01//Briefing
You are a cyborg ninja brought back to life in the last city of humanity, a huge tower ruled by a cruel Keymaster. A voice in your head guides you up the tower. The story is functional and mostly serves as a reason to keep climbing.
02//In the field
This is the star. You wall-run, grapple, dash through bullets and cut enemies apart with a katana. One hit kills you, but a restart takes less than a second, so you learn each arena like a speedrunner. The flow, when it clicks, is unmatched. A few late sections lean heavily on trial-and-error.
03//The city
Dharma Tower is vertical, neon-lit and industrial, with good contrast between grimy maintenance zones and luxury floors. You rarely stop to look, but when you do, it is a striking world.
04//Systems & choice
A puzzle-like upgrade grid lets you slot abilities in limited space. There are a few special abilities like a shuriken and a force push. No branching story: this is a linear action game.
05//On your rig
Looks great and runs well on mid-range hardware; ray tracing and upscaling are supported. Rated Playable on Steam Deck, where it runs at reduced settings and plays well with the controller, though mouse aiming is precise.
Upgrades
- Exhilarating movement and combat
- Instant restarts keep frustration low
- Strong level variety
- Excellent soundtrack
Bugs
- Story is forgettable
- Some late levels rely on trial-and-error
BEST FOR
Players who love speed, precision and mastering a level.
SKIP IF
You dislike dying constantly, even with instant restarts.
SC//Scores
- Story & writing ×25%
- 3.2
- Play feel ×25%
- 4.9
- World & atmosphere ×20%
- 4.0
- Systems & choice ×15%
- 3.4
- PC tech ×15%
- 4.4
3.2×25% + 4.9×25% + 4.0×20% + 3.4×15% + 4.4×15% = 3.995 → 4.0
FINAL VERDICT
Ghostrunner is pure flow: running, cutting and dying fast, then doing it better. The story barely registers, but few first-person games feel this good in your hands.
Written by the Game Top Guide editorial desk · Updated 3 Oct 2026 · How we rate · Report an error
