How to Play the Yakuza Games in Chronological Order

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Originally released as a PlayStation 2 game, Yakuza (known as Ryu ga Gotoku in Japan) spawns a lengthy series that follows the steps of Kiryu Kazuma, a member of one of the most important yakuza families (the Dojima family, under the Tojo Clan), in the game’s fictional city of Kamurocho, Tokyo. He and his multiple allies and friends try to avoid the conflicts and plans being schemed by other powerful mob groups.

It took years for the Yakuza franchise to start receiving the praise and popularity it currently has outside Japan. Its reputation only seems to increase thanks to the multiple localized re-releases and new games. In this article, you’ll find a chronology of the series if you’re interested in playing each entry from the very beginning.

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Sega and Ryu Ga Gotoku studio have released 8 main Yakuza games and two remakes since the series’ debut in 2005. They were originally PlayStation-exclusive titles, but they were later ported to Xbox and PC, with every new game since Yakuza: Like a Dragon releasing simultaneously for every system with the exception of Nintendo Switch.

However, Yakuza is a series known for having multiple and widely different spin-offs. For example, Kurohyō: Ryu ga Gotoku Shinsho and its sequel Kurohyō 2: Ryu ga Gotoku Ashura henu are two titles exclusive to the PlayStation Portable, and they feature Tatsuya Ukyo, a completely new character. The Judgement series, which follows the story of detective Takayuki Yagami, is also set in Kamurocho but with other characters.

Then there’s the zombie-infested spin-off Yakuza: Dead Souls, which features the classic cast of characters in a dystopic setting. Yakuza Online is a free-to-play TCG available on mobile and PC in which you play as Ichiban