Yakuza Kiwami 1-3 Are Up For Preorder For PS5, Xbox, And Switch 2

For the preorder bonus, you’ll unlock Ichiban Kasuga from the Like a Dragon games as a member of your motorcycle gang, the Ryukyu Gals. The digital-only Yakuza Kiwami 3: Deluxe Edition throws in several extra pieces of cosmetic DLC as well, like outfits for your gang, a flip-phone customization pack, and more music to listen to in the game.

If you’re planning to play on PC, you can get a pretty good deal right now through Fanatical, as the preorder price for the standard edition is $52.79. If you feel like getting the Digital Deluxe Edition, that has also been discounted and will cost you $66 (was $75).

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A remake of 2009’s Yakuza 3, Yakuza Kiwami 3 is easily the biggest remake yet when compared to previous chapters. Not only does it benefit from an even bigger jump in visual quality, but it also expands on the overall story with new cutscenes, dialogue, and side-stories. Kiryu will also be able to use a new weapon-based combat style based on Okinawan martial arts, and fans can even take part in a life-simulator minigame at his orphanage, Morning Glory, through various outdoor activities.

Other additions include a new team battle mode where Kiryu’s motorcycle gang takes on rival outfits, and most importantly, there’ll be new Karaoke songs to sing along to. But perhaps the biggest draw here is Dark ties, an all-new prequel to Yakuza Kiwami 3 that reveals more details about Yoshitaka Mine, one of Kiryu’s greatest foes and the primary antagonist of this remake. RGG says this is a gritty crime story set in Kamurocho, where Mine rises to power. The prequel also adds a new mission-based mode called Kanda Damage Control and a survival mode set in an underground fight club.

If you’re looking to catch up on mainline Yakuza entries, you’re in luck as both Yakuza Kiwami 1 and 2 are being bundled together into a single physical edition for PS5 and Xbox Series X for $60. Both games are also being released on Switch 2, but the physical editions for Yakuza Kiwami and Kiwami 2 are being sold separately for $35 each.

Yakuza Kiwami is a complete remake from 2016 of the first Yakuza game that was released, retaining its story while polishing up its visuals and gameplay. One of the big changes here was that the combat system was overhauled entirely to be closer to Yakuza 0, giving Kiryu four unique fighting styles to choose from–Brawler, Beast, Rush, and Dragon–during his adventure. While Yakuza 0 featured a powerful antagonist in the form of Mr. Shakedown–an absolute brute who could be randomly encountered in the game world and would rob you blind if he beat you in a fight–Yakuza Kiwami featured the “Majima Everywhere” challenge instead.

This saw Kiryu’s rival, Goro Majima, randomly pop up during gameplay to challenge him to a street fight or minigames like darts and bowling. Defeating him would unlock new abilities in Kiryu’s Dragon style.

On a technical level, the resolution, framerate, textures, and loading times were greatly improved when compared to the original game, more substories were added, and the remake had a Japanese dub that was far superior to the English audio track. Another noteworthy improvement was to the overall story, as additional cutscenes fleshed out Yakuza’s antagonist, Nishiki, went on, providing crucial insight to his betrayal of Kiryu. The cherry on top was an expansion of Heat Actions that Kiryu could perform, giving him even more over-the-top finishers to use during combat.

Released in 2017, Yakuza Kiwami 2 saw ex-Yakuza Kiryu embroiled in a massive gang war in the Japanese underworld, following the assassination of the Tojo clan’s Fifth Chairman, Yukio Terada, by the rival Omi Alliance. At the center of this conflict was Ryuji Goda, the Dragon of Kansai who was hellbent on defeating Kiryu and cementing his legend as the only dragon of the Yakuza. The remake also added a new scenario centered around Goro Majima, revealing just what the loose cannon gangster had been up to since he left the Tojo clan to form his own construction company.

For this sequel, gameplay was also revamped significantly to be more in line with Yakuza 0 and Kiwami, and the visual upgrade also made a big difference to the bone-crunching action.

Yakuza Kiwami 1 & 2 are also coming to Switch 2, but the physical editions for Yakuza Kiwami and Kiwami 2 are being sold separately for $35 each. Nintendo Switch 2 players will be able to play their physical editions a bit earlier, though, as each game arrives November 13.

Like Kiwami 3 and Nintendo Switch 2 launch title Yakuza 0 Director’s Cut, these are Game-Key Cards that require full downloads from the eShop upon inserting the cards for the first time.

Chronologically, Yakuza 0 is the first game in the franchise and it stars both Kiryu Kazuma and Goro Majima. Considered to be the very best game in the entire franchise, Yakuza 0 overhauled the series in 2015 to be leaner, meaner, and even more ambitious with its grand and sweeping narrative set during the late ’80s Japanese financial boom. The PS5, Xbox Series X, and PC versions will be priced at $50, the same MSRP as the Switch 2 edition. That said, the Switch 2 version is on sale for $37 at Amazon.

Th Director’s Cut adds several new scenes, a brand-new English voiceover, and Red Light Raid mode, a series of co-op battles where players unite to make some fast cash with their fists.

While the main campaign is thrilling, the management sim side stories where Majima gets roped into hosting a hostess club and Kiryu joins the dangerous world of real estate are also unmissable in this 3D beat-’em-up masterpiece.