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Kiwami

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

by admin September 29, 2025

Yakuza and Like a Dragon developer Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio has kept the franchise thriving with a constant stream of releases, and this strategy will continue through the holiday season and into 2026. Most notably, the Kiwami remake series is expanding with Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties. The remake of Yakuza 3 comes with a new spin-off game Dark Ties and features a complete overhaul of the gameplay and graphics. Yakuza Kiwami 3 is available to preorder now for $60 on PS5, Nintendo Switch 2, Xbox Series X and PC ahead of its February 12, 2026 release.

Upcoming Yakuza Game Preorders for Console:

Sega is also bringing Yakuza Kiwami 1 & 2 to PS5, Xbox Series X, and Nintendo Switch 2 this fall. A Kiwami 1 & 2 bundle for PlayStation and Xbox releases December 8 for $60, while Nintendo Switch 2 players can preorder Yakuza Kiwami and Kiwami 2 separately for $35 each. Along with the rereleases of the first two remakes, the Director’s Cut of Yakuza 0 will no longer be exclusive to Nintendo Switch 2 starting December 8. Check out all of the upcoming Yakuza physical editions below.

$60 | Releases February 12, 2026

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).

Preorder for:

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.

$60 | Releases December 8

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.

$35 each | Releases November 13

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.

$50 | Releases December 8

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.

More Yakuza games

Beyond the upcoming preorders, you can dive into several more Yakuza adventures as well. Each game is designed to have an episodic feel to its story, and the series has evolved over the years with new protagonists and spin-offs. In case you already have one of the two current Kiwami games in your collection, you can pick them up individually, and if you feel like taking a step back in time, you can get The Yakuza Remastered Collection. This collects Yakuza 3,4, and 5 in one bundle and it offers substantially improved performance.

Granted, these are the original games given an HD makeover, and the gameplay largely remains the same, which might result in some of these titles feeling dated. What this collection also adds is a completely redone English localization, visual and audio changes to several characters, content that was originally cut from the Western releases have been added back in, and certain problematic content has also been removed.

Yakuza 0

The other big recommendation here is Judgment and its sequel, Lost Judgment. While these games are mechanically similar to the Yakuza titles and also feature an episodic storyline structure, they focus on a new character and add investigative elements to the franchise formula. The Judgment games also deal with heavier subject matter, focusing even more on institutionalized corruption, Japan’s controversial legal system, medical malpractice, murder, and high school suicides, while weaving together a tight narrative.

In the modern era, the Yakuza games have evolved into the Like a Dragon series. These games follow a new protagonist, Ichiban Kasuga, on his adventures and so far two titles have been released–Yakuza: Like a Dragon and Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth. In the gameplay department, they’re a massive departure from the beat-’em-up games starring Kiryu as they use turn-based RPG elements instead. The first spin-off of this series, Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii was released earlier this year and it reverts back to the old-school action that veterans are familiar with.

Yakuza 0

Yakuza Kiwami

Yakuza Kiwami 2

The Yakuza Remastered Collection

Yakuza 6: The Song of Life

Yakuza: Like a Dragon

Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth

Like a Dragon: Ishin

Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii

Judgment

Lost Judgment

Disclosure: GameSpot and Fanatical are both owned by Fandom.

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September 29, 2025 0 comments

Esports

A legend is reborn and an new legacy begins in Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties

by admin September 26, 2025

During the RGG Summit 2025 livestream, SEG and Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio announced Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties, a remake of the third game in the Yakuza/Like a Dragon series alongside a new, never before seen story. Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties will launch on PlayStation 4 and 5, Nintendo Switch 2, Xbox Series X|S, and PC via Steam on February 1th, 2026.

Two Stories, One Package

Yakuza Kiwami 3 tells the story of Kazuma Kiryu and his adoptive daughter Haruka Sawamura who have planted roots in the tropical Japanese prefecture of Okinawa to run the Morning Glory Orphanage. But when both the government and the yakuza set their sights on beachfront property, Kiryu finds that to defend the things he cares about, he must fight and sacrifice. Can Kiryu rescue the orphanage and escape his past for good?

