We open the range of Yakuza experiences to order all deliveries, both launching and chronologically. Know what you should play first.
The Yakuza saga is of rigorous fashion. Thanks to SEGA's effort to bring us the full spectrum of the numbered branch, this February 11th we will receive The Yakuza Collection Remastered, a compilation that will allow the entire adventure of the Dojima Dragon to be played for the first time in the West, starting at Finally, on a single platform: PS4.
Having done a complete review of all the games, from lower to higher quality, today we want to look at a different format. Newcomers to Kamurocho may find it difficult to find the best gateway, especially with the amount of spin-offs existing, both in our market and exclusive to Asia. Therefore, we leave you the best formats in which you can embark on the franchise.
The life of Kazuma Kiryu
The saga debuted in 2005 as a new intellectual property with a classic arcade flavor. That mixture of direct combat, Japanese culture and the freedom that Kamurocho provided made his popularity gradually rise like foam. It would soon appear its continuation; Twelve months later we would receive Yakuza 2. The pace of productions was so high that every year a new delivery arrived.
Of course, only in Asia. On our borders the calendar was different. Yakuza arrived in 2006, while the sequel lasted two years, until 2008. With its debut on PlayStation 3, the franchise was initially maintained with a one-year lag between its launch in Japan and here. Yakuza 3 (2009, 2010) and Yakuza 4 (2010, 2011) were the two public surveys of Sony's console. It was not until Yakuza 5 when the rhythm broke. While its original release occurred in 2012, in the West we could not acquire it until 2015 (only in digital format).
The thing would change from the arrival of Yakuza 0, its prequel. Although it was published in 2015, we received it in 2017, only in its PS4 version. Kiryu's life in the eighties was the key step for Yakuza Kiwami (2016 in Japan) to arrive in that same year. In 2018 they would see the light Yakuza 6: The Song of Life (2016 in Japan) and Yakuza Kiwami 2 (2017 in Japan). The new stage of Ichiban Kasuga, Yakuza: Like a Dragon, is now available in Japanese territory; In the West, the only thing we know is that it will arrive at some point in this 2020. A new starting point for those who want to start from “another zero point”.
Spin offs, alternative experiences
If the Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio is characterized by something, it is because of the number of complementary proposals it has developed among the main deliveries. From a playable reinterpretation of The Fist of the North Star (2018) to placing Kiryu-san in the middle of feudal Japan. Ryu Ga Gotoku: Kenzan! (2008) and Ryu Ga Gotoku: Ishin! (2014) are exclusive right now of the rising sun empire.
Just as exclusive as the two PSP titles, Kurohyō: Ryū ga Gotoku Shinshō (2010) and Kurohyō 2: Ryū ga Gotoku Ashura-hen (2012), developments in collaboration with Syn Sophia. We cannot forget Yakuza: Dead Souls, when the walking dead shook the foundations of Kamurocho. Its launch was located here after Yakuza 4, that is, in 2012 (2011 in Japan).
Leaving aside its online version, the last of the spin offs is the recent Judgment in 2019. Recall that it is the first game of the study to have localization of texts to Spanish after the work done with the original work.
In chronological order
Do you want to live the legacy of the Dragon of Dojima from start to finish? Below you can see the list of deliveries that you have to play in chronological order. We discard exclusive launches in Japan, as well as spin offs. This way you can enjoy the purest Yakuza experience. The first date will be its original publication in Japan, while the second corresponds to its arrival in the West. Naturally, we will also ignore those titles that have a remaster or remake. The idea is that you can play them on a current platform.
Yakuza 0 – (2015, 2017) – PS3, PS4, PC, Xbox One
Yakuza Kiwami – (2016, 2017) – PS3, PS4, PC, Xbox One
Yakuza Kiwami 2 – (2017, 2018) – PS4, Xbox One, PC
Yakuza 3 Remastered – (2019, 2020) – PS4
Yakuza 4 Remastered – (2019, 2020) – PS4
Yakuza 5 Remastered – (2019, 2020) – PS4
Yakuza 6: The Song of Life – (2016, 2018) – PS4
In complete chronological order
If what you want is to travel through all the work of the study, we leave you the list that unifies the spin offs with the numbered ones. The only thing we will exclude will be both deliveries of PSP, due to the lack of means to be able to play it, not to mention the replacement of the remakes versus the originals of PS2.
Ryu Ga Gotoku Kenzan! – (2008) – Japan Exclusive – PS3
Ryu Ga Gotoku Ishin! – (2014) – Japan Exclusive – PS3, PS4
Yakuza 0 – (2015, 2017) – PS3, PS4, Xbox One, PC
Yakuza Kiwami – (2016, 2017) – PS3, PS4, Xbox One, PC
Yakuza Kiwami 2 – (2017, 2018) – PS4, Xbox One, PC
Yakuza 3 Remastered – (2019, 2020) – PS4
Yakuza 4 Remastered – (2019, 2020) – PS4
Yakuza Dead Souls – (2011, 2012) – PS3
Yakuza 5 Remastered – (2019, 2020) – PS4
Yakuza 6: The Song of Life – (2016, 2018) – PS4
Judgment – (2018, 2019) – PS4
Fist of the North Star: Lost Paradise – (2018) – PS4
In order of release
Do you want to move from those of PlayStation 2 to those of the current generation? Get ready to play them in order of release according to their initial pace in Japan. The HD remastering of the first two, exclusive to Japan, we exchanged for the remakes.
Yakuza – (2005) – PS2
Yakuza 2 – (2006) – PS2
Ryu Ga Gotoku Kenzan! – (2008) – PS3
Yakuza 3 – (2009) – PS3
Yakuza 4 – (2010) – PS3
Yakuza Dead Souls – (2011) – PS3
Yakuza 5 – (2012) – PS3
Ryu Ga Gotoku Ishin! – (2014) – PS3, PS4
Yakuza 0 – (2015) – PS3, PS4, Xbox One, PC
Yakuza Kiwami – (2016) – PS3, PS4, Xbox One, PC
Yakuza 6: The Song of Life – (2016) – PS4
Yakuza Kiwami 2 – (2017) – PS4, Xbox One, PC
Fist of the North Star: Lost Paradise – (2018) – PS4
Judgment – (2018) – PS4
