Yakuza Games in Order: Release & Chronological - Game Scout
Yakuza games in chronological order
| # | Game | Story set in | Game-Scout rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Yakuza 0 | 1988 | 4.81 |
| 2 | Yakuza Kiwami | 1995 to 2005 | 4.42 |
| 3 | Yakuza Kiwami 2 | 2006 | 4.68 |
| 4 | Yakuza 3 | 2007 to 2009 | 4.39 |
| 5 | Yakuza 4 | 2010 | 4.55 |
| 6 | Yakuza 5 | 2012 | 4.63 |
| 7 | Yakuza 6: The Song of Life | 2016 | 4.59 |
| 8 | Judgment | 2018 | 4.64 |
| 9 | Yakuza: Like a Dragon | 2019 | 4.56 |
| 10 | Like a Dragon Gaiden | 2019 to 2023 | 4.69 |
| 11 | Lost Judgment | 2021 | 4.64 |
| 12 | Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth | 2023 to 2024 | 4.73 |
| 13 | Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii | 2024, after Infinite Wealth | 4.64 |
| 14 | Like a Dragon: Ishin! | 1860s, standalone | 4.02 |
Start with Yakuza 0
Yakuza 0 is where both orders begin, and the reviews back it as more than a technicality. It is the highest-rated game on our crime games list at 4.81 from 22,000 ratings, and the aggregated player feedback singles out the same reasons: a well-written story split between a young Kazuma Kiryu and Goro Majima, three switchable fighting styles, and a spread of side content that runs from cabaret club management to a full real-estate business. Most players in the review corpus recommend it outright as the entry point to the series.
The completion math sets expectations for everything that follows. A focused story run takes about 30 hours, a typical run lands near 52, and a full clear pushes past 110. The recurring complaints are grind-heavy skill progression and cutscenes that run long, and both carry through the rest of the series, so treat Yakuza 0 as the honest sample: if the mix of crime drama and absurd side stories lands here, it keeps landing for another dozen games.
Release order vs chronological order
The two orders used to be genuinely different, and the remakes have mostly collapsed them into one. The original Yakuza released in 2005 and Yakuza 2 in 2006 on PS2, but the versions sold on PlayStation today are Yakuza Kiwami and Kiwami 2, remakes built after Yakuza 0. Since Yakuza 0 is a prequel and the Kiwami games replaced the earliest releases, playing chronologically now means playing the modern catalogue roughly in the order it arrived: 0, Kiwami, Kiwami 2, the remastered 3 through 5, Yakuza 6, then the Like a Dragon era.
Release order still matters for one kind of player: the series historian who wants to watch the games evolve, engine by engine. Everyone else loses nothing by going chronological, and the r/yakuzagames community wiki lists chronological as its recommended route for the same reason. The one real fork is Yakuza 3 through 5, which survive as remasters rather than remakes. Their ratings sit at the bottom of the mainline run in our catalogue, 4.39 to 4.63, and Yakuza 3 is the lowest-rated mainline entry we track. That stretch is where order guides stop being about sequence and start being about stamina.
Where Judgment, Ishin and the spin-offs fit
The spin-offs are the part most order guides skip, so here is the full accounting. Judgment and Lost Judgment are standalone detective stories set in the same Kamurocho, built around crime scene investigation, tailing and courtroom evidence on top of the series brawling. Nothing in them requires the mainline games, and their story years, 2018 and 2021, are the only reason to slot them where the table does.
Like a Dragon Gaiden is the one spin-off with a hard place in the order: it follows Kiryu after he fakes his death, runs alongside the Like a Dragon years and leads directly into Infinite Wealth, so play it between the two. Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii hands the series to Majima after Infinite Wealth and goes full farce. Ishin! stands entirely apart, recasting the series cast in 1860s Kyo, and can be played whenever the modern setting needs a break.
One more entry changes the order going forward: Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties released on PS5 in February 2026, giving Yakuza 3 the same remake treatment the first two games got. It is in our catalogue without player ratings yet, so the remaster keeps its slot in the table for now, but newcomers reaching step four should check it first.
The trimmed routes players actually use
The six entries we track completion times for already total roughly 245 hours at a typical pace, before the untracked remasters, so the full 14-game run is a several-hundred-hour commitment. The r/yakuzagames wiki acknowledges this by maintaining separate routes, and two of them hold up against the review data.
