Research-backed game lineage
Like a Dragon is included in the Series Atlas after independent recognition and an authoritative game-by-game roster audit. Editions, simple ports, DLC, bundles, canceled projects, and cameo-only appearances are excluded.
Genre profile
2 primary-root changes across the researched chronology.
Subgenres representedCinematic Action-Adventure 5JRPG 2Action RPG 1Beat 'em Up 1Character Action 1Turn-Based RPG 1
Entry points
Use the researched chronology, ratings, and remake relationships to select a starting title.
Release chronology
Ordered by researched series position, then original release date. Ports, DLC, and duplicate editions are intentionally excluded.
23 games in this lineage
Just as Kazuma, a former rising star in the Yakuza, emerges from prison after a murder cover-up, 10 billion yen vanishes from the Yakuza vault, forcing him once again into their brutal, lawless world. A mysterious young girl will lead Kazuma to the answers if he can keep her alive.
Yakuza 2 plunges you once more into the violent Japanese underworld. In intense brutal clashes with rival gangs, the police, and the Korean mafia, you will have opportunities to dole out more brutal punishment. As the heroic Kazuma Kiryu from the original Yakuza, explore Tokyo and now Osaka. Wander through the back alleys of Japan's underworld while trying to prevent an all-out gang war in over 16 complex, cinematic chapters written by Hase Seishu, the famous Japanese author who also wrote the first Yakuza. Endless conflicts and surprise plot twists will immerse you in a dark shadowy world where only the strongest will survive.
Yakuza 3 is the third chapter in the Yakuza series, renowned for its authentic, gritty, and often violent look at modern Japan. Making its first appearance exclusively on the PlayStation 3 computer entertainment system, the rich story and vibrant world of Yakuza 3 let players engage in intense brutal clashes within the streets of Okinawa and the vibrant and often dangerous city of Tokyo, where only the strongest will survive.
Yakuza 4 is the fourth game in Sega's crime drama series, known as 'Ryu ga Gotoku' in Japan. As a first for the series, the story is split between the viewpoints of four different protagonists.
The handheld debut of the Yakuza/Ryuu ga Gotoku series, Kurohyou follows the rise of series newcomer Ukyô Tatsuya, a young man who quickly finds himself wrapped up in the world of Japanese organized crime.
Yakuza: Dead Souls is an action-adventure/survival horror video game, developed and published by Sega exclusively for the PlayStation 3. The game is the sixth installment in the Yakuza series. The game is set during a zombie outbreak in Kamurocho.
Yakuza 5 is an open-world action-adventure game and the fifth main title in the Yakuza series developed by Sega. For the first time in the series, it features five settings across Japan along with five playable main characters. The game also features a brand new graphics engine, unlike previous games in the series that have been re-utilizing the same engine since Yakuza 3.
Yakuza 0 is an action-adventure beat 'em up and a prequel to the Yakuza series, set in 1988 Japan during the country's economic bubble era. The game follows two protagonists: Kazuma Kiryu in Tokyo's Kamurocho district and Goro Majima in Osaka's Sotenbori district. Players alternate between their stories as they navigate the criminal underworld, engaging in street fights using multiple switchable combat styles, managing businesses, and participating in a wide variety of side activities and minigames. The game is largely credited with bringing the long-running franchise to mainstream Western attention.
Yakuza: Kiwami is an enhanced remake of the original Yakuza game for PlayStation 2, not just an HD port. While the original PS2 release also had English voice-acting for western release, this PS4 remake only retains Japanese voice-acting for authenticity with available subtitles for other countries.
Step into Japan's criminal underworld in this explosive action brawler starring legendary yakuza, Kazuma Kiryu, who is hellbent on unraveling the truth around his daughter's tragic accident.
Yakuza Kiwami 2 is a remake of Yakuza 2, and is an action-adventure game set in an open world environment and played from a third-person perspective. Combat is based on that previously seen in Yakuza 6. A new "Majima Saga" story scenario features recurring series anti-hero Goro Majima as a playable character.
Yakuza 3 Remastered is an updated version of Yakuza 3, developed by Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio and published by Sega. Released as part of The Yakuza Remastered Collection in 2019, the remaster features improved graphics, a higher frame rate, and restored content that was cut from the original Western release. The game follows protagonist Kazuma Kiryu as he manages an orphanage in Okinawa while being drawn back into conflicts with the yakuza.
Judgment is an action-adventure game played from a third-person perspective. The game is a legal thriller set in the Yakuza world of Kamurocho and follows private detective Takayuki Yagami as he investigates a serial murder case. It stars Japanese actor Takuya Kimura and employs a fighting system similar to that of Yakuza 0 where players can change into different styles, namely crane-style which is more focused on fighting groups and tiger-style which is more focused on fighting individuals. Additionally, the game features an investigation mode where the player must find traces of the criminal.
