Studio Ghibli fans hungry for a proper video game have waited decades. Aside from animating cutscenes for Level-5’s Ni no Kuni series, the legendary Japanese animation house has never built a full title around hits like Spirited Away or Princess Mononoke. Lucky for PlayStation owners, a growing list of indie gems captures that same magic, with recent 2026 releases making the lineup stronger than ever.
Planet of Lana and Its Brand New Sequel Lead the Pack
Planet of Lana feels like it walked straight out of Laputa: Castle in the Sky. Wishfully Studios dropped the original puzzle platformer in 2023, placing players in control of a young girl named Lana and her cat-like companion Mui after hostile alien machines invade their home planet.
The 2026 sequel, Planet of Lana II: Children of the Leaf, builds on that strong foundation with a brand new threat and even sharper puzzle design. Both games can be wrapped up in roughly five to seven hours, which is a huge plus for anyone juggling a packed backlog.
What makes this series feel so Ghibli:
- Hand-painted backdrops that pop with colour
- A sweeping orchestral score with quiet emotional weight
- The tender bond between a child and a magical creature
- Slow, thoughtful storytelling without heavy dialogue
If you loved the bond between Sheeta and Pazu in Castle in the Sky, Lana and Mui will steal your heart in exactly the same way.
Neva Channels Princess Mononoke’s Wild Spirit
If teaming up with a wolf and protecting nature is your thing, Neva should sit at the top of your list. Released in 2024 by Nomada Studio, the puzzle platformer follows a young woman named Alba and her wolf companion Neva as they fight back against a creeping corruption swallowing their forest.
The gooey black beasts that haunt the woodland look like distant cousins of the cursed creatures from Princess Mononoke. Combat is light, the visuals are stunning, and the bond between human and animal sits right at the heart of the story.
Neva walked home with the Games for Impact trophy at The Game Awards 2024 and later expanded with the Neva Prologue DLC. As of May 2026, the game is also included in the PlayStation Plus Extra catalogue, making it an easy pick for subscribers. Expect to finish it in under five hours.
Spiritfarer Tugs at Heartstrings Like Spirited Away
Every game on this list will move you, but Spiritfarer plays in a league of its own. Thunder Lotus Games launched the management sim in 2020, casting players as Stella, a ferrymaster guiding the spirits of the deceased toward the afterlife alongside her cat Daffodil.
The studio has openly spoken about how Spirited Away shaped the project. You can feel it in every quiet moment aboard the boat, from the hand drawn 2D animation to the gentle melancholy that wraps around each character.
Each spirit who joins your ship arrives with personal wishes, quests, and stories that slowly unfold over the journey. Spiritfarer is the longest game on this list at around 25 to 30 hours, but the emotional payoff is worth every single minute.
Kena: Bridge of Spirits Sets Up a Big 2026 Sequel
Kena: Bridge of Spirits from Ember Lab is the most action heavy pick on this list, and a sequel is right around the corner. The 2021 original follows Kena, a young spirit guide who wields a magical staff and commands an army of adorable creatures called the Rot to cleanse her land of corruption.
Boss fights are tough, the world is breathtaking, and the runtime sits at a tight 10 to 12 hours. The Rot themselves feel like distant cousins of the soot sprites from My Neighbour Totoro and Spirited Away.
Earlier this year during a PlayStation State of Play, Ember Lab revealed Kena: Scars of Kosmora. The PS5 and PC exclusive sequel is backed by extra funding from Sony, sending Kena to the new island of Kosmora where she will learn alchemy based powers. The sequel is due to launch later in 2026 and looks like a serious step up in scale.
Hoa and Season Round Out the Cozy Lineup
Two shorter, gentler picks close out the list and prove Ghibli’s influence stretches well beyond fantasy adventures.
Hoa, released by Skrollcat Studio in 2021, is a hand painted puzzle platformer with zero combat. Players guide the tiny fairy Hoa back through her childhood home, fixing what is broken and meeting curious creatures along the way. The soundtrack feels like a love letter to Joe Hisaishi, the composer behind every iconic Studio Ghibli score, and the whole experience wraps up in two to three hours.
Season: A Letter to the Future from Scavengers Studio takes things in a more grounded direction. The 2023 adventure casts you as Estelle, a young woman biking across the countryside to document the world before it ends. She captures memories through drawings, recordings, and photographs in a quiet final act of love. Season is currently available on the PlayStation Plus Extra tier as of May 2026 and takes around five to six hours to finish.
Here is a quick look at all six games side by side:
| Game | Developer | Year | Runtime |
|---|---|---|---|
| Planet of Lana II: Children of the Leaf | Wishfully Studios | 2026 | 5 to 7 hours |
| Neva | Nomada Studio | 2024 | Under 5 hours |
| Spiritfarer | Thunder Lotus Games | 2020 | 25 to 30 hours |
| Kena: Bridge of Spirits | Ember Lab | 2021 | 10 to 12 hours |
| Hoa | Skrollcat Studio | 2021 | 2 to 3 hours |
| Season: A Letter to the Future | Scavengers Studio | 2023 | 5 to 6 hours |
In a year when the Ghibli aesthetic continues to flood social media feeds and cosplay events, these six PlayStation games offer the closest thing to stepping inside one of Miyazaki’s painted worlds. They are tender, magical, sometimes heartbreaking, and a reminder that great animation and great game design share the same beating heart. Which one would you boot up first? Drop your pick in the comments and tag the Studio Ghibli fan in your life who needs to play these right now.
