Yakuza Kiwami is a 2016 action-adventure game created by Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio and published by Sega. It is a remake of Yakuza, the first game in the Yakuza series, which was originally released for the PlayStation 2. Yakuza Kiwami was first released for PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4 in Japan on January 21, 2016. It later came out for PlayStation 4 in Europe and North America on August 29, 2017. The game was also made available on Windows through Steam worldwide on February 19, 2019, on Xbox One on April 21, 2020, on Amazon Luna on December 22, 2022, on Nintendo Switch on October 24, 2024, and on Nintendo Switch 2 on November 13, 2025. Versions for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S were released on December 8, 2025.
The story follows Kazuma Kiryu, who is removed from his clan after taking responsibility for his boss’s murder. After spending 10 years in prison, Kiryu searches for his missing friends. The remake includes new story elements, such as Akira Nishikiyama’s wrongdoing during Kiryu’s imprisonment and the ongoing conflicts between Kiryu and his rival, Goro Majima. The gameplay was changed to resemble the earlier game Yakuza 0, with the goal of improving the fighting system.
Sega planned to remake the first Yakuza game in 2015 as part of the series’ 10th anniversary but delayed the project because their team was focused on making Yakuza 0. After Yakuza 0’s success, Sega began working on the remake. They aimed to add new story elements and make the game more enjoyable than the original. Players and critics liked the game, and it sold well. Some praised the simple combat, while others had mixed opinions about the story and side missions. The Majima Everywhere system, which adds humor, was widely appreciated. Yakuza Kiwami was followed by Yakuza 6: The Song of Life in 2016 and another remake of the second game, titled Yakuza Kiwami 2, in 2017.
Gameplay
Yakuza Kiwami is a game where players explore and fight in an open world. It is played from a third-person view, meaning players see the main character, Kazuma Kiryu, from the outside. The game takes place in Kamurocho, a fictional area inspired by Kabukichō, a real district in Tokyo. Players follow the main story and can also meet people on the streets who offer side quests for rewards. Enemies appear randomly for players to fight.
The game uses a combat system similar to Yakuza 0. Players can choose between four fighting styles: Brawler (balanced), Beast (slow and strong), Rush (fast but weak), and Dragon (Kiryu’s traditional style). Players earn money and experience points by defeating enemies or completing side quests. Experience points help upgrade Kiryu, such as learning new moves or increasing his health. Money can be used to buy equipment, healing items, or play minigames like gambling, karaoke, or the card game Mesuking. Completing certain tasks gives special currency called Completion Points, which can be used for extra rewards like items or upgrades.
A new feature called "Majima Everywhere" replaces the Mr. Shakedown system from Yakuza 0. In this system, the character Goro Majima appears randomly during exploration or in challenges based on the player’s progress. Majima may also show up during minigames like darts or bowling to fight Kiryu. Beating Majima in different situations raises the player’s rank in "Majima Everywhere" and unlocks new abilities for Kiryu’s Dragon fighting style.
Plot
The game follows a story similar to the original Yakuza. It focuses on Kazuma Kiryu, a yakuza lieutenant played by Takaya Kuroda. Kiryu takes blame for the murder of his leader, Sohei Dojima, which was committed by his best friend, Akira Nishikiyama, played by Kazuhiro Nakaya. Kiryu spends ten years in prison before being released. After his release, he learns that Nishikiyama has become a powerful and cold-hearted yakuza boss. He also discovers that his childhood friend and girlfriend, Yumi Sawamura, played by Maaya Sakamoto, has disappeared. Everyone is searching for ten billion yen stolen from Kiryu’s former organization, the Tojo Clan. As conflicts erupt between different groups, including government agents and the Triad, Kiryu decides to find Yumi and the missing money. He also works to protect Haruka, a mysterious young girl played by Rie Kugimiya, who is being targeted by others. In the end, Nishikiyama, feeling remorse, sacrifices himself to kill Haruka’s father, Kyohei Jingu, played by Hiroaki Yoshida, a corrupt politician. Yumi dies in Kiryu’s arms after being shot. Instead of giving up or being arrested, Kiryu leaves the Tojo Clan and becomes Haruka’s adoptive father.
The story also includes two new plotlines focusing on Nishikiyama and Goro Majima, a ruthless Tojo captain played by Hidenari Ugaki, who is Kiryu’s rival. Nishikiyama’s story is shown through flashbacks and describes his journey toward madness. After Dojima’s murder and Kiryu’s arrest, the Dojima Family tries to find the killer while mocking Nishikiyama. In 1996, the Kazama Family gives Nishikiyama his own group to lead, expecting him to care for Kiryu now that he is no longer part of the Tojo Clan. However, Nishikiyama proves to be a poor leader. His family captain, Matsushige, played by Hitoshi Ikeda, disrespects him and earns more respect from his men. When Nishikiyama’s sister, Yuko, needs a heart transplant, he asks Matsushige to get money for her. Matsushige robs stores in the Kazama territory to raise funds. Osamu Kashiwagi, played by Shunsuke Sakuya, the Kazama Family captain, punishes Nishikiyama but later tells him Kiryu would be a better leader. Nishikiyama becomes convinced the Kazama Family hates him after being accused of being unfit to lead. He later learns the doctor who treated Yuko was a fraud and had already taken the money. Yuko dies, and Nishikiyama prepares to commit seppuku, but Matsushige stops him. After years of disrespect, Nishikiyama kills Matsushige and confesses to Dojima’s murder before using blood to style his hair, becoming the changed man Kiryu meets in the main story.
