Featuring eight main games and multiple spinoffs, the Yakuza series is among SEGA's most popular long-running franchises. The series has sold over 14 million units around the world and continues to skyrocket in popularity, in large part thanks to the 2020 release of Yakuza: Like a Dragon. For newcomers, the sheer number of Yakuza games may be intimidating, as it's not obvious which order they should be played in.
To make the most out of the crime series' melodramatic narratives and shocking twists without any spoilers, it's best to go with a chronological approach that follows the franchise's main storyline. Of course, players can stop and play any of the spinoffs, like Judgment and Dead Souls, in between the main games. However, newcomers may find it more immersive and less confusing to follow Kazuma Kiryu's story from start to finish before exploring games outside of the main storyline.
Yakuza 0
Despite being the sixth main entry in the series, Yakuza 0 is an excellent starting point for new players. Set in 1980s Japan, 0's events take place more than a decade before the first Yakuza game. The 2017 release delves into the story of the game's protagonists, Kazuma Kiryu and Goro Majima, and sets up the rest of the events in the series well.
Yakuza 0 features some of the series' core elements like long cutscenes, dramatic dialogue, and old-school brawling. The game explores the major characters and their motivations, making it an ideal introduction to the franchise's large cast. Of course, it also has hundreds of mini-games and side activities that help introduce players to the lighthearted entertaining side of the series. In between brawls, players may find themselves wandering into the arcade or hosting a karaoke night. All in all, Yakuza 0 captures the best elements in the franchise and lays out everything in a cohesive way that new players will surely appreciate.
Yakuza Kiwami
Yakuza Kiwami is a remake of the original Yakuza released for the PS2 in 2005. Kiwami was launched not long after Yakuza 0 and is a faithful retelling of the events in the original Yakuza game. Set in the same streets as its prequel, the player's objectives revolve around Kiryu's struggles with love, friendship, and organized crime.
While Kiwami does feature modern gameplay mechanics that make the game's battles and brawls fun, it's not as expansive as Yakuza 0, which had more mini-games and side activities. It's still a good way to really understand where the franchise started and it features callbacks to some of the events in Yakuza 0.
Yakuza Kiwami 2
Like Kiwami, Kiwami 2 is a remake of the original PS2 version. There is a notable difference in visuals, as this entry in the series was created in Ryu Ga Gotoku's Dragon Engine. This is the same engine that was used for Yakuza 6, which was the first game in the series made for the PlayStation 4.
The story is set a year after the events of Kiwami 1 and follows Kiryu through the streets of Kamurocho and Sotenbori. Aside from the addition of a few new moves and the cinematic 'Heat Moves,' Kiwami 2 stays true to the franchise's core elements and fleshes out some plot points from Kiwami 1.
Yakuza 3 Remastered
After completing Kiwami 2, it's time to jump into The Yakuza Remastered Collection, which was released for the PS4 in 2019. The collection includes Yakuza 3, 4, and 5, and spoils moments from the previous games. It's best not to play this trio if players have not finished Yakuza 0, Kiwami 1, and Kiwami 2.
Aside from the upgrade in visuals, Yakuza 3's remastered version features never-before-seen content from the original 2009 release. This entry delves even deeper into Kiryu's story, exploring his internal struggles during his retirement in Okinawa. Yakuza 3's slow pacing and repetitive tutorials may be bothersome to players who are likely more familiar with how the game works at this point. Nonetheless, it is still crucial to the story and effectively sets up the next games in the franchise.
Yakuza 4 Remastered
Yakuza 4's events take place a year after Yakuza 3's story. As the second entry in the remastered collection, this significantly changes the player experience. Instead of focusing solely on Kiryu, it follows three other protagonists – Masayoshi Tanimura, Shun Akiyama, and Taiga Saejima.
While Yakuza 4 does confine players to only one city, Kamurocho, it features more detailed streets and hidden alleyways that make the limited setting feel bigger than it is. Like Yakuza 3, this entry does contain spoilers for previous games, so players should avoid it if they haven't completed Kiryu's last adventure.
Yakuza 5 Remastered
Following the multiple-character approach of Yakuza 4, Yakuza 5 takes it one step further and allows players to experience the beat-'em-up game from five viewpoints. The last game in the remastered collection reintroduces the familiar characters of Kazuma Kiryu, Shun Akiyama, Taiga Saejima, and Haruka Sawamura. The newcomer, Tatsuo Shinada, is also a playable character with an interesting story.
Yakuza 5 is jampacked with all of the franchise's best features, including several mini-games and highly accurate depictions of popular sights in Japan. It also has the largest world in the series, as it has five cities for players to explore. It's the ideal way to cap off what Yakuza 3 and 4 have built up to thus far.
Yakuza 6: The Song Of Life
Yakuza 6 was the first entry in the series made in the previously mentioned Dragon Engine, which makes its visuals stand out from the rest. After the multiple-protagonist approach of Yakuza 4 and 5, players are thrust back into Kiryu's story, which centers around the disappearance of his daughter.
It falls short when it comes to mini-games and side activities, as it's a much smaller world compared to Yakuza 5. However, for players who have been following Kiryu's story up to this point, Yakuza 6 does serve as a powerful finale that wraps up the story arc of the well-loved character.
Yakuza: Like A Dragon
Released in March 2021 for the PS5, Yakuza: Like a Dragon or Yakuza 7 is the eighth and latest main installment in the series. It deviates from the other entries in the franchise in two major ways. First, Kiryu is no longer the main protagonist in the story and is instead replaced by Ichiban Kasuga. The second major change is the battle system, which is now turn-based instead of the brawler real-time action combat seen in previous games.
While Yakuza: Like a Dragon does have callbacks to its prequels, its main focus is to set up a new cast and battle system that signal a fresh era for the Yakuza series. New players may be tempted to jump into this game first, but it's best experienced after playing everything else. It serves as a testament to how far the series has come and ushers in new story arcs that future games will undoubtedly explore.