Yakuza The Yakuza series has consistently entertained as a crime adventure since its debut on the PS2. While the series has incorporated RPG elements throughout, "Ryu ga Gotoku" for the first time employs a traditional turn-based battle system.

On the other hand, Yakuza: Yakuza: The Last of Us has been available in Japan for several months now, but will not be released in the West until much later this year. Note, however, that it does not have English subtitles. Unless you speak Japanese, you may want to wait until an official translation is available. Until then, here is what you need to know.

In some respects, the release date for Yakuza: Like a Dragon was already set for January 16. Of course, that is the release date in Japan, which does not bode well for Western fans.

The game will be released on November 10 for Xbox consoles, PS4, and PC in Western territories. PS5 fans, however, will have to wait until March 2, 2021. (Of course, they can still play the PS4 version on PS5 until then.)

Structurally, Yakuza, Like a Dragon: Like a Dragon is similar to the other games in the series. You control several members of the Yakuza, but this time the game takes place in Yokohama rather than Tokyo. As you complete various side quests, you will solidify your position as a powerful yakuza. The game also offers karaoke and kart racing.

Yakuza: Yakuza: Like Dragons differs from previous entries in the series in that it uses turn-based combat rather than real-time combat. This is not as big a difference as it may seem at first glance. While Yakuza has always been an action/crime series, it has always included RPG elements, such as side quests and character upgrades.

Players play as up-and-coming yakuza, Kasuga Ichiban, and hire a team of playable characters to help them rise in the world of organized crime. Each character has a variety of classes to choose from. Battles are strategically and deliberately paced and require the use of a variety of special abilities to succeed. While some players seem to enjoy this system, others miss the action-oriented battles of earlier games.

Interestingly, "Yakuza": The game "Ryu ga Gotoku" is not the first project to bear this title; in 2007, Takashi Miike, perhaps the most prolific film director in Japan, directed a film of the same name. The film Yakuza: Like a Dragon, while not directly related to the new game, is certainly based on the Yakuza game series.

Unfortunately, like most films based on video games, Yakuza, Like a Dragon: Like a Dragon is not that good. Like the game, the film is all over the place tonally, but the mix of hard-boiled noir and bizarre situations doesn't work well in a two-hour film.

If you have a morbid curiosity, you can usually find "Yakuza: Like a Dragon" streaming online: if you have a morbid curiosity, you can find "Yakuza: Like a Dragon" streaming online or on DVD at You can find it. But it won't affect your enjoyment of the game.

In September 2019, the official PlayStation YouTube channel posted a trailer for Yakuza: Like a Dragon. It sets up the story and shows what you will be doing in the game:

You can also check out the cinematic trailer that was shown at the Xbox Series X gameplay event in May 2020:

Crime Yes. There is action. There is weirdness. That's the Yakuza series, and you'll be able to play the latest installment later this year.