- The turn-based route: start at Yakuza: Like a Dragon, which restarts the series with a new protagonist in Ichiban Kasuga and swaps brawling for turn-based combat, then continue into Infinite Wealth, the highest-rated Like a Dragon era entry on Game-Scout at 4.73. Gaiden is the optional Kiryu bridge between them.
- The Judgment route: Judgment into Lost Judgment, a complete two-game detective arc with no mainline homework.
The subscription math favors trimming too: Like a Dragon Gaiden, Infinite Wealth and Ishin! are all included with PS Plus Extra in our catalogue, which makes the turn-based route the cheapest way to test the series. What I would not do is start at Yakuza 5 or the remasters for availability reasons alone; they sit mid-timeline, and their stories are built on debts to games you would not have played yet.
Featured Yakuza games in order
Yakuza 0
The starting point in both orders, and the one entry the review corpus recommends without hedging. Set in 1988, it splits the story between a young Kiryu and Goro Majima, and its 4.81 average from 22,000 ratings makes it the highest-rated game in the series on Game-Scout. Budget about 30 hours for the story, 52 at a typical pace and over 110 for a full clear.
Key Features
- Earliest point in the timeline: 1988 Kamurocho and Sotenbori
- Three switchable fighting styles per protagonist, plus environmental weapons
- Cabaret club and real-estate side businesses are genuine extra content, not padding
- Highest-rated series entry on Game-Scout at 4.81 from 22,000 ratings
- Players consistently recommend it as the series entry point
Gameplay Video
Yakuza 0 (PC) - Epic Heat Action & Brutal Fighting Gameplay - 4K 60FPS
Yakuza Kiwami
Second in the timeline: a remake of the 2005 original, following Kiryu from taking the fall for a murder in 1995 to his release in 2005. It rates 4.42 from 23,000 players on Game-Scout, the lower of the two Kiwami remakes, and its job in the order is carrying the story from Yakuza 0 into the modern era on matching controls and presentation.
Key Features
- Remakes the 2005 PS2 original, replacing it in the play order
- Story spans 1995 to 2005, picking up seven years after Yakuza 0
- Introduces Haruka and the 10 billion yen plot the sequels build on
- Rated 4.42 from 23,000 players on Game-Scout
Gameplay Video
Yakuza Kiwami: Complete PS4 Remake vs PS2 Original Comparison + Frame-Rate Test
Yakuza Kiwami 2
The stronger Kiwami, rebuilt from the ground up on the Dragon Engine, and at 4.68 from 8,600 ratings the best-received of the pre-Like a Dragon remakes and remasters on Game-Scout. Set in 2006, it sends Kiryu to Sotenbori to face Ryuji Goda, and it is the point in the order where the series' modern presentation arrives.
Key Features
- Full Dragon Engine rebuild of the 2006 original
- Set one year after the 10 billion yen incident, mostly in Osaka
- Rated 4.68 from 8,600 players, the strongest of the remake era on Game-Scout
- Kiryu brokers peace between the Tojo Clan and the Omi Alliance against Ryuji Goda
Gameplay Video
Yakuza Kiwami 2 (PC) Funny & Brutal Combat Gameplay - 4K Max Settings
YAKUZA 3
Fourth in the timeline and the honest low point of the run: the remastered Yakuza 3 rates 4.39 from 4,400 players, the lowest mainline score in our catalogue. The story moves Kiryu to Okinawa to run the Morning Glory Orphanage, a slower stretch the later games pay off. Yakuza Kiwami 3, released on PS5 in February 2026, now offers this chapter as a full remake.
Key Features
- Story set 2007 to 2009, relocating Kiryu to an Okinawa orphanage
- Part of the Remastered Collection at 1080p and 60fps, not a remake
- Lowest-rated mainline entry on Game-Scout at 4.39
- Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties on PS5 remakes this chapter as of February 2026
YAKUZA 4
The series' first structural experiment: four playable protagonists whose stories interlock around a murder in Tojo Clan territory, set in 2010. The remaster rates 4.55 from 3,000 players on Game-Scout, a step up from Yakuza 3, and newcomers Akiyama and Saejima recur through the rest of the series, which is the real reason not to skip it.
