The Yakuza franchise has always been a big hit in Japan but it has taken the series longer to find its feet and its fandom in the west. The games follow the main protagonist Kiryu Kazuma, an on/off Yakuza [depending on the title], as he faces various personal and professional dilemmas in regards to both those he cares for and his ties to the Tojo Clan. The Yakuza games have plenty of drama, with compelling storylines and deep plots, as well as a great deal of quirkiness that makes these games stand out from the crowd.
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When looking at the main numbered titles of the franchise, it's interesting to see how these titles do in terms of Metacritic scores. Therefore, here are all the mainline Yakuza games ranked.
Updated December 27, 2021 by Mark Sammut: Sega's Yakuza franchise has blown up over the last five years or so, establishing itself as a mainstream license in the west in a way that it struggled to properly accomplish during the PS2 and PS3 eras. There have been a total of 10 mainline Yakuza games, including two remakes in the form of Yakuza Kiwami and Kiwami 2. While technically spin-offs, in recent years, the Judgment side series has served as a way to preserve Yakuza's traditional beat 'em up combat while the main series explores turn-based battles starting from 2020's Yakuza: Like a Dragon. This article ranks the franchise's mainline entries by their Metacritic scores, showing which ones are generally regarded as the best Yakuza games. To provide more context, each console version's release dates and Metascores have been added.
12 Yakuza
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