Yakuza 0 is a 2015 action-adventure game created by Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio and published by Sega. It is the sixth main game in the Yakuza series and a prequel to the original game. The game was released for PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4 in Japan in March 2015, and for PlayStation 4 in North America and Europe in January 2017. It later came out for Windows on August 1, 2018, and for Xbox One on February 26, 2020. An improved version, called Yakuza 0: Director’s Cut, was released for Nintendo Switch 2 on June 5, 2025, and then on other platforms on December 8, 2025.
The story takes place in late 1988 during Japan’s bubble era, seventeen years before the events of the first game. It follows Kazuma Kiryu and Goro Majima as they become involved in a fight between different Yakuza groups over control of a piece of land known as the "Empty Lot."
The game received mostly good reviews from critics and helped increase the popularity and sales of the Yakuza series in the West. Before this, the series was not well known outside of Japan. Yakuza 0 was followed by Yakuza Kiwami, a remake of the original game and the next game in the series chronologically.
Gameplay
Yakuza 0 is an action-adventure game played in an open world and viewed from a third-person perspective. The story takes place from December 1988 to January 1989 in Kamurochō and Sotenbori, which are fictional versions of Tokyo’s Kabukichō and Osaka’s Dōtonbori areas. Players control Kazuma Kiryu, the main character, and Goro Majima, a recurring character, switching between them at specific points in the story.
Players can move freely through Kamurochō and Sotenbori, interacting with people to start side missions, fighting enemies on the street, or playing minigames, including versions of Sega arcade games like Out Run, Super Hang-On, Space Harrier, and Fantasy Zone. Completing tasks such as eating all dishes at a restaurant or achieving a target score in a minigame earns players special currency called Completion Points. These points can be used at a shrine to receive rewards like special items or character upgrades.
The game’s skill system is similar to Ryu ga Gotoku Ishin!, where players use money earned from battles or side activities to buy abilities on a skill tree. Money is more plentiful in Yakuza 0 than in earlier games, with enemies dropping cash after being defeated in heavy attacks. Because of this, items in shops are generally more expensive. Players may lose money if they face special enemies called Mr. Shakedown, who are stronger than regular foes. If defeated, players can recover their money by fighting them again, with a bonus for winning.
Kiryu and Majima also run side businesses to earn money. Kiryu invests in real estate in Kamurochō, while Majima manages a cabaret club in Sotenbori. Completing side missions often leads to characters offering help with these businesses, making it easier to progress. Advancing in these businesses or training with masters unlocks new abilities on the characters’ skill trees.
A major feature of Yakuza 0 is the ability to switch between multiple fighting styles for Kiryu and Majima during battles. Kiryu uses the balanced Brawler style, the strong but slow Beast style (which allows heavy weapon use), and the fast Rush style (based on boxing). Majima uses the balanced Thug style, the weapons-focused Slugger style (centered on a baseball bat), and the Breaker style (inspired by capoeira and breakdancing). Completing Kiryu and Majima’s side businesses unlocks additional fighting styles: “Dragon of Dojima” for Kiryu and “Mad Dog of Shimano” for Majima.
Plot
Yakuza 0 takes place from December 1988 to January 1989, during Japan’s bubble era, when real estate and stock prices were very high. The main characters are Kazuma Kiryu, a junior member of the Tojo Clan yakuza in Kamurochō who is forced out of the clan after being accused of murder, and Goro Majima, a former Tojo Clan yakuza who works as a cabaret manager in Sotenbori to earn his way back into the clan. Both men become involved in a conflict over the "Empty Lot," a small piece of land in Kamurochō that the Tojo Clan wants to buy for redevelopment. The owner of the land is Makoto Makimura, a woman who is blind due to psychological reasons and inherited the land from her grandfather.
Throughout the story, Kiryu and Majima are helped by several allies, including Akira Nishikiyama, Kiryu’s oath brother; Osamu Kashiwagi, a leader of the Kazama Family; Shintaro Kazama, the Kazama Family patriarch and a father figure to Kiryu and Nishikiyama; Tetsu Tachibana, a real estate company president who helps Kiryu; Jun Oda, Tachibana’s assistant; Reina, a bar owner and friend of Nishikiyama; Wen Hai Lee, a former assassin who runs a massage parlor; Billiken, an Osakan detective; Takashi Nihara, an acting second chairman of the Tojo Clan; and Masaru Sera, a senior Tojo Clan officer who runs a secret group within the clan.
