Video games based around Naruto have existed almost as long as the series itself, with around half a dozen notable game series, ten other titles, and various related releases to show for it. What exactly does the timeline of Naruto video games look like, and when should fans expect the next one?
The first Naruto-inspired video games started releasing around the early 2000s, which corresponds to when the Naruto anime first aired in 2002. The very first game inspired by Naruto, Naruto: Konoha Ninpōchō, was released in early 2003. As was the case with many early Naruto games, it was exclusive to Japan. As the series gained worldwide popularity over the years, more games started to see global releases.
Naruto video games are still coming out even now, over 20 years since the series' run first began, in the form of both AAA titles and mobile games. Two of the most recent Naruto video games, Naruto X Boruto Ninja Tribes and the MMORPG Naruto: Slugfest, were released back to back in late 2019 and early 2020. Since then, however, there's been little news regarding any upcoming Naruto releases. What could the future of the series look like in the gaming world?
What The Next Naruto Game Could Look Like
Although Naruto: Slugfest took the franchise to an open-world setting, the MMORPG was released for mobile phones, meaning that Naruto hasn't seen an AAA open-world game for current-gen consoles at all. The next Naruto release could take advantage of this similar to what the upcoming Harry Potter-inspired game Hogwarts Legacy is doing, allowing players to create their own character and interact with iconic settings and even characters from the Naruto franchise in the form of an open-world RPG. Another genre that Naruto games could dive into once again could be a fighting game, similar to the formula used in Nintendo's Super Smash Bros. series. Fighting games have been popular for the Naruto series in the past, and it wouldn't be surprising to see another one get an announcement in the near future.
The upcoming release of a similar brawling game, Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl, seems to indicate that Nintendo no longer holds a perceived monopoly over the formula. Although Naruto characters have appeared in other fighting games before, such as the crossover title Jump Force, it's been quite some time since a Naruto-exclusive fighting game came out. If the genre is indeed being revitalized, it could be the perfect opportunity to take advantage of the opportunity. Many of 2021's large gaming conferences, such as E3, passed without any big news of an upcoming Naruto title, though, meaning that for the moment the future of the franchise's video game pursuits is uncertain, and it remains to be seen when the next Naruto video game will come out or what it will look like.