10. Yakuza Dead Souls
The Best Yakuza Games, All 10 Ranked
For the purpose of this ranking, we’re only discussing the Yakuza games that have been released to English audiences. This means that the likes of Ishin has been excluded.
Yakuza has seen a wealth of spin-offs over the years, and yet Dead Souls is the only one that’s actually made its way west. Dead Souls is a far cry from your typical Yakuza game, as it brings the zombie apocalypse to the bustling streets of Kamurocho. Instead of melee combat, there’s now a focus on using guns and other weapons to blast zombies away. The controls in Dead Souls are very finicky, and it’s clear that the developer was really trying to get a feel for how to design a shooter.
Despite these flaws, there’s plenty of quirky writing and storytelling to be found in Dead Souls, with countless comical substories to complete. The game presents an interesting “what if” scenario and has some fun moments for fan favorite characters. It also presents the only time in the series that Ryuji Goda has been a playable character.
Dead Souls is a Yakuza game through and through, and fans of the series can still find a lot to enjoy.
9. Yakuza
The Best Yakuza Games, All 10 Ranked
The very first Yakuza game released on the PlayStation 2 in 2005, and it presented players with an engaging Japanese crime drama, alongside a fascinating city to explore in the red-light district of Kamurocho. The first game established much of what the series is still known for, its trademark brawling system, heat actions, dramatic story that mixes in goofiness, and more.
The first Yakuza definitely shows its age, however, as the game was separated into two sections, exploration and battle. The way the game segmented these two things certainly feels dated in comparison to the more free-flowing experience that later entries in the series would present. It also doesn’t help that the English version of the game actually localizes the story into English. There was much more emphasis put on the crime aspects of the story then was present in the Japanese version, and although the English performance wasn’t bad necessarily, they stick out like a sore thumb when compared to other Yakuza games.
8. Yakuza 3
The Best Yakuza Games, All 10 Ranked
Yakuza 3 was the very first game designed for the PlayStation 3, and the team’s early experience with the hardware definitely shows. Everything feels a bit stiff control-wise in Yakuza 3, combat doesn’t flow as well and animations are a bit strange outside of cutscenes. Still, Yakuza 3 plays just fine and features some of the best substories in the series to date.
The third game also has one of the best main stories of the whole series, as Kazuma Kiryu tries to leave the Yakuza life behind and focus on running an orphanage in Hiroshima. As you might expect, his past life catches up with him and he gets caught in a tangled web of conspiracies. The kids at the Sunshine Orphanage and the Ryudo Family in Hiroshima make for compelling characters and really give an emotional reason for Kiryu to fight.
Yakuza 3 is shorter than other games in the series, but it brings some fantastic character development for Kiryu, Majima, Haruka, and other prominent characters.
7. Yakuza 2
The Best Yakuza Games, All 10 Ranked
Yakuza 2, much like the first game, feels a bit dated compared to the rest of the series, in terms of both graphics and gameplay. The game did make some meaningful changes over its predecessor, adding more side content, making combat smoother and more engaging, and introducing a wealth of new story elements.
The second game takes a lot of time to introduce the second biggest crime syndicate in Japan next to the Tojo Clan, the Omi Alliance. The game’s primary antagonist, Ryuji Goda, is absolutely one of the series’ best, and one of Kiryu’s greatest rivals. Where Kiryu is the “Dragon of Dojima,” Ryuji is known as the “Dragon of Kansai,” and he’s a well fleshed out and memorable character.
Yakuza 2 has one of, if not the best, stories in the entire series, filled with twists and turns, epic battles, and even a touching love story. Luckily for western fans too, Sega decided to leave in the original Japanese audio, which helped solidify the cultural implications of the game, the main thing fans of the series have always loved.