Goro Majima returns as a sadomasochistic yakuza who dislikes fighting Kiryu. Despite this, Majima admires Kiryu’s strength and sees him as a perfect opponent. When Kiryu is released from prison, Majima is disappointed that Kiryu’s fighting skills have weakened. He creates strange situations to force Kiryu to fight and regain his strength. Though they fight, Majima helps Kiryu defeat members of the Dojima Family. He even tells Kiryu he does not want revenge for the death of Futoshi Shimano. After Kiryu regains his skills, Majima challenges him to a final fight, which Kiryu wins. However, Majima enjoys fighting Kiryu and promises to keep challenging him for fun.
Development
Series writer Masayoshi Yokoyama said Sega planned to develop Kiwami in 2015. The company wanted to help gamers enjoy the first Yakuza game with updated quality. However, Sega was working on Yakuza 0 at the time. Positive reactions to Yakuza 0 led to the creation of Kiwami. The franchise’s 10th anniversary and the engine used for Yakuza 0 also helped, according to Yokoyama. Gameplay was designed to be easy for newcomers, with options to save progress anytime. Some ideas included changing the cast and recordings from the original games, but the team decided too many changes would make the remake less appealing.
Instead of making Kiwami look like a retro game from the original PlayStation 2, the gameplay was made similar to eighth-generation games, especially Yakuza 0. This required the team to compare the graphics and audio quality of a next-generation console with the original console, which made them question if parts of the game, like the original camera system, had issues. New voice actors were added, including Tomokazu Sugita, who plays Shinji. His character remained true to his relationship with Kiryu despite their different ranks. The story was expanded to increase the game’s length and include new minigames. The fighting system was taken from Yakuza 0, focusing on grinding. Like Yakuza 0, Kiwami includes intense violence, especially in Heat Action sequences. Yokoyama said the team aimed to make these sequences as intense as possible.
The story was expanded to explore characters who had limited roles in the original game. Because of Goro Majima’s popularity, he often clashed with Kiryu in sidequests. His character was shaped by previous games to keep him motivated, as seen in Yakuza 0. Kiwami improved the game’s resolution, frame rate, textures, and loading times compared to the original. Additional content was added to clarify confusing plot points and connect the story more closely to Yakuza 0.
A steelbook edition was released with the Western launch. A Windows version came out on February 19, 2019. The game was released for Xbox One on April 21, 2020, for Amazon Luna on December 22, 2022, and for Nintendo Switch on October 24, 2024.
On September 24, 2025, SEGA and Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio announced an enhanced version of Yakuza Kiwami for Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC via Steam. This version added new languages, including French, German, Italian, Spanish, Latin American Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, Russian, and Simplified Chinese. It was released on November 13, 2025, for Nintendo Switch 2, and on December 8, 2025, for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.
Reception
Yakuza Kiwami has an average score of 80 out of 100 on Metacritic, which means most reviews are positive. On OpenCritic, 80% of critics recommend the game, with an average score of 81 out of 100. Reviewers noted improvements in the fighting system, as Kiryu can perform more moves than in the previous game, Yakuza 0. IGN and GameSpot compared these changes positively to Yakuza 0. Game Informer said the fighting system was "simple and satisfying," as Kiryu could perform intense techniques easily. Polygon criticized the need to repeat many fights against Majima, which could drain the player’s health. Eurogamer praised the interactions with Majima, both for the grinding process and the character’s humor. Destructoid said the game was enjoyable but criticized boss fights for regenerating health and reusing styles from Yakuza 0. Game Informer also criticized side missions for being repetitive, though they praised the encounters with Majima. GameSpot said exploring Kamurocho felt less exciting compared to other open worlds in games.
About the story, Polygon said it was more mature and brutal than the previous game. Eurogamer praised new cutscenes involving Nishikiyama, which added depth to Kiryu’s relationship with his nemesis. GameSpot called the story "captivating," highlighting the contrast between the dark main story and the funny side missions. Game Informer had mixed opinions, saying the story felt overly dramatic and some cutscenes were too long. Destructoid said cutscenes were shorter and more entertaining than in Yakuza 4, especially scenes with Haruka. Destructoid also praised the humor in Majima’s encounters. IGN said the game’s pacing, storytelling, and length were its weakest points.
The PC version of Yakuza Kiwami has the same Metacritic score as the console versions. RPGFan praised the story but said it felt simple and linear. RPGFan and PC Invasion said the game is a good starting point for newcomers, despite its issues. Vandal said the PC port was well-made and faithful to the original PlayStation 4 game but noted the text was only in English.
Yakuza Kiwami was nominated for the "Game, Classic Revival" award at the National Academy of Video Game Trade Reviewers Awards. During its release, the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 3 versions were the top-selling games in Japan, with 103,256 copies sold for PlayStation 4 and 60,427 for PlayStation 3. Sega’s Chief Creative Officer, Toshihiro Nagoshi, said Western preorders were strong for the series. As of June 28, 2018, Yakuza 0 and Yakuza Kiwami were relaunched as PlayStation Hits. The Windows version of Kiwami was among the best-selling new releases on Steam that month. Masayoshi Yokoyama said the Switch version sold more copies than expected.
Sequel
Yakuza Kiwami 2 is a remake of Yakuza 2, created in the same style as Yakuza Kiwami. It first came out for PlayStation 4 in Japan on December 7, 2017, and was later released worldwide on August 28, 2018. The game was also made available for Windows on May 9, 2019, and for Xbox One on July 30, 2020.