6 Must-Play PlayStation Games That Feel Like Studio Ghibli Films
Topics: List, PlayStation, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, TV And Film
Featured Image Credit: Ember Lab, Thunderful, Scavengers Studio
Topics: List, PlayStation, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, TV And Film
Japanese animation powerhouse Studio Ghibli is beloved by many thanks to its whimsical worlds, charming stories, and steadfast dedication to hand drawn 2D animation.
Studio Ghibli has delivered us all-time great hits like Spirited Away, My Neighbour Totoro, Princess Mononoke, and more - many of which were helmed by the famed auteur Hayao Miyazaki.
Plenty of Studio Ghibli fans agree that the studio’s films are ripe for video game adaptations.
Imagine a cosy game, delivering goods as Kiki from Kiki’s Delivery Service, or a straight forward action-adventure take on Princess Mononoke’s man vs nature war.
Advert
While Studio Ghibli has never commissioned a full game based on one of its IPs, it did team-up with game developer Level-5 to animate 2010’s Ni no Kuni: Dominion of the Dark Dijinn and 2011’s Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch.
What there are, though, are plenty of games that have taken clear inspiration from the works of Studio Ghibli, filling the gap left by the absence of the animation studio within the gaming sector.
Here are six of the best examples on PlayStation that should evoke those similar feelings of escapism, wonder, whimsy, and charm.
Planet of Lana is perhaps most comparable to Laputa: Castle In The Sky or Howl’s Moving Castle, offering a strong sense of adventure. Released in 2023 by Wishfully, this puzzle platformer centres around Lana and her magical cat-like companion Mui following the invasion of their planet by hostile alien machines. Players will platform through the game’s side-scrolling world while partaking in puzzles that unlock the path forwards as well as stealth segments.
That was followed by this year’s Planet of Lana II: Children of the Leaf which introduces a new threat, building upon the series’ already excellent formula. In our review, we said the game is “a near-perfect package, offering a moving and captivating adventure infused with solid platforming and smart, varied puzzle design”. With gorgeous Ghibli-esque visuals and achievable runtimes of around five to seven hours, both Planet of Lana and Planet of Lana II are not to be missed.
If you want to team up with a wolf and channel your inner Princess Mononoke, Neva should leave you feeling satisfied. Released in 2024 by Nomada Studio, Neva is yet another puzzle platformer with this one following Alba and her wolf companion Neva. They must traverse through a forest overrun by corruption, slaying gooey beasts that clearly took heavy inspiration from the aforementioned Princess Mononoke.
At the 2024 The Game Awards, Neva walked home with the trophy for ‘Games for Impact’ and has since gone on to launch a DLC in the form of Neva Prologue. It’s a poignant game about companionship and our relationship with nature, and you should be able to complete it in less than five hours. Neva is included on PlayStation Plus’ extra tier as of May 2026.
Every game in this list will pull on your heartstrings, just like all Studio Ghibli films do, but that’s especially true of Spiritfarer from Thunder Lotus Games. This is a management sim that first arrived in 2020 in which players take on the role of the titular spiritfarer who has to ferry the spirits of the deceased to the afterlife via a boat. You’ll play as Stella who also has a companion in the form of cat Daffodill.
The spirits aboard your ship will give you quests as you see to their wishes and ensure their optimum happiness on their way to the afterlife. Thunder Lotus Games has previously revealed that Spirited Away hugely influenced the game and you’ll definitely feel that influence throughout the experience. It’s a slightly longer offering on this list, lasting for 25 hours or so at least.
Kena: Bridge of Spirits is a total must-play action-adventure from Ember Lab, partciuarly as it finally has a sequel on the way. This 2021 release isn’t too dissimilar to Spiritfarer in concept, although Ember Lab opted for a very different style of gameplay. The game revolves around Kena who helps spirits transition to the spirit world. Her work is threatened, though, when corruption plagues the land she calls home.
Using her magical staff and powered by an increasingly growing army of adorable little creatures called the Rot, Kena must defeat corrupted enemies and take on a series of challenging boss fights as she attempts to restore peace. The game lasts for 10 to 12 hours.
Earlier this year, Ember Lab surfaced during a State of Play, confirming the PlayStation 5 and PC exclusive Kena: Scars of Kosmora. With extra funding from Sony, this sequel looks like a major step-up. Kena will travel to the island of Kosmora and learn new alchemy-based powers. The sequel is due to launch this year.
Up next is yet another puzzle platformer, this time in the form of Hoa released by Skrollcat Studio in 2021. The game is set within a charming hand-painted world with players taking control of the titular character Hoa, a fairy who has returned to her childhood home. There’s no combat or high-stakes action. Instead, players are invited to explore the game’s world and interact with its various creatures, mending that which is broken along the way.
The soundtrack of Hoa is top notch, evoking the same feeling as the works of Joe Hisashi who is the mastermind behind all of the Studio Ghibli soundtracks you know and love. It’s a short offering you can complete in two to three hours, so this one won’t harm your backlog.
Season: A Letter To The Future is a tad different to other games on this list, namely because it’s not set within a magical forest. Studio Ghibli has, however, also created plenty of films grounded within the real world that examine the various facets of the human experience. That’s precisely what Season: A Letter To The Future from Scavengers Studio does too.
This adventure game landed in 2023 and sees you step into the shoes of a woman documenting the end of the world, although the game isn’t as grim as it sounds. Estelle recounts all of her various experiences via drawings, recordings, photographs, and writings. Between that, Estelle traverses what’s left of the world via bike, taking in the last of its beauty.
As you can see, it’s yet another sensitive and emotional game, plus it’s one you can finish in five to six hours or so. What’s even handier is that it’s currently included on PlayStation Plus’ extra tier, correct as of May 2026.