{"id":34830,"date":"2023-07-13T17:03:07","date_gmt":"2023-07-13T15:03:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.radiotimes.com\/?p=1858050"},"modified":"2023-07-14T05:54:16","modified_gmt":"2023-07-14T03:54:16","slug":"yakuza-games-in-order-like-a-dragon-release-and-story-timeline","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/rss_feed\/yakuza-games-in-order-like-a-dragon-release-and-story-timeline\/","title":{"rendered":"Yakuza games in order: Like a Dragon release and story timeline"},"content":{"rendered":"

Where to start with the sprawling series? <\/p>

By Ben Huxley\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Thursday, 13 July 2023 at 12:00 am<\/p>

\n\n

Critically acclaimed, adored by fans, and the source of many an out-of-context YouTube meme, the Yakuza franchise has been a large cultural presence for almost two decades. And it\u2019s only getting bigger, with the success of 2020\u2019s Like a Dragon bringing the series to an even bigger audience.<\/p>\n

Next year\u2019s Infinite Wealth is garnering a lot of hype, so if you\u2019re not already a fan now is the time to jump in.<\/p>\n

But where to start with such a huge series, with so many spin offs and prequels and remakes?<\/p>\n

That depends entirely how how you want to experience it. You might be a cultural purist who always starts from the beginning to watch it evolve. Or you might want to catch up with the story in the most efficient way possible, while avoiding dated graphics and gameplay.<\/p>\n

The aim of this page is to help both types of gamer. We\u2019ll list every Yakuza game\u00a0twice<\/em>. Once in order of release, and again on order of the lore\u2019s chronology. How\u2019s that? Whichever way you choose, we hope you go on to play the games. You won\u2019t regret it.<\/p>\n

Yakuza games in release date order<\/strong><\/h2>\n

First, a quick list of every title in order of release date and console. At lot of the early titles were later ported to modern consoles, but we\u2019ll keep things simple by just listing the original hardware. It\u2019s self explanatory and doesn\u2019t need more explaining, so\u2026<\/p>\n

  • Yakuza<\/strong> (2005 | PlayStation 2)<\/li>\n
  • Yakuza 2<\/strong> (2006 | PlayStation 2)<\/li>\n
  • Ry\u016b ga Gotoku Kenzan!<\/strong> (2008 | PlayStation 3)<\/li>\n
  • Yakuza 3<\/strong> (2009 | PlayStation 3)<\/li>\n
  • Yakuza 4<\/strong> (2010 | PlayStation 3)<\/li>\n
  • Kurohy\u014d: Ry\u016b ga Gotoku Shinsh\u014d (<\/strong>2010 | PlayStation Portable)<\/li>\n
  • Yakuza: Dead Souls<\/strong> (2011 | PlayStation 3)<\/li>\n
  • Kurohy\u014d 2: Ry\u016b ga Gotoku Ashura Hen <\/strong>(2012 | PlayStation Portable)<\/li>\n
  • Yakuza 5<\/strong> (2012 | PlayStation 3)<\/li>\n
  • Ry\u016b ga Gotoku Ishin!<\/strong> (2014 | PlayStation 3)<\/li>\n
  • Yakuza 0<\/strong> (2015 | PlayStation 3)<\/li>\n
  • Yakuza Kiwami<\/strong> (2016 | PlayStation 3)<\/li>\n
  • Yakuza 6: The Song of Life<\/strong> (2016 | PlayStation 4, PC, Xbox One)<\/li>\n
  • Yakuza Kiwami 2<\/strong> (2017 | PlayStation 4, PC, Xbox One)<\/li>\n
  • Fist of the North Star: Lost Paradise<\/strong> (2018 | PlayStation 4)<\/li>\n
  • Ry\u016b ga Gotoku Online<\/strong> (2018 | Android, IOS, PC)<\/li>\n
  • Judgment<\/strong> (2018 | PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Stadia, PC, Xbox Series X\/S)<\/li>\n
  • Yakuza: Like a Dragon<\/strong> (2020 | PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X\/S)<\/li>\n
  • Streets of Kamurocho<\/strong> (2020 | PC)<\/li>\n
  • Lost Judgment<\/strong> (2021 | PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X\/S)<\/li>\n
  • Like a Dragon: Ishin!<\/strong> (2023 | PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X\/S)<\/li>\n
  • Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name<\/strong> (2023 | PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X\/S)<\/li>\n
  • Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth<\/strong> (upcoming 2024 | PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X\/S)<\/li>\n<\/ul>

    There are a lot of spin offs and remakes in there. If you only want to follow the mainline series, follow the numbered games: Yakuza (2005), Yakuza 2\u2026 right up to the Like a Dragon reboot in 2020. Yakuza 0 is a prequel to the first game, so you\u2019ll want to include that too. But more on the chronology below.<\/p>