Rebuilt from the ground up, Yakuza Kiwami 3 evolves several aspects of the beloved title with new cutscenes and new side experiences to make Okinawa and Kamurocho even more exciting and entertaining. Additional highlights include:

Ultimate Brawler Experience – Players can now swap between two powerful fighting styles: “Dragon of Dojima: Kiwami,” a brawling action style overflowing with power and an unmatched sense of dominance featuring the largest number of attack techniques in the series’ history; and the new “Ryukyu Style,” a thrilling and technical weapon-based action style inspired by traditional Okinawan weapon arts that allows players to unleash a wide variety of combo techniques using eight different types of weapons. Both battle styles combine for the ultimate brawler experience!“Legendary Baddie, Bad Boy Dragon”– a team battle mode where players aim to build the ultimate biker gang and fight alongside the Ryukyu Gal Gang, a group of lady bikers out to protect the streets of Okinawa. Dark Ties is a brand-new story that features Yoshitaka Mine, one of Kiryu’s formidable foes from Yakuza 3 as the protagonist. This story depicts the events leading up to Yakuza 3, shedding light on Mine’s origins, his search for unwavering bonds, and the path that led him, once the head of a venture company, to be immersed in the world of the yakuza. Highlights include:All-New Experience – for the first time ever, fans can play as Mine. Battle foes with a stylish yet refined combat system centered around boxing, explore the streets of Kamurocho, and see the usually cool-headed Mine cut loose and have fun.“Dark Awakening” mode – unleash Mine’s inner darkness in battle, triggering a rampage with ruthless, relentless combos, and finishing foes with a decisive strike infused with the power of darkness.“Hell’s Arena” – an underground fight club where players can enjoy fights under a variety of unique rules. In “Survival Hell” mode, players will fight their way through an underground dungeon, enduring relentless assaults from numerous hunters, to reach the goal and clear the challenge.

Players who pre-order the game, physically or digitally, will receive the exclusive “Ryuku Gal Gang – Ichiban Legendary Lad” DLC as a bonus, adding Ichiban Kasuga to the Ryuku Gal Gang within the Legendary Baddie, Bad Boy Dragon mode. The Digital Deluxe Edition gives players access to the following:

DLC Legendary Outfit PackDLC Legendary Lads & Gals PackDLC Ryukyu Gal Gang Customization PackDLC Flip Phone Customization PackDLC Legendary BGM CD Set

A Digital Deluxe Upgrade will also be available for players who choose to purchase the Standard Edition. For more details, you can visit the official website here.

Also revealed during the RGG Direct 2025, Yakuza Kiwami and Yakuza Kiwami 2 will be released on Nintendo Switch 2 on November 13th, 2025. Yakuza 0 Director’s Cut, currently available on Nintendo Switch 2, will make its way to PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, and PC via Steam. Outside of Yakuza, the studio teased their upcoming project, STRANGER THAN HEAVEN, as part of the Direct.

For more on Yakuza, Like a Dragon, and all things RGG, stay tuned to GamingTrend.

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September 26, 2025 0 comments

Kiryu looks into the middle distance, stoic.

Product Reviews

Yakuza Kiwami 3 is beautiful and ridiculous, and I’m finally going to actually finish the game this time

by admin September 25, 2025

Friends, I’m ready to be Kazuma Kiryu again. I admit it: I kind of smoked the whole pack on Yakuzas 0 through Kiwami 2, playing them almost back-to-back and in such quick succession that, when I booted up the remaster of Yakuza 3, it felt like gazing at the single remaining profiterole on the plate after a bacchanal of candies and chocolates. I couldn’t do it. My Yakuza journey ground to a halt.

From the hands-on time I’ve had with Kiwami 3, it’s a remake that doesn’t reinvent the original, but—like the two Kiwamis before it—polishes it to a shine, bolts on some fantastic new nonsense in substories and activities, and acts as a glitzy refresh for a generation that, perhaps, didn’t get to it back in 2009. Meanwhile, Dark Ties—a bonus Gaiden game releasing with Kiwami 3 that has you play Yakuza 3 villain Yoshitaka Mine—acts as the wholly new red meat to draw in those of you who already know Okinawa like the back of your hand.

(Image credit: Sega)

But don’t let me undersell it: Kiwami 3 looks absolutely gorgeous and plays wonderfully. It just, you know, does those things much in the same way Kiwami 2 did. It’s still a pleasure to charge about Okinawa dispensing righteous violence to anyone who looks at you askance, the series’ trademark mix of high drama and screwball comedy still hits just right, and having it all remade in the Dragon Engine, glistening and golden? I’m more than happy to take it. I think I’m finally gonna beat Yakuza 3.

Orphanised crime

My demo consisted almost exclusively of running around Okinawa as Kiryu, but let me quickly get you up to speed on the plot anyhow. Having gone through quite a bit in the previous three (chronologically) Yakuza games, hardened organised criminal Kazuma Kiryu has settled down to run an orphanage, which is what Al Capone would have done had cruel fortune not struck him with syphilis and tax evasion charges.

