise hit of 2020 is back better than ever. The epic samurai video game Ghost of Tsushima is releasing a Director’s Cut featuring a story expansion, new updates, and PS5-specific enhancements, making a return trip to Jin Sakai’s journey from warrior to ghost worthwhile.

Writing on the PlayStation blog, Andrew Goldfarb, Communications Manager of Sucker Punch Productions laid out the updates that players can expect with the Director’s Cut. “We’ve thought a lot about how to expand Jin’s story, and we’ve also spent the last year poring over all of your feedback about how we could improve the experience of playing Ghost of Tsushima,” writes Goldrarb. “We’ve been hard at work on a brand new edition of the game, which not only includes a new chapter in Jin’s journey, but also some new updates that are a direct response to some of the community’s most-requested features.”

Iki Island
The story of Jin Sakai may have been fiction, but the Mongol invasion of Japan was a very real event and Tsushima island was not the only island to be invaded by the Mongol forces. Neighboring Iki island was also invaded at around the same time, and so Sucker Punch has decided that a chapter in Jin’s journey will come and take place on Iki. Jin travels to the island to investigate rumors of a Mongol presence. But soon, “he finds himself caught up in events with deeply personal stakes that will force him to relive some traumatic moments from his past.”

The new location will feature new characters, brand new environments to explore, new armor for Jin and his horse(!), new mini-games, new techniques, new enemy types, and much more. There are even new animals to pet! Iki island is available on both platforms and will also offer new Trophies to unlock.

Iki Island content will be available beginning in Act 2 after you’ve made your way to the Toyotama region.

PS5 exclusive features

For fans gaming on the PS5, there will be new features exclusive to the new system. Because the PS5 can render cinematics in real time, cutscenes in Ghost of Tsushima and on Iki Island on PS5 will now offer lip sync for Japanese voice-over.

Ghost of Tsushima and the multiplayer expansion Ghost of Tsushima: Legends will all take advantage of haptic feedback and adaptive triggers in the Director’s Cut. There will also be enhancements to 3D audio on PS5, as well as drastically improved load times, 4K resolution options and framerates targeting 60 FPS.

Alongside the Director’s Cut, anyone who already owns Ghost of Tsushima will be able to download a patch containing some new updates. This will feature new accessibility options for alternate controller layouts, as well as the option to enable a target lock-on during combat. You can also be able to hide your quiver during gameplay.

Pre-orders and upgrades

Ghost of Tsushima Director’s Cut will launch on August 20 for SGD97.90 / MYR299 / IDR1,029,000 / THB2,290 / PHP3,490 on PS5 and SGD79.90 / MYR249 / IDR879,000 / THB1,990 / PHP2,990 on PS4.

You’ll be able to pre-order digitally at PlayStation Store, or physical versions from various retailers. If you pre-order at participating retailers, you’ll receive a digital mini soundtrack with tracks from the original Ghost of Tsushima as well as two new songs from Iki Island, and a digital art book featuring a selection of art from Ghost of Tsushima as well as 10 new pieces of Iki Island concept art.

Pre-order at PS Store any time before launch and you’ll get access to download the PS4 version of Ghost of Tsushima immediately, so you can start experiencing the main game early and transfer your progress to pick up where you left off when the Director’s Cut launches in August.

If you already own Ghost of Tsushima on PS4:

You can pre-order an upgrade to Director’s Cut on PS4 for SGD26.90 / MYR89 / IDR289,000 / THB690. This upgrade will become available starting on August 20.

Starting on August 20:

If you bought Director’s Cut PS4, you’ll be able to upgrade to Director’s Cut PS5 at any time for SGD18 / MYR50 / IDR150,000 / THB300
You can also upgrade directly (from original Ghost of Tsushima PS4) to Director’s Cut on PS5 for SGD40.90 / MYR129 / IDR439,000 / THB990