6. Yakuza 4
The Best Yakuza Games, All 10 Ranked
Yakuza 4 is a huge change for the series, as it’s the first game that features playable characters that aren’t Kazuma Kiryu. To the surprise of many fans, the game doesn’t even start with Kiryu, instead featuring a brand new protagonist, a bumbling money lender named Shun Akiyama. Yakuza 4 is split into four different parts, each consisting of a number of chapters. The game’s protagonists are playable in order starting with Akiyama, then moving onto Majima’s sworn brother Taiga Saejima, the police officer Masayoshi Tanimura, and finally culminating with Kazuma Kiryu.
Unlike Yakuza 3, almost all of the game takes place in Kamurocho. This time around, however, the city has been significantly expanded letting you explore the sewers and underground as well as the rooftops. Major improvements were made to combat, with each character having their own distinct style and Heat Actions. There’s also a wealth of new minigames to undertake, and tons of side content to dig into for each character.
Seeing how each of the four character’s stories intersect in the game is its main draw, and the finale with all four is incredibly fun. The game fully proved that having other characters take the spotlight besides Kiryu could really pay off.
5. Yakuza Kiwami
The Best Yakuza Games, All 10 Ranked
Kiwami is a kind of quality remake that we don’t always see, completely redefining the original experience with everything the series has learned since its start on PS2. Kiwami is a full-blown remake of the very first title, built on the same engine that Yakuza 0 runs on.
The amazing thing about Kiwami is that Sega kept the original story completely intact, with cutscenes even sporting the exact same camera angles within the new engine. The original cast also re-recorded their lines, while the game even adds in a few new scenes to further flesh out the story of Nishikiyama, Kiryu’s sworn brother and the villain of the game. Kiwami just makes so many improvements over the original, bringing the fighting styles of Yakuza 0 with even more adjustments and improvements. There’s also a brand new system known as “Majima Everywhere” that has everyone’s favorite one-eyed villain stalking Kiryu throughout the city of Kamurocho. He might pop up as a police officer and stop you randomly, or dress up as a hostess to really give Kiryu a surprise.
Yakuza Kiwami is a prime example of how to meaningfully remake a game, and it’s the perfect experience to jump into right after Yakuza 0.
4. Yakuza 6: The Song of Life
The Best Yakuza Games, All 10 Ranked
Yakuza 6: The Song of Life finally brings an end to the long story of Kazuma Kiryu, and what a fitting end it is. Despite being the final chapter, like most games in the series, the latest chapter is relatively self-contained. It’s an emotional story that sees Kiryu’s daughter, Haruka in a coma from a hit and run in Kamurocho, requiring him to take care of her young son Haruto while trying to figure out who the father is. The game introduces a fantastic cast of new characters with the Hirose Family in Onomichi, and the presentation of the story is better than ever with the new Dragon Engine.
The Dragon Engine changes a lot about the series’ gameplay, overhauling Kiryu’s combat system into one style, instead of the three found in Yakuza 0. However, you do have a lot more control of Kiryu’s development with a wealth of stats and skills to pour experience into. There’s also an emphasis on making everything seamless, and The Song of Life has no loading screens outside of cutscenes. Now you can simply walk into a store or building, and it makes 6’s cities feel more believable and alive. Just like past games, Yakuza 6 presents a wealth of minigames and substories to complete, and the writing in these substories is some of the most heartfelt yet.
This latest entry in the series is simultaneously a game for longtime fans and newcomers, providing catharsis for the end of Kiryu’s story while also showing the way forward. The technical improvements made with the Dragon Engine are impressive, and it’ll be exciting to see what the developer can do once they really push the engine to its limits.
3. Yakuza 5
The Best Yakuza Games, All 10 Ranked
Yakuza 5 carried on the trend that its immediate predecessor set up, presenting an epic overarching story with multiple plotlines that intersect. Instead of four protagonists like in the previous game, Yakuza 5 now features five playable characters, including Haruka for the very first time. Yakuza 5 is split into four different parts with Kiryu being the first playable, followed by Saejima, a chapter for both Haruka and Akiyama, and finally the series newcomer Shinada Tatsuo.
