by Oliver Apr 11,2025
Originally released as a PlayStation 2 game in 2005, Yakuza (known as Ryu ga Gotoku in Japan) launched a beloved series that chronicles the intricate conflicts and schemes of yakuza families in the fictional Kamurocho district of Tokyo. In 2022, the series was rebranded to Like a Dragon, reflecting the English translation of Ryu ga Gotoku.
The Yakuza series is celebrated for its blend of action-packed sequences, melodramatic storytelling, cinematic presentation, and a unique sense of humor that shines especially in its side quests. While it took time for the franchise to gain widespread recognition outside Japan, its popularity has grown significantly thanks to a consistent stream of localized re-releases, spinoffs, and new titles. The latest addition to the series is the Majima-led spin-off, Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii.
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Since its debut in 2005, Sega and Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio have released nine mainline Yakuza/Like a Dragon games, two remakes – Yakuza Kiwami (2016) and Yakuza Kiwami 2 (2017) – with a third remake on the horizon, and 11 spin-offs. Initially exclusive to PlayStation, the series has expanded to Xbox and PC, with every new title since Yakuza: Like a Dragon being released simultaneously across all platforms except Nintendo Switch. However, Yakuza Kiwami received a Switch port in October 2024, as announced during the Nintendo Direct in August 2024.
In addition to the mainline games, Like a Dragon boasts a diverse range of spinoffs. Kurohyō: Ryu ga Gotoku Shinsho (2010) and its sequel Kurohyō 2: Ryu ga Gotoku Ashura Hen (2012) are exclusive to the PlayStation Portable and introduce Tatsuya Ukyo, a new protagonist. Judgment (2018) and Lost Judgment (2021) feature lawyer-turned-detective Takayuki Yagami, who investigates murders in Kamurocho and has minor connections to the Tojo Clan.
The zombie-themed Yakuza: Dead Souls (2011) brings back familiar characters in a dystopian setting. Yakuza Online (2018) is a free-to-play trading card game on mobile and PC, introducing Ichiban Kasuga, the protagonist of Yakuza: Like a Dragon. Fist of the North Star: Lost Paradise (2018) adapts the popular Japanese series into the Yakuza gameplay style.
Two spinoffs set in historical Japan are Ryu ga Gotoku Kenzan! (2008) and Ryu ga Gotoku Ishin! (2014), the latter released in the West as Like a Dragon: Ishin! in 2023.
Like a Dragon: The Man Who Erased His Name (2023) takes place concurrently with Yakuza: Like a Dragon and follows Kiryu post-Yakuza 6. The most recent spinoff, Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii, features Goro Majima as an amnesiac protagonist in Honolulu, set six months after the events of Infinite Wealth.
For newcomers, we recommend starting with Yakuza 0 for a chronological introduction or Yakuza: Like a Dragon for a fresh start with a new protagonist.
0Newcomers or those whose Yakuza experience started with Yakuza 0 will appreciate the familiar controls, excellent SEGA localization, and a solid entry point into the franchise. See it at Amazon.
Beware: Mild spoilers for the plots, characters, and some major events of each game follow.
The sixth game released but the first chronologically, Yakuza 0 is set during Japan's economic boom in the late 1980s. Players alternate between two protagonists: Kazuma Kiryu, a young member of the Dojima family framed for a murder at the Empty Lot, and Goro Majima, a former Shimano family member working in a cabaret. By the game's end, Kiryu returns to the Dojima family after defeating its lieutenants, Majima spares Makoto (the legitimate owner of the Empty Lot), and the Millennium Tower is built on the destroyed lot.
Available on: PS4, Xbox One, PC | IGN's Yakuza 0 Review
The original Yakuza follows Kazuma Kiryu after his release from prison for a murder he didn't commit. The victim was his boss, Sohei Dojima, killed by Kiryu's best friend, Akira Nishikiyama, to protect Yumi Sawamura from Sohei's attempted rape. Upon release, Kiryu is expelled from the Tojo Clan, a massive sum of money is stolen, and Yumi is missing. Kiryu meets Haruka, whose pendant is key to the lost money, and faces Nishikiyama, who has turned against him. Kiryu briefly becomes the Fourth Chairman of the Tojo Clan but appoints Yukio Terada and leaves to raise Haruka.