    Yakuza games in story timeline order<\/strong><\/h2>\n

    And now for the chronological timeline\u2026 Again, this isn\u2019t necessarily the\u00a0best<\/em> order to play them in but we\u2019ll start from the tale\u2019s beginning.<\/p>\n

    Like A Dragon: Ishin!<\/strong><\/h3>\n
    \""Ishin"\"<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>\n

    This spin-off serves as a prequel to the series\u2026 going back hundreds of years. A lot of fans won\u2019t recommend starting here, because there are a lot of story beats aimed at those who are aware of the present day lore.<\/p>\n

    But if you really want to start at the chronological beginning, here it it. Released in 2014, Like a Dragon: Ishin! was remade in 2023.<\/p>\n

    Yakuza 0\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n
    \""Yakuza\"<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>\n

    The sixth in the mainline series, but it\u2019s where many fans would recommend starting.<\/p>\n

    Set back in the bubble era of 1980s Japan, the game features two playable protagonists: a young Kiryu Kazuma, and Goro Majima.\u00a0 Setting the scene for later games, we see the construction of the iconic Millennium Tower.<\/p>\n

    Yakuza<\/h3>\n
    \""Yakuza\"<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>\n

    The first in the series is the dark tale of Kiryu Kazuma\u2019s life after serving ten years in prison for a crime he didn\u2019t commit. Released on the PS2 in 2005, the story was retold in Yakuza Kiwami, the remake made in 2016.<\/p>\n

    It\u2019s up to you whether you play the original or the remake. There\u2019s certainly more to do in the latter\u2019s modern reconstruction, but a lot of us enjoy watching a franchise evolve over the years. Either way, this is the second chapter in the current storyline.<\/p>\n

    Yakuza 2<\/strong><\/h3>\n
    \""Yakuza\"<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>\n

    The second instalment opens out the Yakuza lore, introducing new characters and upping the tension. Fan favourite Kaoru Sayama is introduced; a detective with a nice side story.<\/p>\n

    Like the first game, Yakuza 2 was later remade as Yakuza Kiwami 2.<\/p>\n

    Yakuza 3<\/strong><\/h3>\n
    \""Yakuza\"<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>\n

    The third in the series, and the first to drop on the PS3, sees Kiryu trying to distance himself from the yakuza lifestyle by working in an orphanage.<\/p>\n

    However, fans of the the mob genre know that these characters can\u2019t escape their past.<\/p>\n

    Yakuza 4<\/h3>\n
    \""Yakuza\"<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>\n

    Set one year after Yakuza 3, the fourth instalment follows four different protagonists whose disparate stories don\u2019t come together until near the end. It\u2019s the first in the series to feature multiple playable characters.<\/p>\n

    However, it retains the offbeat humour and high violence of the previous titles to tell a story that still feels very Yakuza.<\/p>\n

    Yakuza 5<\/strong><\/h3>\n
    \""Yakuza\"<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>\n

    The fifth instalment continued with the multiple POVs of the fourth, this time adding one more. Kiryu is joined by four other protagonists, and their combined stories make up one of the biggest games in the series.<\/p>\n

    Yakuza 6: The Song of Life<\/strong><\/h3>\n
    \""Yakuza\"<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>\n

    The sixth in the series is the end of the the Kiryu Kazuma saga, and what a way to say goodbye. We don\u2019t want to spoil the story, but it\u2019s majestic. And while some criticised the more simplistic combat, we recon it plays great.<\/p>\n

    Judgement<\/h3>\n
    \""Judgement"\"<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>\n

    This spinoff is set two years after Yakuza 6, and centres on private detective Takayuki Yagami as he investigates a series of murders in the fictional district of Kamurocho. A different vibe, but the combat is fairly similar to Yakuza 0.<\/p>\n

    Like a Dragon<\/h3>\n
    \""Like\"<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>\n

    2021\u2019s Like a Dragon is actually set in 2019, three years after the events of Yakuza 6. A sort of reboot for the series, Like a Dragon introduced new characters and revitalised the combat system. It\u2019s the first turn-based game in the series.<\/p>\n

    If you only have time to play\u00a0one<\/em> game in preparation for next year\u2019s Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, it\u2019ll have to be this one.<\/p>\n

    Lost Judgment<\/strong><\/h3>\n
    \""Lost\"<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>\n

    The last in the chronological list, Lost Judgement is set in 2021. Again, it\u2019s only a spinoff, but it\u2019s a fantastic title that once again follows Takayuki Yagami as he traverses a seedy criminal world.<\/p>\n

    If you\u2019re not a fan of the turn-based combat of Like a Dragon, Lost Judgement returns to the classic fighting of the older titles.<\/p>\n

    And that\u2019s the lot! If you\u2019re new to the Yakuza world, try not to feel daunted by this vast list. Once you\u2019re a few games in we\u2019re sure you won\u2019t regret it.<\/p>