Sony has announced that 8 Yakuza games will be added to PlayStation Plus in 2022 across its different tiers. The announcements kicked off with Yakuza: Like A Dragon coming to PlayStation Plus in August, alongside Little Nightmares and Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1+2, but there are more on the way.
The Yakuza series mostly consists of open-world beat 'em ups, with the first protagonist being Kazuma Kiryu of the Tojo Clan. As the name suggests, the Yakuza series follows the Japanese criminal underworld, with conflict always brewing among the crime families and law enforcement. The series diverged a great deal in Yakuza: Like A Dragon, which is the most recent entry in the franchise. Yakuza: Like A Dragon is the first turn-based RPG entry in the series, with a brand new protagonist, in the form of Ichiban Kasuga, whose youth spent playing the Dragon Quest games causes him to see the world as one big JRPG.
The Yakuza series has been associated with Game Pass in the past, but that's about to change. The official PlayStation Twitter account has announced that 8 Yakuza games will be coming to PlayStation Plus in 2022, starting in August. This means all of the mainline Yakuza games will be on PlayStation Plus, not counting original releases of games that have been remastered/remade or spin-off titles.
8 Yakuza Games Will Be Added To Different PlayStation Plus Tiers In 2022
According to the PlayStation Blog, subscribers to PlayStation Plus Essential will receive Yakuza: Like A Dragon in August. PlayStation Plus Extra and Premium subscribers will receive Yakuza 0, Yakuza Kiwami, and Yakuza Kiwami 2. The PlayStation Plus Extra subscribers will also receive Yakuza 6: Like A Dragon later in 2022. The PlayStation Plus Premium subscribers will receive Yakuza 3 Remastered, Yakuza 4 Remastered, and Yakuza 5 Remastered later in 2022.
The addition of every mainline Yakuza game is a huge get for PlayStation Plus, as this series provides a ton of content to the service. Yakuza: Like A Dragon might be the last entry in the series, but it's distant enough from the other entries to be enjoyed first. Sega is likely the happiest of all, as both Microsoft and Sony have wanted to bring a lot of its games to their subscription services. The Yakuza series was considered a niche franchise for a long time, but the exposure provided by Xbox Game Pass helped bring a lot of eyes to the games. The next entry in the Yakuza series is on the way, and plenty of new people will have the chance to catch up on PlayStation Plus.
Source: PlayStation/Twitter, PlayStation Blog