Today Sony revealed their latest monthly PlayStation Plus Essential games, but they also announced some exciting news for Yakuza fans – more or less the entire franchise will be coming to PS Plus in the coming months. More recent games, including Yakuza: Like a Dragon, Yakuza 6, Yakuza 0, and Yakuza Kiwami 1 and 2 will be available to PS Plus Extra subscribers, while Yakuza 3, 4, and 5 will only be available if you sign up for PS Plus Premium.
Here’s a quick rundown of all the Yakuza games coming to PS Plus and when they will to arrive…
Yakuza: Like a Dragon | August | PlayStation Plus Essential in August, PS Plus Extra
Level up from underdog to dragon in this action RPG. Ichiban Kasuga, a low-ranking grunt of a low-ranking yakuza family in Tokyo, returns to society after serving 18 years for a crime he didn’t commit. Uncover the truth behind his family’s betrayal while exploring – and fighting – your way across a modern-day Japanese city. Build a party from a ragtag group of society’s outcasts, spending time with them to unlock new abilities and combo skills. Take time off from your quest to immerse yourself in go-karting, arcade games or 50 substories.
Yakuza 0 | August | PlayStation Plus Extra
The glitz, glamour, and unbridled decadence of the 80s are back in Yakuza 0. Fight like hell through Tokyo and Osaka with protagonist Kazuma Kiryu and series regular Goro Majima. Play as the former to discover how he finds himself in a world of trouble when a simple debt collection goes wrong. Then, step into the silver-toed shoes of Goro Majima and explore his “normal” life as the proprietor of a cabaret club.
Yakuza Kiwami | August | PlayStation Plus Extra
The first Yakuza title debuted in 2005 on PS2. This PS4 remake rebuilds that experience from scratch. Follow the early days of Kazuma Kiryu as he returns to the streets of Japan after serving a decade-long prison sentence for a crime he didn’t commit to save his best friend.
Yakuza Kiwami 2 | August | PlayStation Plus Extra
Yakuza’s sequel receives the remake treatment, not only updating the original but expanding it with a playable adventure starring Goro Majima set before the events of the main game. A year after the events of the first Yakuza, an assassination pulls Kazuma Kiryu out of a peaceful life to broker peace between rival clans and face off against Ryuji Goda, known as the Dragon of Kansai.
Yakuza 3 Remastered | 2022 |PlayStation Plus Premium
Kazuma Kiryu had earned his retirement. Yet he’s ripped from his new life as caretaker of an orphanage when a shadow from his past threatens to entangle his new life with that of his old clan and the political world. Adventure through the sleepless city of Kamurocho, Tokyo and the tropical lands of Okinawa to help rescue his new wards.
Yakuza 4 Remastered | 2022 |PlayStation Plus Premium
The Yakuza story expands as the first time in the series you’ll control multiple protagonists, four souls – a loan shark, a death-row inmate, a corrupt cop and legendary former yakuza Kazuma Kiryu – are drawn together to solve a murder. Unravel a hidden battle over money, power, status, and honor as well as the mysterious woman at the center of it all.
Yakuza 5 Remastered | 2022 |PlayStation Plus Premium
Multiple perspectives once again shape a sprawling story as peace between the Tojo Clan and Omi Alliance disintegrates. Play as five different characters, including Kazuma Kiryu, across five major cities whose stories are interwoven as the yakuza organizations go to war.
Yakuza 6: The Song of Life | August | PlayStation Plus Extra
The conclusion of Kazuma Kiryu’s epic story sees the Dragon of Dojima take on the responsibility of foster father as he seeks to protect his young ward Haruto and discover the mystery behind the grevious attack on Haruto’s mother. Explore Onomichi, Hiroshima and with the help of some unlikely friends, delve back into a merciless criminal underworld, outwit the clans seeking Haruto and find the answers you seek.
Sony now offers three tiers of PS Plus – Essential for $10 a month, Extra for $15 a month, and Premium for $18 a month. You can explore the games available via each tier and sign up here.
I’ll admit, my history with the Yakuza series is a bit spotty, so having the series all in one place is a nice thing. Anyone planning to sign up to PS Plus to catch up with Kazuma Kiryu’s adventures?
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