Skip to main content

Tokyo Jungle finally gets an American release date

Image used with permission by copyright holder

Come September 25, PlayStation 3 owners with access to the PlayStation Network Store will have a chance to experience the rigors of Darwinian evolution firsthand. According to a post published this morning on Sony’s official PlayStation.blog, that’s the day that the previously Japan-exclusive Tokyo Jungle hits the service for the very affordable price of $15.

Recommended Videos

Why are we so excited about a downloadable game that none of us have any real exposure to, outside of various Japanese screenshots and official trailers? To put it simply, the game has an awesome premise. To wit:

Tokyo Jungle puts you in the shoes (paws?) of over 50 playable animals ranging from Pomeranians to Lions. Playing your animal of choice, unleash your inner beast to hunt your way to the top of Tokyo’s post-apocalyptic food chain.

There are two game modes: in Story Mode, you’ll play as a range of different animals whose lives are intertwined as they struggle to survive in the Tokyo wilderness, while unraveling the mystery of mankind’s disappearance. In Survival Mode, you will hunt, occupy territories, and produce offspring to secure future generations and resist extinction. As you progress, you’ll also obtain survival points to unlock playable animals and purchase costumes to increase your abilities.

Though that sounds like a pretty cutthroat situation, the game also seemingly abounds with that special brand of weirdness exclusive to Japanese game developers. Yeah, the trailer embedded below — Sony’s official Tokyo Jungle trailer from the recent Gamescom conference — seems epic and majestic, that all screeches to a halt the moment the Pomeranian shows up. Sure, one of the tiny pooches does manage to kill a rabbit, but it’s not exactly like these dogs are a match for the elephants and tigers we saw earlier in the clip. 

While we are a bit concerned as to how exactly how well this thing plays, that premise alone is enough to earn our $15. Granted, Tokyo Jungle could turn out to be a quirky, yet terrible game, but in our wildest dreams the thing plays like a Final Fight-style beat ’em up set in an open world with a story that reads like a cross between The Lion King, Watership Down and The Plague Dogs. Cute animals are neat, but the game’s post-apocalyptic urban setting is so perfect for something dark that it would seem like a missed opportunity if the entirety of Tokyo Jungle is cutesy fluff. Unfortunately we won’t know anything concrete one way or another until the end of September, but we’ll fill you in as soon as we have more information.

Earnest Cavalli
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Earnest Cavalli has been writing about games, tech and digital culture since 2005 for outlets including Wired, Joystiq…
Sony raises PS5 prices in a surprise selection of countries
A PS5 Pro sits on a table with a DualSense.

While most stories about price increases in the past few weeks have been US-based, yesterday's PlayStation 5 price hike announcement from Sony only applies to the UK, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and other select markets in the Middle East and Africa.

Citing "a challenging economic environment," Sony has upped the RRP of the digital edition PS5 in Europe and the UK and increased the RRP for both the standard and digital editions in Australia and New Zealand.

Read more
All PlayStation consoles, ranked
best ps1 games sony ps1

The origins of PlayStation are a direct result of a deal gone bad with Nintendo. To make a long story short, Sony was planning on making a disc-based Nintendo console, but Nintendo backed out of the deal at the last minute and partnered with Phillips. After that betrayal, Sony launched the PS1, and the rest is history. We're now enjoying the best PS5 games, with new and old PlayStation franchises keeping the console popular. But which of Sony's consoles had the greatest impact on the gaming industry? We need to take more into consideration besides great games when ranking a console, and the result is by no means scientific. Based on the cultural impact, reception, and nostalgia, these are all the PlayStation consoles ranked from worst to best.

7. PSP

Read more
Palworld is finally getting one of its most requested features this month
A palworld person sitting at a campfire in Palworld.

You'll finally be able to play Palworld with friends on other platforms later this month. Developer Pocket Pair announced the news on social media earlier today, along with a surprise discount for PlayStation 5 and Steam players — 25% off for a short time. Pocket Pair also hinted at "some little surprises" in the update, though the team didn't give any clue as to what those might be.

Crossplay is easily one of the most requested features in Palworld since its release in early access in 2024. Fans of the game could only play with others on the same platform as themselves, but now anyone — including players on macOS — can join up to build massive bases, fight off the Syndicate, and take down that pesky Menasting.

Read more