The main enemy in the game is the Dojima Family, a yakuza group within the Tojo Clan. Their leader, Sohei Dojima, wants to become the next Tojo Clan chairman. He is helped by three lieutenants: Daisaku Kuze, Hiroki Awano, and Keiji Shibusawa, who try to find the owner of the Empty Lot and stop Kiryu and Majima. Other enemies include Tsukasa Sagawa, a high-ranking officer of the Omi Alliance (a rival group to the Tojo Clan); Homare Nishitani, a sadomasochistic Omi Alliance officer who watches Majima; Futoshi Shimano, Majima’s former leader in the Tojo Clan; and Lao Gui, a Chinese assassin hired by Dojima to frame Kiryu for the murder of the Empty Lot’s owner.
In December 1988, Kiryu is accused of murdering someone in an empty lot in Kamurochō. Because the Empty Lot is the last piece of land needed for the Tojo Clan’s redevelopment plan, Sohei Dojima wants to take it to gain power. To protect his adoptive father, Shintaro Kazama, from punishment for the murder, Kiryu leaves the Dojima Family after fighting with Kuze, one of Dojima’s lieutenants.
Kiryu meets Tetsu Tachibana, a real estate agent who promises to help clear Kiryu’s name if he helps him buy the Empty Lot before Dojima. After Kiryu and Jun Oda, Tachibana’s assistant, interfere with squatters connected to the Dojima Family, Kuze and other Dojima lieutenants demand Kiryu hand over Tachibana. Kiryu refuses, so the Dojima Family starts hunting him. His oath brother, Akira Nishikiyama, cuts ties with Kiryu to keep him safe. Tachibana tells Kiryu that the owner of the Empty Lot is his estranged sister, Makoto Makimura, who inherited the land from their grandfather and lives in Sotenbori, Osaka.
In Sotenbori, Majima works as a cabaret club manager because he was punished for his role in a murder in 1985. He is watched by Tsukasa Sagawa, an Omi Alliance officer who is ordered by Majima’s former leader, Futoshi Shimano, to keep an eye on him. Sagawa offers Majima a chance to rejoin the Shimano Family by killing Makoto, who is blind due to psychological reasons.
Majima finds Makoto under the protection of Wen Hai Lee, a former assassin. After deciding to protect Makoto, Lee suggests killing a look-alike of Makoto to trick Sagawa, but Majima refuses. Instead, Shibusawa’s assistant, Homare Nishitani, kills the look-alike to draw Majima’s attention. Sagawa sends men to kill Majima and Makoto. Sagawa sets a trap to kill Lee, then tries to kill Majima and Makoto, but is stopped by Masaru Sera, an ally of Kazama, who takes Makoto away. After an investigation, Majima and Sagawa confront Sera and learn that he turned Makoto over to Kiryu.
Kiryu and Oda take Makoto to Kamurochō but are chased by Shibusawa’s men. Oda, who is revealed to be a spy for Shibusawa, tries to kill Kiryu and Makoto. After being stopped by Kiryu, Oda explains that he and Tachibana were former Chinese gangsters in Japan. At one time, Makoto moved to Japan to find her brother but was sold to a Korean gang by Oda, where she was abused and became blind. Oda found out about Makoto’s identity after Tachibana saw her in a documentary and feared punishment. He later helps Kiryu and Makoto escape before being killed by Shibusawa.
Kiryu meets Tachibana, who reveals that he knew Makoto was looking for him. Tachibana also explains that he told Kazama about Makoto’s inheritance of the Empty Lot, and Kazama helped him start a company to protect Makoto from Dojima, who planned to destroy the Kazama Family. With their goals aligned, Kiryu and Tachibana flee, but Tachibana is captured by Dojima’s assassin, Lao Gui, who is the real murderer of the Empty Lot’s owner. Tachibana is tortured to death by Dojima’s member Yoneda, acting on orders from Kuze. Kiryu and Nishikiyama defeat Yoneda and his men. Makoto finds her brother’s body and regains some vision.
