Bandai Namco has already announced a new Naruto Card Game for 2027, with players getting a first hands-on look at Gen Con 2026. On top of that, TV Tokyo has reportedly talked about new Naruto projects planned around the franchise’s 25th anniversary, including video and game-related projects.
So naturally, of course, one question starts to appear again: could this finally be the moment for a true Naruto Ultimate Ninja Storm 5?
It would make sense, to say the least. The Ultimate Ninja Storm series is still one of the most successful anime game franchises ever made. The series has sold over 30 million units worldwide, proving that Naruto games are not just nostalgia products. They are still commercially powerful when handled properly.
The biggest example is Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 4. For many of us, this game remains the peak of the series. It had cinematic boss fights, a huge roster, emotional story moments, and the kind of anime spectacle that CyberConnect2 has always been great at delivering. Years later, Storm 4 is still the Naruto game people point to when they talk about what the franchise can be at its best.
Image source: Bandai Namco/CyberConnect2
That is also why Naruto x Boruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm Connections felt disappointing to many players. It was not a disaster, but it did not feel like the next major evolution fans were waiting for. The roster was big, the visuals were still flashy, and the game had value for newcomers, but many longtime fans felt it lacked the ambition of a proper new numbered entry. The series regressed with this entry. Instead of feeling like Storm 5, it felt more like a celebration package with some new content attached, and player sentiment is pretty clear: fans still love Naruto, but they do not want another half-step or cash grab.
Now, the question that rises is what Storm 5 would actually be about.
A likely possibility is a game that fully embraces both Naruto and Boruto. The old Naruto story has already been adapted many times, so another simple retelling will just not be enough. A new game could start after the Fourth Great Ninja War, cover the transition into Naruto’s Hokage era, and then move into the Boruto generation with better pacing and more care than previous attempts, going as far as where the manga currently is.
Another thing that they could go for is capitalising on anime remakes that are becoming popular. Hence, a Naruto game that feels like the definitive playable version of the story might work if it is presented not as a mere retelling, but as a modern game that returns to the roots, with everything rebuilt from the ground up. Team 7, the Chunin Exams, the Akatsuki, Pain, Madara, Obito, the war, everything. Boss fights that feel huge again, better transitions and transformations, team attacks, cool awakenings for every character, and cinematic moments that feel and look like actual upgrades, not just familiar mechanics returning again. And hopefully, more meaningful story presentation, which would make for a much larger campaign. A welcome change, since for Storm 4, it only takes 9 hours to complete.
Image source: Bandai Namco/CyberConnect2
And this final theory would immediately excite every Naruto fan: adding the possibility of Storm 5 moving closer to an open-world structure, similar to what Naruto: Rise of a Ninja and Naruto: The Broken Bond tried to do decades ago. Those games allowed players to explore Konoha, run across rooftops, train, take missions, and feel like they were actually living inside Naruto’s world, not just moving from fight to fight or from story bit to story bit. A modern Storm 5 could take that idea much further, with open zones based on the Hidden Leaf, the Sand Village, the Valley of the End, the Akatsuki hideouts, and even Boruto-era locations. It would not need to become a full RPG, but giving players more freedom between battles could make the game feel like a true evolution instead of just another arena fighter that we’ve seen many times before.
With the reported 2027 anniversary projects, Naruto games will not be left behind. Personally, I think it’s just a matter of time before we see Storm 5, especially after Storm 4 was the best seller in the series, with 12 million copies sold. Will it be as ambitious as we hope? I have doubts, but I am certainly looking forward to a Naruto comeback in the gaming space.
The franchise has the audience, the history, the characters, and the emotional weight. We just want an amazing Naruto game.