Available on: PS4, Xbox One, PC (Yakuza Kiwami), PS2 | IGN's Yakuza Review | Yakuza Kiwami Review
In Yakuza 2, Terada, the Fifth Chairman, asks Kiryu to prevent a war with the Omi Alliance. After an ambush, Terada appears dead, and Kiryu seeks to install Daigo Dojima as the new chairman. Kiryu clashes with Ryuji Goda, the Omi chairman's son, and helps detective Kaoru Sayama uncover her parents' disappearance.
Available on: PS4, Xbox One, PC (Yakuza Kiwami 2), PS3 | IGN's Yakuza 2 Review | Yakuza Kiwami 2 Review
Yakuza 3 sees Kiryu running the Morning Glory Orphanage in Okinawa in 2007. His peaceful life is disrupted by new yakuza conflicts, assassinations, arms smuggling, and even CIA involvement.
Available on: PS4, Xbox One, PC (The Yakuza Remastered Collection), PS3 | IGN's Yakuza 3 Review
Set one year after Yakuza 3, Yakuza 4 expands the narrative with four protagonists. Alongside Kiryu, Shun Akiyama, a loan shark, navigates conflicts between the Tojo Clan and the Ueno Seiwa Clan. Taiga Saejima, Majima's blood brother, escapes prison to find Majima, and detective Masayoshi Tanimura investigates Tojo Clan murders, uncovering connections to past events.
Available on: PS4, Xbox One, PC (The Yakuza Remastered Collection), PS3 | IGN's Yakuza 4 Review
Yakuza 5 is the most ambitious game yet, featuring five protagonists in 2012. Kiryu relocates to Fukuoka and learns of Daigo's disappearance. Saejima escapes prison again, and Haruka pursues her dream of becoming a J-pop idol. Akiyama assists Haruka, and Tatsuo Shinada, a former baseball player, investigates match-fixing.
Available on: PS4, Xbox One, PC (The Yakuza Remastered Collection), PS3 | IGN's Yakuza 5 Review
Yakuza 6: The Song of Life marks the end of Kiryu's main storyline. After three years in prison, Kiryu returns to Kamurocho to find Haruka in a coma and her son, Haruto. Kiryu investigates in Onomichi, Hiroshima, while facing challenges from rival groups.
Available on: PS4, Xbox One, PC | IGN's Yakuza 6: The Song of Life Review
Yakuza: Like a Dragon introduces Ichiban Kasuga and a turn-based combat system. After serving 18 years for a murder he didn't commit, Kasuga learns of the Tojo Clan's defeat by the Omi Alliance. Betrayed by his former patriarch, Masumi Arakawa, Kasuga is shot and left for dead, only to be rescued by Yu Nanba. Together with new allies, Kasuga uncovers the truth behind Arakawa's actions.
Available on: PS5, PS4, Xbox Series S|X, Xbox One, PC | IGN's Yakuza: Like a Dragon Review
Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth brings together Kiryu and Kasuga in a dual-protagonist story set in 2024. After a viral video disrupts their lives, Kasuga discovers his mother is alive in Honolulu. Kiryu, also in Hawaii, reveals his cancer diagnosis. The duo navigates a complex plot involving international mob groups, a religious cult, and more.
Available on: PS5, PS4, Xbox Series S/X, Xbox One, PC | IGN's Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth Review
Mainline Yakuza games are marked in bold with an asterisk.
The Like a Dragon story continues to evolve. Despite Infinite Wealth closing its own narrative loop, it left a cliffhanger that hints at future installments. While RGG Studio has announced projects like the revival of Virtua Fighter and a new open-world game called "Project Century," details about the next Like a Dragon game remain undisclosed.
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