Meanwhile, Majima learns that Shimano ordered the kill to pressure Majima into getting Makoto to hand over the Empty Lot. Majima finds Makoto in the Empty Lot, where she plans revenge for Tachibana’s death. Despite Majima’s concerns, Makoto meets Dojima and offers the land in exchange for killing his lieutenants. Dojima refuses and has her shot. Sera takes Makoto to a hospital, but Shibusawa captures her on a ship. Kiryu and his allies rescue Makoto, while Majima fights the Dojima Family at the Tojo Clan headquarters. Awano dies trying to save Majima from Lao Gui. Nishikiyama stops Kiryu from killing Shibusawa, and both he and Kuze are arrested. Majima defeats Lao Gui for framing Kiryu and
Development
The game was first announced during a special Yakuza event on August 24, 2014, along with a trailer. Thirty AV idols, chosen by fans in a previous poll, were announced to appear in the game, with the top 10 having larger roles and the top 5 appearing as the highest-ranking hostesses in the cabaret club minigame. A Chinese-language version of the game was announced in 2014 and released in Asia in May 2015. The group Shonan no Kaze performed the game’s main theme, "Bubble," and ending theme, "Kurenai." These songs were not used in the English version due to licensing issues, and original instrumental tracks were added instead.
Sega wanted Majima to be different from Kiryu, as both are main characters. Sega described Kiryu as a "straight man trait—tough but honorable and private," which made him easier to write. Through this game and the remake of the first game, Kiwami, the relationship between Kiryu and Majima was explored more deeply than in the original game. Changes to Majima’s character and his views on Kiryu’s actions showed that the two are both friends and enemies. Yakuza 0 also included a part of Kiryu’s story that Sega wanted players to know before Yakuza 6. Kiryu’s traits in Yakuza 0 were changed to make him more impulsive and hot-headed, surprising longtime fans. However, producer Masayoshi Yokoyama said Kiryu would grow more mature as the story progressed. The localization team aimed to make Majima and Kiryu more likable, though Scott Strichart noted that Kiryu was more popular in Western countries. Despite Kiryu’s fame, Sato mentioned that players enjoyed Majima more in the series.
A free PlayStation Vita app titled Yakuza 0: Free to Play Application for PlayStation Vita was released in Japan in February 2015.
The Chinese version of the game replaced the character Lao Gui, a Chinese assassin hired by the Dojima Family, with the face model and voice of Hong Kong actor Sam Lee.
On December 5, 2015, at PlayStation Experience in San Francisco, Sony Computer Entertainment’s Gio Corsi announced that Yakuza 0 would be released in the Americas for PlayStation 4. At first, there was no official confirmation for a European release. In July 2016, it was announced that the game would be released in North America and Europe for PlayStation 4 in January 2017.
The Western localization of the game was led by Scott Strichart, associate producer of Atlus USA, who also localized Yakuza Kiwami, Yakuza Kiwami 2, and Yakuza 6. The team spent one and a half years localizing Yakuza 0, which has 1.8 million Japanese characters—nearly twice as many as the average Japanese role-playing game, which has 1 to 1.2 million characters. Challenges included translating humor and making traditional Asian games like Mahjong and Shogi accessible to Western players. To help players understand these games, Atlus provided detailed rules alongside gameplay. Strichart said the team wrote "34 pages of Mahjong explanation" during the process.
A PC version of the game included English and Japanese languages, as well as Traditional Chinese and Korean languages exclusive to the Microsoft Store version.
The Yakuza 0 Director’s Cut was announced as a timed exclusive for the Nintendo Switch 2 during a Nintendo Direct presentation on April 2, 2025. It was released on June 5, 2025, as a launch title for the console. This version includes new cutscenes, English and Chinese voiceover dubs, an online multiplayer mode called Red Light Raid, and localization in French, German, Italian, Spanish, and Simplified Chinese. Additional localizations in Latin American Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, and Russian were added through a title update. It also includes the licensed tracks from the Japanese version. The game runs at a locked 60 frames per second on the Nintendo Switch 2 and at 4K resolution in TV mode when using the console.
