The series was revived after several years with the 2004 release of Ninja Gaiden for the Xbox. The title was developed over five years by Team Ninja under the direction of Tomonobu Itagaki and eventually released to high sales and universal acclaim, having a 94% score on Metacritic. The magazine Electronic Gaming Monthly awarded it Best Xbox game of the year.
An updated version with new content, modes and features came out the following year under the name Ninja Gaiden Black. Later, another updated version directed by Yosuke Hayashi was made for the PlayStation 3 as Ninja Gaiden Sigma, released on July 3, 2007. This version has its graphics reworked to high definition standards, and Rachel as a playable character. In 2012, a further updated version of Sigma was a launch title for the PlayStation Vita, titled Ninja Gaiden Sigma Plus. It added a few new costumes for the playable characters, touch controls and making ninpo attacks stronger, and a new trophy list for the game.