Is Ghost of Tsushima Still Available on the PlayStation Store in 2024?
As a hardcore PlayStation fan who sank over 100 hours into Ghost of Tsushima on my PS5, I was shocked to hear that Sucker Punch‘s samurai epic had been delisted from the PlayStation Store.
The original PS4 version was permanently removed on August 20th, 2021 – mere days before the launch of the new PS5/PS4 Director‘s Cut edition. I‘ll analyze the reasons behind this move by Sony and what it means for fans looking to purchase the game either digitally or physically.
Why Was the Original Delisted? Driving Players Towards the Director‘s Cut
Ghost of Tsushima originally launched on July 17, 2020 as a PS4 console exclusive. At the time, it was hailed as a graphical showcase for the platform and went on to sell over 9.73 million copies globally – making it one of Sony‘s top first-party successes.
However, with the launch of the PS5 in Holiday 2020, developer Sucker Punch went back and created an enhanced Director‘s Cut edition for both PS5 & PS4. This version added a brand new expansion called "Iki Island", new story missions, mini-games, cosmetics, and took full advantage of the PS5 hardware with 4K/60FPS gameplay among other upgrades.
With an enticing new edition to promote, Sony made the calculated decision to remove the original Ghost of Tsushima from the PSN store – likely in order to push players towards purchasing the Director‘s Cut instead.
Director‘s Cut Purchase Options
For those who already owned the base PS4 game, Sony offered:
- $29.99 upgrade to Director‘s Cut on PS5
- $9.99 upgrade to Director‘s Cut on PS4
And for new customers, two complete purchase options:
- $69.99 for Director‘s Cut on PS5
- $59.99 for Director‘s Cut on PS4
This allowed Sony to capture more revenue both from new adopters as well as the existing 9+ million PS4 owners who would be enticed to upgrade at a discount.
Current Digital Purchase Options
Fast forward over 2 years later – where exactly can you purchase Ghost of Tsushima digitally in 2024? Let‘s break it down:
1. Director‘s Cut Edition (PS5/PS4)
The current-gen Director‘s Cut is still readily available on the PlayStation Store for standard pricing:
- $69.99 on PS5
- $59.99 on PS4
This remains both Sony and Sucker Punch‘s preferred edition they are driving all sales towards. And for good reason – on PS5 especially, the Director‘s Cut offers a stellar samurai experience with gorgeous open-world visuals, silky smooth 60FPS gameplay, near instant loading, and excellent haptic feedback support on the DualSense controller.
Plus you gain access to everything the original release had, along with the meaty Iki Island expansion content – easily adding a further 10-15 hours of gameplay and story.
2. PlayStation Plus Extra/Premium
For those on the fence about purchasing, Ghost of Tsushima was recently made available via the PS Plus Extra and Premium subscription tiers at no additional cost. So subscribes can test out the full Director‘s Cut before buying (though it could leave at any time).
3. Physical Disc Copies
While the digital version is gone from PSN, you can still readily find physical copies of Ghost of Tsushima on disc both new and pre-owned at major retailers like Amazon, Best Buy and GameStop.
So purchasing a physical PS4 disc copy remains an option if building a collection or finding deals. Do note this will be the original base version without the Iki Island expansion or any Director‘s Cut upgrades. But still perfectly playable from start to finish!
Ghost of Tsushima Sales Performance
In July 2022, Sony celebrated the milestone that Ghost of Tsushima sold over 9.73 million units globally on PS4/PS5. This makes it:
- One of Sony‘s top 10 best-selling first-party PS4 titles ever
- Among the top 30 best-selling PlayStation games of all time spanning PS1-PS5
- Surpassed only by massive IPs like Uncharted, The Last of Us, God of War, Spiderman, and Horizon.
The infographic below courtesy of gameranx illustrates Tsushima‘s meteoric sales growth if we compare its first two years against other Sony megahits:
Not too shabby Sucker Punch! This commercial success clearly shows why Sony is eager to capitalize on more Ghost of Tsushima purchases – whether first-time buyers or those double-dipping on a next-gen upgrade.
Which brings up the inevitable question…
Will There Be a Ghost of Tsushima 2?
Officially, neither Sony nor developer Sucker Punch have confirmed a Ghost of Tsushima sequel. However, considering the first game‘s critical and commercial success achieving over 10 million lifetime sales, many industry insiders believe a follow-up is likely already in early production.
Longtime PlayStation pundits like Jeff Grubb have corroborated rumors that Sucker Punch is staffing up and actively hiring for their next big project – implied to be Ghost 2.
Specifically job listings for a "narrative designer to help craft stories set in Feudal Japan". Sounds very much like our Ghost of Tsushima universe! Though of course this remains firmly in the speculation camp for now.
Regardless of when an official sequel arrives, it‘s clear Jin Sakai‘s epic tale still clearly resonates with gamers to this day.
And for new fans eager to experience this incredible samurai adventure saga, the Ghost of Tsushima Director‘s Cut remains in-stock and ready to play on both PS5 & PS4!
Over 10 million of us so far can‘t be wrong. If you enjoy open-world action RPG‘s in a lush historical setting with cinematic storytelling and thrilling sword combat, Tsushima is an essential PlayStation exclusive not to be missed!
