The Yakuza series is one of the most successful and beloved titles from Sega, both in the West and in Japan. So it’s no surprise that its popularity has risen since its origins in Japan spanning multiple installments. The series has been a mainstream hit since 2005.
At this point, it is so successful, it’s had its fair share of sequels, spin-offs, remakes, and now remasters. Due to this, we thought it’d be best for us to rank the best Yakuza games available. Be aware that these are rated only based on their Metacritic scores to keep it as fair as possible.
Updated November 22nd, 2020 by Meg Pelliccio: The Yakuza series recently received a new addition to the family with its seventh mainline title, Yakuza: Like a Dragon, having recently released for most consoles. It’s available on both old-gen and new-gen consoles, though it doesn’t release for PlayStation 5 until 2021.
This marks the first time that a new Yakuza release has been available on a Microsoft console on the day of its release, as for a long time Sony held exclusivity. For players looking to delve into this series, check out the best Yakuza games in the franchise according to their Metacritic scores.
13 Yakuza: Dead Souls – 64
The Yakuza games are already known to be quite ridiculous and just plain goofy at times. This time, however, the spin-off Yakuza: Dead Souls takes the cake. Set in the same time and city as the other mainline titles, what’s different about Yakuza: Dead Souls is the premise. Instead of the usual fisticuffed brawling the series is usually known for, Yakuza: Dead Souls has Kiryu and the rest of the gang use machine guns and other ballistics to fend off an undead invasion.
Despite the impending danger on Kamurocho, players are still able to play a variety of minigames, including fishing for zombies. Though as fun and exciting as a Yakuza game gets, this title never caught on with fans or critics, leading to its low position on this list.
12 Yakuza – 75
The game that started the legacy in the west back in 2005. This first installment grabbed the audience with its unique and dramatic take on the Yakuza crime syndicate. Though not the most graphically appealing, it’s still a gem that is regarded as a classic even to fans today. So much so, Sega made a remake knowing its demand and how well it’s likely to do.
Despite being rough around the edges, it was still received rather well and critics found it good but not great. Surely not enough to surpass other future games. Still, we can thank the first Yakuza game for the fantastic series we have now.
11 Yakuza 2 – 77
After the relative success of the first Yakuza game, Sega provided us with the next installment to the series. This time, with more noticeable changes and improvements. Though still not a beauty to look at, Yakuza 2 continued to provide us with the series staple storytelling introducing a new enemy Ryuji Goda, a Yakuza from a rival family to Kiryu‘s.
The game also offered more satisfying combat, albeit a bit technically lacking. As a result, Yakuza 2 was a welcome improvement but not enough to be as good as the rest of the other titles.
10 Yakuza 4 – 78
The higher quality of the series arguably began to take shape in Yakuza 4. The game provides a refreshing take on the story moving forward. This time it shifts focus to four characters. Kazuma Kiryu; the Dragon of Dojima himself, Shun Akiyama; Kamurocho’s Charismatic money lender, Taiga Saejima; The murderous beast of a man, and Masayoshi Tanimura; A rogue police officer.
However, critics and players found the lack of new features from the last title unsatisfying, it’s good but not great when compared to some of the others in the series. Regardless, it’s among the more exceptional titles and a fan favorite to date.
9 Yakuza 3 – 79
Unlike Yakuza 4, Yakuza 3 brought a lot of new things to the table coming from the second installment. The shift to PlayStation 3 allowed for better visuals and all-around stability, and also included more content such as its many minigames.
Asides from the improvements, it also included an incredible story for our main character Kazuma Kiryu, leaving his life in the yakuza behind to start an orphanage. Despite its new features and improvements, it didn’t have a smooth transition to the newer consoles at the time and lacked some content from the original.
8 Judgment – 80
Though not one of the main numbered games of the franchise, Judgment is a spin-off title within the Yakuza universe, utilizing the same location of Kamurocho and its criminal organizations. However, this time, players don’t take on the role of a yakuza, instead, they are a private detective named Takayuki Yagami.
Despite working on the side of the law, mostly, rather than against it, much of the gameplay is similar to the other titles within the Yakuza franchise and it’s a must-play for any fans of the main series.
7 Yakuza Kiwami – 81
Yakuza Kiwami is a remake of the original game that started it all. A bombastic and dramatic story about the yakuza crime syndicate. Made with the same engine as Yakuza 0, it includes not only updated visuals but also new voice lines, scenes, and new recurring side quests.
Yakuza Kiwami is an excellent remake, and it sets the bar for how remakes should be done. Due to this, it earned a much higher Metascore than the original, which is well deserved as the remake is the best way to play the original.
6 Yakuza 6: The Song Of Life – 83
The last game in Kiryu’s story arc, concluding his adventures in the most dramatic way possible. Yakuza 6: The Song of Life follows Kiryu Kazuma for the final time as he takes care of the son of his adopted daughter, Haruka, while she is in a coma from a hit and run accident.
Besides the modern visuals, the game’s gameplay mechanic was massively changed to an upgraded style to keep things simple. Yakuza 6: The Song of Life is a thrilling conclusion to the plot led up to this point and it is deservedly thought of as one of the best games in the series.
5 Yakuza 5 – 83
Just barely surpassing Yakuza 6, Yakuza 5 stands as one of, if not the most, fan-favorite games in the series. Besides being the best-looking game in the series for quite some time, it was also notably the biggest game in the series to date when it released.
The game takes place in several cities with five different characters, including some returning ones such as Haruka, Kiryu’s adopted daughter. Each character’s story is engaging and filled with depth. When you aren’t playing missions or driving taxis, you can engage yourself in the many side missions and minigames the game has to offer.
4 The Yakuza Remastered Collection – 83
The Yakuza Remastered Collection released in 2019 and contains remastered versions of Yakuza 3, 4, and 5, which makes it the perfect choice for players who have played both Kiwami remakes and want to experience the next three titles without the awful graphics.
As well as restoring content and giving the older titles a much-needed makeover, the collection has been updated to display as 1080p and 60fps. The only downside is that for the time being, at least, the collection is only available for PlayStation 4.
3 Yakuza Kiwami 2 – 88
Similar to its predecessor, Yakuza Kiwami 2 is the remake version of Yakuza 2, and similar to the first remake, it beautifully revamps the title for a broader audience with beautiful visuals from the all-new Dragon Engine.
It also includes tons of additional content to boot, such as more sub-stories and more Majima with the return of the “Majima Everywhere” feature. Those who pick up the original remake alongside Yakuza 0 will genuinely enjoy this title as the best way to experience the earlier Yakuza games to their fullest.
2 Yakuza 0 – 90
Then there is Yakuza 0, a newer installment in the series that acts as a prequel to the rest of the games. As a result, Sega successfully produced a title that appeals to newcomers. Fans and critics alike praised it for its modern influences, engaging story, and its varied combat techniques.
The game follows Kiryu Kazuma, once again in his early days in the yakuza, and Goro Majima, a manager of a successful cabaret club. Yakuza 0 is an all-time fan favorite and, according to its Metascore, a critic favorite as well.
1 Yakuza: Like a Dragon – 90
The latest title in the Yakuza franchise has been well-received by fans and critics alike, which wasn’t always a certainty given that Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio decided to take a chance and change things up by swapping to an RPG genre.
Despite having a host of new features that tie into the RPG format, such as parties and different job roles, but it’s still very true to form and retains much of the beloved Yakuza traits that fans have come to know and love.
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