Yakuza: Every Game Ranked From Worst To Best

In native Japan, the Yakuza franchise is a big deal; an open-world crime game that’s the equivalent of the Grand Theft Auto phenomena in Eastern pop-culture.

It receives annual entries, has attracted the prestige of major A-list actors to motion-capture their roles, and even spun-off its main series into zombie action or Samurai-era time-jumps. Every release is a massive event, with it even becoming the stalwart franchise for Sega in the modern age.

In the West though? It’s basically a glorified cult series, one that has had a loyal base of followers yet low sales have left every instalment an exercise in suspense of 'will they or won't they' localise it? Some of the entries have remained Japan-only releases to this day.

Yet, with the sleeper success of prequel Yakuza 0 in 2017, this franchise has garnered some serious exposure outside its homeland. The latest entry Yakuza 6: The Song Of Life, is finally making its way outside of Japan (after Sega sat on it for two years) meaning it's prime time to go back and explore the ins-and-outs of this fascinating and individual franchise.

Keep in mind though, this is a ranking of all games that saw Western releases, meaning some spin-offs (e.g. Yakuza: Ishin) won't be included.

The only spin-off to officially land in the West, the potential for the developers to mesh horror action with their uniquely Japanese touch was an enticing prospect.

Unfortunately, the shooting mechanics are all over the place; with aiming a chore and the camera frustrating. You’ll eventually adjust, but it's a shame the developers didn’t bring their A-game in this respect, especially since the following year they made the exceptionally polished (and underrated) shooter, Binary Domain.

Also, attempts to shoehorn in open-world exploration - with isolated areas that display regular Japanese city life - feel uneven and lazy in their execution.

Casual players will be turned off by its flaws, but still, there’s plenty stuff to recommend for dedicated fans with a surprisingly decent plot-line that's enjoyable in the manner of some wacky fan-fiction.

The character roster is also the best line-up from any of the games, with fan-favourite Majima playable for the first time. His segment is particularly fun as he jumps into the B-movie plot with all the joy of a kid in a candy store.

Certainly, it's a failure as a zombie shooter, as well as a Yakuza game, yet it doesn’t outstay its welcome, and features an off-the-wall goofy flavour that's contiguously enjoyable - especially when one of its playable characters sports a DIY Gatling gun for an arm.