During the RGG Summit on September 24, 2025, it was announced that the remastered version of the game would be released on other platforms on December 8, 2025.
Reception
Yakuza 0 received "generally favorable" reviews from critics, with the Xbox One version earning "universal acclaim" according to Metacritic. Of 153 critic reviews on OpenCritic, 95% recommended the game, with an average score of 86 out of 100.
PlayStation LifeStyle gave the import version a 9 out of 10, calling it the best in the series and stating it was the result of 10 years of improving the game’s design. Famitsu scored the game 36 out of 40 on both platforms. Eurogamer ranked Yakuza 0 45th on their list of the "Top 50 Games of 2017," while Polygon ranked it 44th on their list of the 50 best games of 2017. The Verge included it in their list of 15 Best Video Games of 2017.
The game’s fighting system was often praised for its intensity. However, IGN noted that the system might feel too simple because players often press buttons repeatedly. GameInformer compared the random battles to arcade-style games and praised the grinding system, which is needed because later chapters are very challenging. GameSpot criticized the gameplay, calling it outdated despite improvements from earlier PlayStation 3 versions, though the reviewer enjoyed the fighting system and grinding aspects. PlayStation LifeStyle praised the interactions with minor characters and the heat function, which allows Kiryu and Majima to perform cinematic moves, though they were only slightly stronger than regular moves. The cabaret club minigame was described as "addictive" and "the best part" of the game.
Reviewers also discussed the story and characters, especially because the game is a prequel. Some writers found Majima’s character more interesting than Kiryu. EGMNOW appreciated the contrast between the two main characters in the story. The Jimquisition called both characters "likeable protagonists" who often find themselves in unusual situations. GamesRadar praised the frequent switching between protagonists, which helps keep the story fresh. Polygon had mixed feelings about the cast, noting that antagonists sometimes become trustworthy despite their violent actions and that female characters are poorly treated in both the main story and minigames. GameSpot highlighted the story as the game’s greatest strength, praising its cutscenes, serious tone, and voice acting. PlayStation LifeStyle said Yakuza 0 has the best narrative in the series, praising its fast pace and portrayal of the 1980s.
Yakuza 0 Director’s Cut received a 9 out of 10 from Nintendo Life, who praised the game’s visuals, performance, new story content, and narrative quality. They called it "easily the best traditional Yakuza game" for newcomers but criticized the English dub as "surprisingly poor" and the fighting system as "a little repetitive." Hardcore Gamer gave the Director’s Cut a 4.5 out of 5, praising the game’s performance, new cutscenes, and the ability to save progress anywhere and play at 60 frames per second with 4K resolution support. They noted the lack of accessibility options. Nintendo World Report gave the Director’s Cut an 8.5 out of 10, praising the combat, sidestories, and minigames but saying the story was better without the new cutscenes. HobbyConsolas gave the Director’s Cut a score of 83 out of 100, crediting the Spanish language option but noting it could have more quality-of-life features.
The game debuted at number 1 on Japan’s software chart in its first week. The PlayStation 3 version sold 146,000 units, and the PlayStation 4 version sold 90,000 units. As of June 2015, the game sold over 500,000 copies in Japan and Asia. Sega president Haruki Satomi stated that the Chinese version sold more than expected.
In the UK, Yakuza 0 was the 8th best-selling game in the week of January 28. Stock shortages indicated the game sold far beyond expectations.
The Japanese version of Yakuza 0 won a Japan Game Awards Award for Excellence in the Future Division (for pre-release games shown at the Tokyo Game Show) in 2014. It was nominated for "Best PS4 Game" in Destructoid’s Game of the Year Awards 2017 and for "Best Action-Adventure Game" in IGN’s Best of 2017 Awards. It also became a runner-up for "Best Style" in Giant Bomb’s 2017 Game of the Year Awards. The game won the "Best Main Character" award (Goro Majima) in Game Informer’s 2017 Game of the Year Awards.