Shadowy fellas want to tear down Kiryu’s bucolic child ranch and, hey presto, off Kiryu goes to put an end to that.

(Image credit: Sega)

And off I go, in my demo, to Okinawa, which looks gorgeous. I’m still stunned by how great these games look, with their lush pallets and detail-stuffed worlds, and Kiwami 3 is no different. It was four minutes and 48 seconds into my demo that someone tore off their shirt to reveal a lavish yakuza tattoo on their back, and I could have looked at it for hours.

But a man tearing his shirt off means one thing—combat, and it’s here that Kiwami 3 reveals its first addition to its Yakuza 3 framework: Kiryu has two combat styles. The first is the Dragon of Dojima style we all know and love. Kiryu kicks, punches, grabs, throws, and generally uses his immense strength to reduce thugs to thin smears, with all sorts of grisly, definitely-should-be-lethal heat actions that RGG has clearly had a great deal of fun animating.

But in addition to that, you can at any point pop over to a new Ryukyu style, which as far as I can tell is essentially a sword and shield. This is, says RGG, inspired by actual Okinawan martial arts, and feels a little bit more defence-focused and oriented around combos than the big, splashy attacks of the default Dragon style. It’s a satisfying one to switch to when you’re up against groups, letting you zip about stabbing punks (Kiryu has never killed anyone) before they can land a hit.

Over in Dark Ties, meanwhile (I’m attempting to preview two games at once here, like a games criticism Evel Knievel), Mine only has access to the one combat style. Or at least, he did in the 25ish minutes I got with him. Not to worry though, because it feels faster and more frantic than either of Kiryu’s, and revolves mostly around building up ‘shackled hearts’ by landing hits on enemies.

(Image credit: Sega)

Build up a full heart, or two, or three, and you can pull the trigger to have Mine absolutely lose it, with the effect getting more powerful the more hearts you use. His attacks get more animalistic and unhinged and, oh, the music transitions into some fairly unhinged buttrock.

It’s all very good fun, but as to whether it holds up over the longue durée of the game or, indeed, in actually difficult fights, I can’t say. I’ve definitely run into scenarios in previous Yakuza games where the fighting system—though fun in regular combat—can feel a little frustrating against some of the harder bosses (skill issue? Perhaps!). But no one I fought in Kiwami 3 or Dark Ties was all that difficult, so I don’t know if RGG has ironed that out.

(Image credit: Sega)

Small asides

Past the high drama and chiselled men removing their shirts, the heart of Yakuza is in the absurdity. It’s the side stuff: the minigames, the substories, the ridiculous RGG sense of humour, that makes the series so beloved.

Which is why I’m a little sad I didn’t get any time with Kiwami 3’s Ryukyu Gal Gang, its new side-activity (think Yakuza 0’s Cabaret and Real Estate side-stories, or Kiwami 2’s Majima Construction stuff) that sees Kiryu join up with an all-ladies biker gang in a team-battle mode. Naturally.

Past the high drama and chiselled men removing their shirts, the heart of Yakuza is in the absurdity

Another thing I’m a little sad about: RGG has confirmed to PCG that original Yakuza 3’s Boxcelios side-game won’t reappear in Kiwami 3. “Only the one guy—the programmer—made that, [and] he’s gone” RGG’s Masayoshi Yokoyama tells us.

(Image credit: Sega)

So I can’t speak to that, but I can speak to other things. Of course, all the stuff you’d expect in a Yakuza is here: Sega arcades, karaoke, infinite varieties of restaurant. But there are a few new additions, too. Hit L2 while wandering around and Kiryu drops into search mode, which lets him… catch butterflies with a net and identify potential new friends. Similarly, he can customise his flip phone with stickers and himself with clothes—Kiwami 3 has a surprisingly robust outfit system that lets you dress Kiryu up like an absolute dingus while he solves the world’s problems a fistfight at a time. I gave him a pussyhat. He looked great.

There are new substories, too. One I ran into, which saw Kiryu talk down a pair of bridge-jumpers (they didn’t know each other, they just happened to choose the same bridge) before visiting justice on the people who had wronged them, was classic Yakuza—utterly ridiculous and very amusing. Another, where a concerned father asked me to talk his daughter out of moving to Tokyo—a reworked take on a pre-existing Yakuza 3 substory—ended with an all-timer of a Kiryu heart-to-heart speech.

