Recommended Play Order Recommended
0 / 11 playedStory order with the Kiwami remakes swapped in for the originals.
Kiryu era
Ichiban era
Release Order
0 / 14 playedThe main series by release date. It matches story order except for Yakuza 0, which shipped fifth.
Kiryu years
Remakes
Ichiban years
Coming up
About Yakuza / Like a Dragon
Start with Yakuza 0. It is set in 1988 but arrived in 2015, which is the one real trap in this series, and it builds the characters the rest of the run pays off. Then go in numbered order using the Kiwami remakes of 1 and 2, Kiwami 3 (February 2026) instead of the original 3, the remasters of 4 and 5, and Yakuza 6 to close Kiryu's story.
After that comes Yakuza: Like a Dragon, which hands the lead to Ichiban Kasuga and switches to turn-based battles, then Gaiden, Infinite Wealth and Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii. Release order differs from story order only because 0 arrived late, and that story order is what the recommended list above follows.
Good to know
Judgment and Lost Judgment share the world but no plot threads, so play them whenever. Like a Dragon: Ishin! is a 1860s samurai remake and also optional. Sega delisted Yakuza 0 in November 2025 in favor of the Director's Cut, which is the version you will find now. RGG Studio's Stranger Than Heaven, announced as Project Century, is dated January 15, 2027 but is a distant prequel that needs no series knowledge.
