All Yakuza (Like a Dragon) Games in Order: Where to Start and Full Chronology

The Yakuza series is a Japanese crime drama where brutal gang showdowns sit right next to karaoke, fishing, radio-controlled car races and dozens of other distractions. The first game landed on PlayStation 2 back in 2005, created by a Sega team led by Toshihiro Nagoshi — today known as Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio. Over twenty years it has grown into more than twenty games: the main saga, spin-offs, remakes and re-releases.

For a newcomer it is easy to get lost, especially since the series was renamed in the West at one point. In Japan it has always been Ryu Ga Gotoku ("Like a Dragon"), while abroad it shipped as Yakuza — until 2020, when Sega started moving the whole brand to the Like a Dragon name. Because of that, recent entries and the old classics are labeled differently, even though it is one and the same universe.

There is plenty of reason to revisit the whole line-up: Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth arrived in 2024, the Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii spin-off and the Yakuza 0: Director's Cut re-release in 2025, the Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties remake in February 2026, and a brand-new big game is set for 2027. Below is every game in order, with dates and a short description, so you can see whose story is whose and in what order it all plays best. If you just love Japanese settings, we also gathered the best games set in Japan in a separate list.

If you’re new to the series, start with Yakuza 0, then follow the main story in chronological order. That differs from release order: the prequel and the remakes came out after the original games. Below are the mainline entries and several key spin-offs.

The best entry point is Yakuza 0. It’s a prequel, so you don’t need to know the earlier games: it introduces a younger Kiryu and Majima years before the events of the main series. From there it makes sense to move in story order: Kiwami, Kiwami 2, the third chapter (now covered by the fresh Kiwami 3 remake) and so on up to the sixth, then on to the duology about Ichiban Kasuga.

If you would rather start with something more modern, Yakuza: Like a Dragon is a good pick — it changed both the hero and the genre, so it won't confuse a newcomer with references. But Infinite Wealth, Gaiden or Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii are poor starting points: they lean heavily on earlier events and will spoil half the saga. The detective duology Judgment and the historical Ishin! are the exception — they stand on their own, so you can even begin there.

Platforms: PS3, PS4, PC, Xbox One (original); PS5, Xbox Series and Switch 2 in the Director's Cut (2025);

Genre: crime action;

English dub: original — no (Japanese voice, English subtitles); Director's Cut (2025) — yes;

Release date: 2015 (Japan), 2017 in the West.

Yakuza 0 is set in 1988, at the height of Japan's economic bubble. There are two playable storylines: a young Kazuma Kiryu tries to clear himself of a murder charge, while Goro Majima runs a cabaret in Osaka and dreams of returning to his clan. Both stories revolve around a tiny empty lot that several groups are fighting over.

Many fans consider Yakuza 0 the best in the series and the ideal place to start: a strong story, likeable heroes and no need to know anything about the previous games. In 2025 the Yakuza 0: Director's Cut re-release arrived with new cutscenes, an added English dub and the first online mode in the series — first on Switch 2, later on PS5, PC and Xbox Series.

Platforms: PS2 (original); PS4, PC, Xbox One (Kiwami remake, 2016–2017), Nintendo Switch (2024); PS5, Xbox Series and Switch 2 in the 2025 re-release;

Genre: crime action;

English dub: the original Western release (2006) — yes; the Kiwami remake — no;

Release date: 2005 (original), 2016 for the remake.

Yakuza is where it all began: Kazuma Kiryu takes the blame for someone else's murder, spends ten years in prison, and once out gets pulled into a story about money missing from the clan and a mysterious girl named Haruka. The 2005 original looks archaic today, so it is better to experience the story through the remake.

Yakuza Kiwami ("kiwami" means "extreme") rebuilt the first game on the Yakuza 0 engine: the same story, but with modern visuals, a reworked combat system and extra scenes that tie it to the prequel. This is the version to play right after Yakuza 0.

Platforms: PS2 (original); PS4, PC, Xbox One (Kiwami 2 remake), plus PS5, Xbox Series and Switch 2 in the 2025 re-release;

Genre: crime action;

English dub: no (Japanese voice with English subtitles);

Release date: 2006 (original), 2017 for the remake.

Yakuza 2 sends Kiryu to Osaka to quell a war between the Tokyo and Kansai clans. It introduces one of the fans' favorite villains in the series, Ryuji Goda, and noticeably ups the scale.

The Yakuza Kiwami 2 remake runs on the same modern Dragon Engine as Yakuza 6, so it looks gorgeous and is still considered one of the best-looking entries. For a newcomer it is the second must-play after Kiwami.

Platforms: PS3 (original); PS4, PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series (Remastered);

Genre: crime action;

English dub: no (Japanese voice with English subtitles);

Release date: 2009.

