Play Order (Release = Chronological)Recommended
0 / 8 playedEvery major Tenchu entry in release order. Start with Wrath of Heaven, then try the 1998 original.
Acquire originals
- 1 Tenchu: Stealth Assassins PS1 stealth pioneer; Acquire developed.
- 2 Tenchu 2: Birth of the Stealth Assassins Prequel story; play second for the mechanics curve.
Wrath of Heaven arc
- 3 Tenchu: Wrath of Heaven Three heroes; Xbox port titled Return from Darkness (2004). Start here.
- 4 Tenchu: Fatal Shadows Japan 2004 as Tenchu Kurenai, West 2005; stars Rin and Ayame.
Later entries
- 5 Tenchu: Time of the Assassins PSP mission pack built on the Wrath of Heaven engine.
- 6 Tenchu: Dark Secret Nintendo DS spinoff.
- 7 Tenchu Z Xbox 360 mission based entry with created characters.
- 8 Tenchu: Shadow Assassins Wii 2008, PSP 2009; latest release in the series.
About Tenchu
Tenchu is a stealth action series about ninja Rikimaru and Ayame serving Lord Gohda in 16th century Japan. Release order is the recommended play order. Newcomers should start with Tenchu: Wrath of Heaven, the most accessible classic, or the 1998 original for history.
The list runs from Stealth Assassins (1998) to Shadow Assassins (2008). Tenchu 2 is a prequel, but playing it second preserves the mechanics curve. The series has been dormant since 2009, with the rights held by FromSoftware.
Good to know
FromSoftware bought the series rights from Activision in 2004, excluding the first two games. Fatal Shadows launched in Japan in 2004 as Tenchu Kurenai and in the West in 2005. Shadow Assassins launched on Wii in 2008 with a PSP port in 2009. Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice began as a Tenchu concept before becoming its own IP. The Xbox Live puzzle spinoff Shadow Assault (2008) is excluded. No new Tenchu title had been announced as of September 2026.