Key Features
- Four playable protagonists, a first for the series
- Set in 2010; introduces Shun Akiyama and Taiga Saejima, who recur later
- Rated 4.55 from 3,000 players, the middle of the remastered trilogy
- Remastered at 1080p and 60fps as part of the collection
Gameplay Video
Yakuza 4 - PS3 Gameplay HD -Battle Fights-
Yakuza 5 Remastered
The biggest game of the classic era: five playable protagonists across five cities, set in 2012, with Kiryu opening the story as a cab driver trying to stay out. It rates 4.63 from 3,300 players, the best score in the remastered trilogy on Game-Scout. Its five-protagonist, five-city scope makes it the longest stretch of the classic run, so weigh it honestly if you are trimming.
Key Features
- Five playable protagonists across five major cities, the largest classic entry
- Set in 2012, resuming the Tojo and Omi conflict
- Best-rated of the remastered trilogy on Game-Scout at 4.63
- The widest scope of the classic era, worth budgeting for in a full run
Gameplay Video
Yakuza 5 Remastered (PC) - Epic Heat Actions & Fighting Gameplay - 4K/60FPS
Yakuza 6: The Song of Life
The close of Kiryu's mainline arc, set in 2016 and moving the action to the port town of Onomichi as he protects Haruka's infant son. It rates 4.59 from 8,500 players on Game-Scout. In the order it works as the payoff for everything from Kiwami onward, which is exactly why it lands poorly as a starting point.
Key Features
- Set in 2016; the finale of Kiryu's run as mainline protagonist
- Moves from Kamurocho to Onomichi, Hiroshima
- Rated 4.59 from 8,500 players on Game-Scout
- Pays off the full arc, so it depends on the earlier games more than any other entry
Gameplay Video
Yakuza 6 The Song of Life - Gameplay (PC/UHD)
Yakuza: Like A Dragon
The series reboot and the second-best jumping-on point after Yakuza 0: a new protagonist in Ichiban Kasuga, a new city and a full swap from brawling to turn-based combat. Set in 2019, it rates 4.56 from 15,000 players on Game-Scout. If the classic combat is what put you off the series, the order restarts here and asks for no homework.
Key Features
- New protagonist Ichiban Kasuga and a fresh start for the story, set in 2019
- Swaps real-time brawling for turn-based combat with a job system
- Rated 4.56 from 15,000 players on Game-Scout
- A legitimate alternative entry point requiring no earlier games
Gameplay Video
Yakuza: Like a Dragon (PS5) 4K 60FPS HDR Gameplay
Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name PS4 & PS5
The bridge game: Kiryu, presumed dead and living under the codename Joryu, gets pulled back into the underworld in a shorter action story that runs alongside the Like a Dragon years and leads directly into Infinite Wealth. It rates 4.69 from 13,337 players on Game-Scout and is included with PS Plus Extra, which makes it the cheapest essential in the back half of the order.
Key Features
- Set across 2019 to 2023, bridging Yakuza 6 and Like a Dragon into Infinite Wealth
- Returns to real-time brawling after Like a Dragon's turn-based pivot
- Rated 4.69 from 13,337 players on Game-Scout
- Included with PS Plus Extra in our catalogue
Gameplay Video
Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name Review
Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth PS4 & PS5
The highest-rated Like a Dragon era entry on Game-Scout at 4.73 from 15,610 players, pairing Ichiban and Kiryu in a story that moves the series to Hawaii. The stored reviews split cleanly: the upgraded turn-based battle system and side content draw the praise, while the complaints target story pacing, grind and New Game Plus being sold as DLC. Budget about 85 hours at a typical pace, and it is included with PS Plus Extra.
Key Features
- Set across 2023 to 2024, pairing Ichiban Kasuga with Kazuma Kiryu in Hawaii
- Highest-rated Like a Dragon era entry on Game-Scout at 4.73
- About 56 hours rushed, 85 typical and 110 for a full clear on our tracking
- Included with PS Plus Extra in our catalogue
Gameplay Video
Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth - Before You Buy
Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii
The current end of the timeline: Majima washes up on a Hawaiian beach with no memory and is captaining a pirate ship within hours. The register is pure farce, and at 4.64 from 7,959 players the reception is good rather than great; reviews praise the humor and side content while calling the ship combat boring. At about 23 hours for a typical run it is also the shortest modern entry we track.
