Despite Sega’s own words describing the series as targeting a “niche” audience, theYakuzaseries has still surpassed 14 millions sales this year. To some extent, describingYakuzagames as “niche” isn’t wrong; they’re strange, melodramatic adventures filled with drastic tonal shifts that can be off-putting to some. Behind the veil of wacky side quests and absurd minigames that most people think of, theYakuzafranchise tells a surprisingly mature and compelling story worthy of additional exposure. That exposure has already shown some early beginnings with Xbox Game Pass, which is adding even moreYakuzagames at the end of January, as well as this March.
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Every Yakuza Game That’s Available or On the Way to Xbox Game Pass
The beginnings ofYakuza’s new rise in popularity began back in 2017, when a remake of the first and second game, alongside the series' prequel, were released in North America.Yakuza KiwamiandKiwami 2were full remakes of the first and secondYakuzagames, whileYakuza 0served as a prequel to the events of the first game.These games wouldn’t be added to Xbox Game Pass until 2020, but 2017 was whenYakuzastarted to gain traction. Leading up to the JRPG revamp inYakuza: Like a Dragon, these threeYakuzagames on Game Pass helped makeYakuzamore of a known quantity to western audiences. Now, even moreYakuzagames are headed to Game Pass.
By January 28, remastered versions ofYakuza3,4, and5will be headed to Xbox Game Pass, as well as additional platforms like Steam and the Windows 10 Store. Then, by March 25,Yakuza 6: The Song of Lifewill arrive on Xbox Game Pass (and additional PC platforms) as well. By next spring, the entire original saga ofYakuzagames will be available to play start-to-finish on Xbox Game Pass. Granted these games havebeen available on PS4 in the west since 2019, but that was strictly for the existingYakuzafans in the west looking to continue the story. Now that the whole series is coming to Game Pass, theYakuzagames have never been more available.
Yakuza May Not Be as “Niche” After Being Added to Xbox Game Pass
Even if the games are still considered “niche” at the end of the day, what better way to extend the series' popularity by increasing its exposure? That’s exactly what could happen on Game Pass, as it’s happened before for other titles. Most notably with theHaloseries andThe Master Chief Collection, Xbox Game Pass helped bring in the “largest addition of new players to the franchise sinceHalo 3,” according to 343 Industries' Bonnie Ross. Granted theYakuzaseries isn’t as much of a household name, but considering the rising popularity ofYakuza(especially withLike a Dragon) outside of Japan, addingYakuza 3-6to Game Pass may have a similar rise in popularity.
It’s especially important for a series that’slived in relative obscurity to western audiences up until the last few years. To be fair, one of the biggest barriers of bringing theYakuzaseries to the west was localization, much like many other franchises developed in Japan. More importantly, it used to be inarguably true that theYakuzaseries definitely catered to a niche audience. However, thanks to games likePersona 5and others, this new wave of “made in Japan” games has helped contribute toYakuza’s newfound popularity in the west. While calling theYakuzaseries “niche” in 2020/2021 is arguable, this new wave ofYakuzagames on Game Pass may change that.
Additional exposure, in any way, is always good for a game franchise. In the case ofYakuza, many get their first taste based on the often-joked-about minigames and side quests that delve into the more absurd depths ofYakuza. However, once players start diving deeper into what theYakuzaseries really is about, they find a surprisingly dramatic and intense action story, bolstered by beat em' up (and now turn-based JRPG) combat that’s largely unrivaled by any other modern series. Pair that with the notoriously absurd quests and activities in the game, andYakuzashows its true colors as one of the most diverse and unique gameplay experiences available today.
The Yakuza Remastered Collectioncomes to Xbox Game Pass on Jul 22, 2025.
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