The Best Play Order for the Yakuza Series

Setting:

1988

Yakuza 0, a prequel that came out just a year ahead of the grand finale of the game, goes over Kiryu's early days in the Yakuza. While playing Yakuza 0 before the Yakuza Kiwami ruins a few key plot points, it does make the story and motives of characters' clearer. Think of it as knowing that Vader was Luke's father before the New Hope came out.

Release Date:

2016

Setting:

2005

Yakuza Kiwami is a 10th-anniversary remake of the original Yakuza on PS2. It's the same story but remastered with modern graphics and mechanics.

Release Date:

2017

Setting:

2006

Just like Yakuza Kiwami, Kiwami 2 is the modern-day remake of Yakuza 2 on PS2.

Release Date:

2019-2020

Setting:

2009, 2010, 2012

Released through 2019 and 2020, the Yakuza Remastered Collection is a 3-in-1 deal, comprising of remastered versions of Yakuza 3, 4 and 5 all in one package. From a consumer standpoint, the Yakuza Remastered Collection is a steal of a deal, since you're getting 3 remastered games for the price of one.

Release Date:

2016

Setting

: 2016

Yakuza 6: The Song of Life is the ultimate conclusion to Kiryu's journey as a Yakuza. And, without any spoilers, the developers Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio did not let us down with a lukewarm conclusion. In fact, once you play through the game, the subtitle The Song of Lifewill sound much more sensible.

While that concludes the adventures of Kiryu in the Yakuza, there is another main series game that's still left.

Release Date:

2020

Setting:

2019

Yakuza: Like a Dragon introduces a new character named Ichiban Kasuga, who, though young and naive, is almost as charismatic as Kiryu. Since Yakuza: Like a Dragon is not a direct sequel to the previous titles, it can be played through without any prior knowledge of the series.

While rest of the game is pretty much the same as the others, which means lively streets and wacky side stories, the combat was shifted from live-action to a turn-based style, akin to classic JRPGs. I think the change in the combat was a major step back, especially given the fact that Yakuza series' combat was so well crafted and satisfying. However, the rest of the game almost makes up for it.

The chronological play order of the Yakuza series is almost the same as Kiryu's life path, with the only major difference being the placement of Yakuza 0. If you're following the chronological play order, the game will unfold just like how the devs originally decided, like you wouldn't know that Vader was Luke's father until The New Hope.

Here's our recommended chronological play order for the Yakuza series. Yakuza Kiwami Yakuza Kiwami 2 Yakuza Remastered Collection (Yakuza 3, 4, 5) Yakuza 0 Yakuza 6: The Song of Life Yakuza: Like A Dragon Best Yakuza Game for New Players

If you've never played a Yakuza game and want to experience everything the series has to offer, we recommend you play the Yakuza series' Kiryu's Life play order. All the main games featuring Kiryu are at least 30 hours long, so the Kiryu's Life play order will get you a good 200+ hours of solid playtime.

However, if you don't have so much time or you're not yet sure if you want to sink 200+ hours in a video game series, then check out Yakuza: Like A Dragon, the latest title from the series than can be played as a standalone game. In some ways, like graphics, gameplay and side stories, it's better than the original Yakuza series and can prime you up for the rest of the game that you will definitely want to play.