In Yakuza 3 Kiryu steps away from the underworld and raises orphans at a home in Okinawa — but the past, of course, won't let go. The game is noticeably calmer than the previous ones, leaning on melodrama and everyday life, though a big mob conspiracy is still very much present.

On modern platforms there is Yakuza 3 Remastered, an updated version from the Yakuza Remastered Collection that restored content cut in the first Western localization. And in 2026 a full remake of the third chapter arrived — Yakuza Kiwami 3 (more on it below).

Platforms: PS4, PS5, Switch 2, Xbox Series, PC;

Genre: crime action;

English dub: yes;

Release date: February 12, 2026.

Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties is two games in a single package. Kiwami 3 fully rebuilds Yakuza 3 on a modern engine, the way Kiwami and Kiwami 2 once reimagined the first two games. This remake is now the most convenient way to play through the third chapter of Kiryu's story.

The second game, Dark Ties, is a brand-new storyline about Yoshitaka Mine, the antagonist of the original Yakuza 3, and his rise through the yakuza world. For the main saga it is a nice bonus rather than a must-play, but fans of the third game will definitely find it interesting.

Platforms: PS3 (original); PS4, PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series (Remastered);

Genre: crime action;

English dub: no (Japanese voice with English subtitles);

Release date: 2010.

Yakuza 4 hands you four playable characters for the first time: a runaway loan shark, a cop, a prisoner and Kiryu himself. Their stories intersect and add up to one sprawling conspiracy around the Kamurocho district. The current version is Yakuza 4 Remastered.

Platforms: PS3 (original); PS4, PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series (Remastered);

Genre: crime action;

English dub: no (Japanese voice with English subtitles);

Release date: 2012.

Yakuza 5 is the most sprawling entry of the "classic" era: five playable heroes, five cities and dozens of side pursuits, from taxi drifting to an idol career. Its full Western release came noticeably later than the Japanese one. Today the easiest way in is Yakuza 5 Remastered.

Platforms: PS4, PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series;

Genre: crime action;

English dub: no (Japanese voice with English subtitles);

Release date: 2016 (Japan), 2018 in the West.

Yakuza 6: The Song of Life was meant to be the finale of Kazuma Kiryu's main saga. The hero leaves prison and unravels a mystery around Haruka while also settling into a fishing village in Hiroshima. This is the first game on the Dragon Engine with a seamless open world — and a logical stopping point in the long story of the Dragon of Dojima. As it turned out, though, Kiryu later returned in Gaiden and Infinite Wealth.

After the sixth game the studio made a bold move: it pushed Kiryu into a supporting role and put a newcomer up front — the good-natured, naive Ichiban Kasuga. The genre changed along with the hero: instead of a real-time brawler, the series turned into a turn-based JRPG, where Ichiban imagines street fights as epic battles in the spirit of Dragon Quest.

That is also when the renaming started. The game launched as Yakuza: Like a Dragon — a literal translation of the Japanese Ryu Ga Gotoku — and became the first step toward a single worldwide name. Since then most releases in the West come out under the Like a Dragon banner: Gaiden, Infinite Wealth, Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii and the Like a Dragon: Ishin! remake. Remakes of the numbered games, however, keep the historic Yakuza name — the Kiwami re-releases and the 2026 Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties. So the word Yakuza hasn't gone anywhere: the main label simply switched to Like a Dragon.

Platforms: PS4, PS5, PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series;

Genre: turn-based JRPG;

English dub: yes;

Release date: 2020.

Yakuza: Like a Dragon (also known as Yakuza 7) is both a reboot and a continuation. Ichiban gets out of prison, learns that his clan betrayed him, and builds a team of friends from scratch to figure out how the big city really works. The turn-based combat surprised fans at first but quickly won them over — our best weapons guide helps you get to grips with its job system. For anyone who wants to start with a modern entry, this is a great option.

Platforms: PS4, PS5, PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series;

Genre: crime action;

English dub: yes;

Release date: 2023.

Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name is a compact spin-off that explains what Kiryu was up to between the sixth game and Infinite Wealth. Officially he faked his own death and now works for a secret organization under an alias. Here the series returns to its familiar real-time brawling, so it doubles as a shot of nostalgia for anyone who missed the old combat. Play Gaiden right before Infinite Wealth — it leads directly into its events.

Platforms: PS4, PS5, PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series;

Genre: turn-based JRPG;

English dub: yes;

Release date: 2024.

Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth (Yakuza 8) gives you two protagonists at once — Ichiban and an older Kiryu — and moves the action outside Japan for the first time, to Hawaii. It is the biggest entry in the series by sheer volume: on top of the main story there are side activities the size of a whole game, such as an island-building sim in the vein of Animal Crossing. It is not the place to start — it wraps up several storylines at once.