(Image credit: Sega)

And then there’s Dark Ties. Mine can do much of the same side-stuff Kiryu can, dropping in for some karaoke or heading out for a drink, but in Kamurocho I couldn’t find a single substory to take part in. Now, to be fair, my time with Mine was incredibly brief: I probably spent all of five minutes actually exploring Kamurocho as him, so it’s entirely possible I missed something. Still, it feels like he has a little less to do about town than Kiryu does. He’s certainly not catching butterflies in Tokyo.

Kiwami’s back(a mitai)

You can probably condense all 1000+ words of this preview into a single, diamond-hard sentence: Kiwami 3 does for Yakuza 3 what Kiwami 2 did for Yakuza 2. And frankly? Great. I’m well up for that, and a great-looking re-do of the OG Yakuza 3 with some new accoutrements thrown in—not to mention a whole bonus Gaiden game that’s entirely new—works perfectly for me. Now all RGG has to do is Kiwami-fy 4 and 5 and I might actually make it to those Ichiban games before I’m 80.

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September 25, 2025 0 comments

Gaming Gear

Yakuza Kiwami 3 might not be a surprise, but Kiryu’s new Ryukyu move set certainly is

by admin September 25, 2025

I went hands-on with the recently revealed Yakuza Kiwami 3, and my first thought was that the game felt like a refreshingly grounded experience. Especially off the back of the madcap Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii and the irreverent turn-based shenanigans of Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth.

Yakuza Kiwami 3 is a modern remake of Yakuza 3, which was originally released for PlayStation 3 back in 2009. An action RPG with a heavy emphasis on brutal fist fighting combat and a strong element of virtual tourism thanks to developer Ryu Ga Gotoku Studios’ faithfully realistic map design, you’ll do everything from taking down goons in the street to solving the problems of the local populace via heart warming side quests.

And when you’re not uncovering political and criminal conspiracies in the main story, you’re more than welcome to take a break by partaking in Kamurocho or Okinawa’s many delights. That includes darts, pool, shogi, or partaking in Club Sega’s many arcade games.

Ryukyu master

(Image credit: Sega)

The Yakuza Kiwami 3 demo I played began with a cutscene close to the start of the game. As in the original, protagonist Kazuma Kiryu travels to Okinawa in order to save the orphanage he runs from criminal interests. After a brief tutorial fight, which also introduces the brand new Ryukyu fighting style, we’re unleashed on the streets of the island prefecture.

Kiryu is able to swap between two distinct move sets in combat. His traditional style is accompanied by the new Ryukyu style, inspired by Okinawan martial arts. Ryukyu employs eight (yes, eight) different weapons and/or household objects, all assigned to their own button. For example, pressing Triangle (heavy attack) can swipe groups of foes with a large oar. Meanwhile, holding Circle (usually the grab button) makes Kiryu swing a flail in a wide area. And that’s just surface level stuff, as Kiryu also has nunchaku, tonfa, tekko and more at his disposal.

Some of these can be chained together for various combos, going from weapon to weapon as you dish out damage, though I didn’t quite have enough time to figure out the most optimal combinations. Ultimately, Kiryu’s ‘Dragon of Dojima’ style feels better configured to single-target fights, while Ryukyu is effective at keeping multiple foes at bay. Like Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii and Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name, this dual style system supports swapping between both at any time during combat.

Ryukyu is great fun, and certainly different from Kiryu’s usual repertoire, being a guy who typically answers calls to combat with his fists. Then again, Ryukyu feels like a wonderful complement to Yakuza 3’s shift in tone. Especially for Kiryu, who attempts to lead a quieter, rustic life at the orphanage.

Keeping busy

(Image credit: Sega)

Combat isn’t everything in Yakuza Kiwami 3, though, and it wouldn’t feel quite like a Yakuza game without dozens of optional side activities. In an utterly wonderful pang of late 2000s nostalgia, Kiryu owns a stylish flip phone that you can customize with stickers, rhinestones, color schemes, and wallpapers.

You can change up Kiryu’s look at clothing stores, too. As in Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii, you’re able to save several sets of clothes here, from the casual to the completely ridiculous. And fear not, if you’re not keen on Kiryu’s default Hawaiian shirt getup, you can change into his iconic suit at any time.