Key Features
- Set after Infinite Wealth, with Goro Majima as lead
- Adds ship combat and a recruitable crew on top of the brawler template
- Rated 4.64 from 7,959 players on Game-Scout
- About 23 hours at a typical pace, the quickest modern entry we track
Gameplay Video
Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii - Before You Buy
Like a Dragon: Ishin! PS4 & PS5
The one entry with no place in the timeline: a remake of the samurai spin-off that recasts the series regulars in 1860s Kyo as Sakamoto Ryoma. At 4.02 from 5,597 players it is the lowest-rated game in this catalogue's run, with reviews split between fans of the setting and cast and players worn down by pacing and clunky combat. Slot it wherever you want a break; nothing before or after depends on it.
Key Features
- Standalone 1860s story recasting the series cast as historical figures
- Four combat styles across sword, gun and bare fists
- Lowest-rated entry in our catalogue at 4.02, with polarized reviews
- Included with PS Plus Extra; about 27 hours for a typical story run
Gameplay Video
10 Minutes of Like a Dragon: Ishin! Gameplay
Judgment
The start of the parallel track: disgraced attorney turned private eye Takayuki Yagami works a murder case through the same Kamurocho the mainline games built, in 2018. It rates 4.64 from 13,860 players with strongly positive reviews for the story and detective loop, and it requires zero Yakuza knowledge. If the crime drama appeals more than the gangster melodrama, this is the better first purchase.
Key Features
- Standalone detective story set in Kamurocho in 2018
- Casework is literal: examining scenes, tailing suspects, presenting evidence
- Rated 4.64 from 13,860 players on Game-Scout
- Requires no mainline Yakuza games
Gameplay Video
Judgment - Before You Buy
Lost Judgment
The second and stronger-playing half of the detective track, set in 2021, sending Yagami into a school case that unravels into something much darker. It rates 4.64 from 9,979 players, with reviews backing the combat as an improvement over the first game across its three stances. Play it after Judgment; the character work assumes the first case.
Key Features
- Set in 2021, continuing Yagami's story from Judgment
- Adds a third combat stance and expanded investigation tools
- Rated 4.64 from 9,979 players on Game-Scout
- Reviews call the combat an improvement over the first game
Gameplay Video
Lost Judgment (PC) - Fighting Gameplay & EX Actions Showcase [4K/60FPS]
Frequently Asked Questions
- What order should you play the Yakuza games in?
- Chronological order: Yakuza 0, Kiwami, Kiwami 2, Yakuza 3, 4, 5, Yakuza 6, Like a Dragon, Gaiden, Infinite Wealth, then Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii. Judgment and Lost Judgment are a standalone detective pair set in 2018 and 2021, and Ishin! is a standalone 1860s story you can slot anywhere.
- Should you play Yakuza in release order or chronological order?
- Chronological, which the r/yakuzagames community wiki also recommends. The Kiwami remakes replaced the 2005 and 2006 originals, so the two orders have mostly collapsed into one; release order only suits players who want to watch the series evolve engine by engine.
- Is Yakuza 0 the best place to start?
- Yes. It is the earliest point in the story and the highest-rated entry in the series on Game-Scout, at 4.81 from 22,000 player ratings, and reviews consistently recommend it as the entry point. The honest caveats are grindy skill progression and long cutscenes.
- Can you start with Yakuza: Like a Dragon instead?
- Yes. It restarts the series with a new protagonist, Ichiban Kasuga, and swaps brawling for turn-based combat, so it assumes no earlier games. Continue into Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, and add Gaiden between them if you want the Kiryu side of the story.
- Do you need to play Yakuza before Judgment?
- No. Judgment and Lost Judgment are standalone detective stories set in the same city, with their own protagonist and cases. They rate 4.64 apiece on Game-Scout and work as a complete two-game arc with no mainline homework.
- Is Yakuza Kiwami 3 out?
- Yes. Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties released on PS5 on February 12, 2026, giving Yakuza 3 the remake treatment the first two games received. It has no player ratings in our catalogue yet, but newcomers reaching that point in the order should consider it over the remaster.
- How long does it take to play every Yakuza game?
- Several hundred hours. The six entries we track completion times for total roughly 245 hours at a typical pace: about 52 for Yakuza 0, 85 for Infinite Wealth, 27 for Ishin!, 23 for Pirate Yakuza, 28 for Judgment and 29 for Lost Judgment, before the untracked remakes and remasters.