Platforms: PS4, PS5, PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series;

Genre: adventure action;

English dub: yes;

Release date: February 21, 2025.

Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii is the most unexpected offshoot yet: the protagonist is Goro Majima, who loses his memory and assembles a pirate crew, adding naval ship battles to the series' usual drama. This is pure spin-off fun, so it is best played after you have already met Majima in the main games.

Platforms: PS4, PS5, PC, Xbox Series;

Genre: detective action;

English dub: yes;

Release date: 2018 (Japan), 2019 in the West.

Judgment uses the same universe and the same Kamurocho district, but the hero is different — a former lawyer turned private detective, Takayuki Yagami. Tailing suspects, gathering clues and chases are added to the usual fights. It is a standalone story that doesn't require knowledge of the main series, and its tone leans much closer to a noir detective tale.

Platforms: PS4, PS5, PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series;

Genre: detective action;

English dub: yes;

Release date: 2021.

Lost Judgment continues Yagami's story and takes on the heavy topics of school bullying and impunity. The detective investigates a case that ties together a murder and a teenager's suicide. The Yagami duology can be played separately from the main series — but it should be played in release order, right after the first Judgment.

Platforms: PS4, PS5, PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series;

Genre: historical action;

English dub: no (Japanese voice with English subtitles);

Release date: 2023.

Like a Dragon: Ishin! transplants the series' familiar faces into the twilight of the samurai era — Japan of the 1860s. It is a remake of Ryu Ga Gotoku Ishin!, which came out in 2014 in Japan only, so outside the country people first got to play it in 2023. It has no bearing on the main saga's story: it is a standalone what-if story with the same actors in new roles.

Beyond the big releases, the series has a few entries that never officially reached the West or stand apart:

Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio has no plans to stop. The studio has announced a big new game — developed under the code name Project Century and officially titled Stranger Than Heaven. It spans five eras of Japanese history (1915, 1929, 1943, 1951 and 1965), and the protagonist is a man named Makoto Daito. The release is set for January 15, 2027, on PS5, Xbox Series and PC.

An important caveat: Stranger Than Heaven is a separate new game from the studio, not a declared part of Like a Dragon or a spin-off of that universe — Sega has not officially claimed it belongs to the series. But that doesn't close the Yakuza / Like a Dragon line: the studio has long alternated between big releases and re-releases, putting out games almost every year.

Below are short answers to the questions newcomers ask most often about the Yakuza / Like a Dragon series.

With Yakuza 0 — a prequel that requires no knowledge of the previous games and introduces the main heroes. As a modern-start alternative, Yakuza: Like a Dragon works too.

The recommended play order (it does not match the strict release dates): Yakuza 0, Kiwami, Kiwami 2, Yakuza 3 (or its Kiwami 3 remake), Yakuza 4, 5, 6, then Yakuza: Like a Dragon, Gaiden and Infinite Wealth — in exactly that order, since Gaiden leads directly into Infinite Wealth. Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii is best played after Infinite Wealth, while the detective duology Judgment and the historical Ishin! stand on their own.

In Japan the series has always been Ryu Ga Gotoku ("Like a Dragon"). Abroad it shipped as Yakuza, but starting with Yakuza: Like a Dragon (2020) Sega began moving the brand to the single Like a Dragon name. Most releases now come out as Like a Dragon, though remakes of the numbered games keep the Yakuza name (for example, Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties in 2026). It is one and the same universe.

There are eight main numbered entries: the first through the sixth plus Yakuza: Like a Dragon (the seventh) and Infinite Wealth (the eighth). The prequel Yakuza 0 stands apart. Together with the remakes (including the fresh Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties in 2026), spin-offs and historical offshoots, it adds up to more than twenty games.

Not necessarily. The main saga is best played in order to follow Kiryu's story, but the detective duology Judgment and the historical Ishin! are self-contained and don't require knowledge of the rest.

The very first Western Yakuza (2006) shipped with an English dub, but Sega then dropped dubbing for years — the Kiwami remakes and Yakuza 3–6 are Japanese voice with English subtitles only. English dubs returned with Judgment (2019) and the main line from Yakuza: Like a Dragon (2020), and are available in Gaiden, Infinite Wealth, Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii, Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties, Lost Judgment and the Yakuza 0: Director's Cut re-release. Like a Dragon: Ishin! is Japanese voice only.

The studio's next major project is Stranger Than Heaven (formerly Project Century), set for January 15, 2027. It is a separate new game about five eras of 20th-century Japan; Sega has not officially claimed it belongs to the Like a Dragon series.