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September 25, 2025 0 comments

Gaming Gear

Yakuza Kiwami 3 is official, and it’s out next year with a bonus new spinoff game

by admin September 24, 2025

Following Sega’s Ryu Ga Gotoku Studios accidentally leaking the game’s existence last week, Yakuza Kiwami 3 has been officially announced by the developer during its RGG Summit presentation. Like Yakuza Kiwami and Yakuza Kiwami 2 before it, Yakuza Kiwami 3 is a full remake of an early entry in the long-running series, in this case 2009’s Yakuza 3, which originally launched on the PlayStation 3.

Yakuza Kiwami 3 is another ground-up remake from RGG, featuring modern graphics, enhanced gameplay and new cutscenes. The game continues the adventures of the (at this point in the story) middle-aged Kazuma Kiryu, who temporarily puts his criminal career on hold to help run an orphanage that will become very important in later entries in the series. Yakuza Kiwami 3 is also bundled with a free spinoff game called Dark Ties, which focuses on Kiryu’s adversary, Yoshitaka Mine.

Yakuza Kiwami 3 and Dark Ties will be released on February 12, 2026, for PS4 and PS5, Xbox and PC (Steam), as well as the Switch 2. Yakuza Kiwami and Yakuza Kiwami 2 are both coming to Switch 2 later this year, and RGG has also announced that Yakuza 0: Director’s Cut is coming to PS5, Xbox and PC on December 8. The expanded version of what many consider to be the best Yakuza game of all time has been a Switch 2 exclusive until now.

This week’s RGG Summit also gave us a brief update on the studio’s next game, Stranger Than Heaven, which we still know very little about, other than that it’s separate from the Like a Dragon and Judgement series and is set during multiple time periods in the 20th century. The game is still several years away from release, but a new behind the scenes trailer shows off snippets of in-game footage and motion capture sessions with actors.

At the time of writing, we’re still waiting for an announcement of the next Like a Dragon game, with the most recent entry being this year’s wonderfully titled Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii.

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September 24, 2025 0 comments

Game Updates

Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties drops in early 2026, as RGG pair remake with a new spin-off starring baddie Mine

by admin September 24, 2025

Like A Dragon/Yakuza devs RGG Studio have revealed Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties, a remake of Yakuza 3 paired with a fresh spin-off adventure starring the beat-em-up’s baddie Yoshitaka Mine. They’ll be released as one package on February 12th, 2026, as announced at the latest RGG Summit showcase.

The showcase also saw the studio announce that Yakuza 0: Director’s Cut, originally released as a Switch 2 launch title, will arrive on PC December 8th. That revamp of the most 80s entry in the series offers some extra cutscenes and a Red Light Raid multiplayer mode all about battling hordes of goons.

Watch on YouTube

While a remastered version of Yakuza 3 did hit Steam back in 2021, Kiwami 3 is a more in-depth face-lift, in line with the Kiwami treatments the first two games in the series have gotten. That means a full remake, with RGG promising “more intense battles, added cutscenes that bring depth to the story, and minigames chock-full of replay value” in addition to retooled visuals.

Here’s a quick Steam page synopsis of Yakuza 3’s plot, in case you need a refresher: “Kazuma Kiryu has earned his retirement on the sandy beaches of Okinawa. But when a deadly power struggle arrives on his doorstep, he’ll have to walk the streets of Kamurocho to escape his past for good.”

The most newsworthy addition is definitely Dark Ties, a fresh spin-off adventure which puts you in the shoes of businessy Yakuza 3 antagonist Yoshitaka Mine. If you hop into Dark Ties from the remake’s main menu, you’ll get to see how he established himself in the underworld after crashing out of the corporate one, forming deep bonds with Tojo Clan chairman Daigo Dojima and more typical Yakuza villain Tsuyoshi Kanda in the process.

It’s been a few years since I played Yakuza 3, but I recall liking Mine as a change of pace from the brawnier brawlers Kiryu tends to have to wrest the clan away from, with his cold and calculating persona certainly being a lot different to direct predecessor and Yakuza 2 baddie Ryuji Goda. It’s certainly nice to see RGG doing more with one of the villains from the Yakuzas 3 to 5 range, given those poor lads are generally pretty forgettable compared to series cornerstones like Goda and Akira Nishkiyama.

There’s a deluxe edition of Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties which comes with some extra goodies, while costing £69.99 in comparison to the base game’s £54.99/$59.99/€59.99. I’ve mainly mentioned it because one of the additions is called the ‘Legendary Lads Set’, which is a very good name. It also features some flip phone customisation, though there regrettably don’t look to be any embarrassing 2000s ringtones.

You can wishlist this refreshed street scum sweeper on Steam right now.

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September 24, 2025 0 comments