Amazingly, each of the game’s main parts feel like they could be separate games, with each one being set in a different city and oftentimes featuring unique gameplay mechanics and minigames. Again, each character sports an incredibly different combat style, while all of Haruka’s gameplay elements revolve around her journey to become an idol, letting her take part in dance battles, meetings with fans, and more.
The amount of diversity in gameplay is really what makes this entry in the series really shine, and it’s absolutely stuffed to the gills with things to see and do. There’s a boatload of substories, collectibles to find in each city, and of course, minigames. While each part of the game is separate, the story does finally come together in satisfying ways, packing quite a few emotional punches by the end. Yakuza 5 really was bigger and better than its predecessor, and the changes in scenery were appreciated, even if the other cities weren’t quite as detailed as Kamurocho.
2. Yakuza Kiwami 2
The Best Yakuza Games, All 10 Ranked
The first Yakuza Kiwami did a phenomenal job of remaking the first game in the series, keeping the core of the original while adding in a host of new features and story elements. However, somehow Yakuza Kiwami 2 manages to do an even better job, creating one of the very best Yakuza experiences yet.
Yakuza 2 has one of the most beloved stories of the series, and Kiwami 2 uses the Dragon Engine to remake every cutscene step for step in gorgeous detail. Since it is built on the Dragon Engine, Kiwami 2 makes use of the same combat and upgrade system at Yakuza 6, but everything has been iterated on and expanded. Weapons are added in once again allowing for far more options in combat, and Kiryu’s moveset and heat actions simply have more variety. Combat as whole just feels tighter, smoother, and more visceral than before.
Of course, being a Yakuza game there’s a whole wealth of content to dive into. There’s a ton of classic minigames like baseball, karaoke, and golf, as well as new ones like Toylets, and an erotic photoshoot. The big additions, however, are the return of the Cabaret Club and Clan Creator minigames, both of which have been expanded on greatly. The former sees Kiryu working as floor manager for Club Four Shine, while the latter has him assisting Majima Construction in defending their equipment. As if all of that wasn’t enough, there’s even a brand new story section known as the Majima Saga, that has some great emotional payoff for anyone that played Yakuza 0.
There’s so much time and care put into every aspect of Yakuza Kiwami 2 that it ends up being far more than just a simple remake. It’s easily one of the best entries yet, and shows the series is still on the right track.
1. Yakuza 0
The Best Yakuza Games, All 10 Ranked
Yakuza 0 gave us a look at Kamurocho that we’ve never had before, taking us back in time to the 1980s. Kamurocho blazes with neon lights and crowds of people heading to disco clubs, while the iconic Millenium Tower has yet to be constructed. Yakuza 0 features dual protagonists in Kazuma Kiryu and Goro Majima, taking us through their younger days and how they became involved in the Tojo Clan. It’s a fascinating look into the two characters, one that’s packed with history and familiar faces, despite being a prequel to the series.
This remaster/ remake of sorts is easily the most robust package the series has seen, crammed with content and a gripping story that doesn’t require any previous knowledge of the series. The game completely overhauls the combat system used by the last few entries, giving both Kiryu and Majima three different combat styles to switch between on the fly. This makes for an even more engaging system that provides a lot of variation. The writing is exceptionally well done, and there’s a lengthy side story for each character that involves running a cabaret club for Majima and working in real estate for Kiryu. On top of that, there’s a ton of substories and minigames to dig into, many of which feel appropriate for the time period.
The game makes good use of its ’80s aesthetic, and it’s fun to see how different Kamurocho, and its inhabitants, were different before the start of the first game. Zero served as a starting point for many players, introducing a whole wave of new fans to the Yakuza series. It remains the best game in the series with a dramatic crime-laden story, fast-paced combat, robust side content, and an interesting look at 1980s Japan.
ncG1vNJzZmisp567p7XNoqueZp6awXB%2Bj2pvaGhkZK%2Bmv9NmsJqjpa%2BubrPAppysZaKWu6yxw2g%3D