The game from 2010 has been remastered for the PS4 with one of Yakuza 4's main protagonists, Masayoshi Tanimura, being recast and getting a visual makeover. Kamurocho, the entertainment district, is about to be bloodbath again. This time, we have four rising dragons. Each of the protagonists has a different fighting style and each of them has to go through sets of impossible trials to find their destiny. The line between game and reality is further blurred, earlier, in 2009, Sega hosts a beauty pageant, and the seven winners became models of their game avatars. Some of them are bar girls, some are hostesses, visit the "play spots" with them, ask them to date in the spas and sing karaoke with them. The Rising Dragon is looking for a successor, will you be it?
Experience the fifth chapter of the Kazuma Kiryu saga in 1080p and 60fps. Get ready for a Yakuza experience of unprecedented scale. Follow five characters across five Japanese cities, each trying to achieve their dream. The connections between them bring them together, but the conflict that unfolds is nothing any of them could have predicted.
Yakuza: Like a Dragon is a role-playing game developed and published by Sega. Released in 2020, it is the eighth main entry in the Yakuza series. The game introduces a new protagonist, Ichiban Kasuga, and departs from the traditional action combat system, instead featuring turn-based combat with a party of characters. Set in the city of Yokohama, the game follows Kasuga's quest for revenge and his journey through Japan's criminal underworld.
Streets of Kamurocho is a retro-style beat 'em up game developed by Empty Clip Studios and published by SEGA. It was released as part of SEGA’s 60th anniversary celebration. The game combines the gameplay mechanics of Streets of Rage 2 with characters and themes from the Yakuza series, featuring pixel art versions of Kazuma Kiryu and Goro Majima fighting through the streets of Kamurocho.
Like a Dragon: Ishin! is an action-adventure game developed by Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio and published by Sega. Released in February 2023, it is a remake of the 2014 Japan-exclusive Ryu Ga Gotoku Ishin! and reimagines the Like a Dragon series in a historical setting. Set in the Bakumatsu period of Japan (mid-1800s), the game follows Sakamoto Ryoma, modelled after Kazuma Kiryu, as he navigates political intrigue, conspiracies, and samurai combat while seeking revenge for his mentor's murder. The gameplay combines swordplay, gunfighting, and hand-to-hand combat, with a mix of main story missions and side activities, including minigames and historical recreations of series staples.
Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name is a 2023 action-adventure video game developed by Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio and published by Sega. It is a spin-off of the Like a Dragon series. Taking place during the events of Yakuza: Like a Dragon (2020), Like a Dragon Gaiden focuses on the series' original protagonist, Kazuma Kiryu, as he embarks on a new adventure in Osaka under the guise of a secret agent.
Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth is a turn-based role-playing game developed by Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio and published by Sega. It follows dual protagonists Ichiban Kasuga and Kazuma Kiryu, with the narrative set primarily in Japan and Hawaii. The game uses a party-based combat system that builds on previous Like a Dragon entries, incorporating positioning and environmental interactions. Players engage in main story missions alongside a wide range of optional activities and side content. The title combines narrative-driven progression with exploration, character development, and minigames typical of the series.
A new legend begins as you step into the steel toe boots of Goro Majima, a man who has lost his memory and reinvents himself as a pirate on the open sea. Embark on an over-the-top, modern-day pirate adventure with an ex-yakuza, now pirate captain and his crew as they engage in exhilarating combat on land and sea in the hunt for lost memories and a legendary treasure.
Continue the story of ex-yakuza Kazuma Kiryu as he fights to protect those he loves in an extreme remake of Yakuza 3 that evolves every aspect of the beloved game. The bustling streets of Okinawa and Tokyo come to life in stunning detail with reimagined combat taking brutal brawling action to the next level. Added scenes deliver more depth and emotion to the beloved story with new and enhanced side experiences that immerse you in the world like never before, and more.
Stranger Than Heaven is an upcoming action-adventure game developed by Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio and published by Sega. The game follows a multi-decade story across five eras and five cities, centered on men searching for a place to belong. It combines close-quarters action with narrative elements, historical urban settings, and activities connected to music and performance.
No games use that relationship label.
Sources and method
Membership is researched from external official and independent sources. Mainline games, direct spin-offs, remakes, remasters, and standalone expansions are included; DLC, simple ports, duplicate editions, compilation-only duplicates, rumors, cancellations, and cameo-only crossovers are excluded.
IGDB maintains a distinct collection record for Yakuza: Like a Dragon and supplies the authoritative roster used for membership verification.
The independent catalog recognizes Like a Dragon as a multi-game franchise and supports its inclusion in this major-series research sweep.