Yakuza 0 is a prequel that arrived in Japan in March 2015 for PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4, then took its time reaching everywhere else. North America and Europe got it on PlayStation 4 in January 2017. Windows followed on 1 August 2018, Xbox One on 26 February 2020. An enhanced version, Yakuza 0: Director’s Cut, hit Nintendo Switch 2 on 5 June 2025 and other platforms on December 8 of that year.
The series was obscure in the West before this one. Yakuza 0 is the reason that changed.
Trailer, via IGDBcom.
The Empty Lot in Kamurocho
In December 1988, junior Tojo Clan yakuza Kazuma Kiryu is framed for a murder on a patch of empty land in Kamurocho. That lot is the last piece a powerful family needs for a redevelopment scheme, which makes it the most valuable ground in the city.
Kiryu abandons his clan to protect the people close to him and find out who set him up. In Osaka, disgraced former yakuza Goro Majima runs a cabaret club under constant watch, angling for a way back into the organization that cast him out. He gets an offer: redemption in exchange for an assassination.
Two Men, Two Cities, One Fight
The game alternates between Kiryu and Majima at set points. Combat runs on multiple switchable styles, and street fights are constant.
Money is the leveling currency, not experience points. Abilities come off a skill tree unlocked as you go, and every heavy attack makes enemies drop cash. That loosens the economy — healing items and shop goods run expensive to match. Special enemies called Mr. Shakedown can take everything you have if they beat you.
- Fully playable Sega arcade games, including Out Run, Super Hang-On, Space Harrier and Fantasy Zone
- Cabaret club management
- Completion Points from objectives like eating every dish at a restaurant, spendable at a shrine for items and upgrades
- Side-quests triggered by the people you meet on the street
Kamurocho and Sotenbori
The game runs from December 1988 to January 1989, during Japan’s bubble era, when real estate and stock prices were badly inflated. Kamurocho and Sotenbori are fictionalized recreations of Tokyo’s Kabukicho and Osaka’s Dotonbori.
| Kazuma Kiryu | Goro Majima | |
|---|---|---|
| City | Kamurocho, Tokyo | Sotenbori, Osaka |
| Status | Junior Tojo Clan yakuza, forced out | Disgraced former yakuza, cast out |
| Day job | None | Cabaret club manager |
| Position | Framed for murder | Offered a hit for a way back |
What Actually Holds
The plot is a land dispute, and that sounds dry until you notice the game means it. Kiryu’s frame-up and Majima’s assassination offer are the same story told from opposite ends, and the Empty Lot gives both men something concrete to fight over instead of vague honor.
The combat styles and the money economy are the weaker half. Dropping cash on every heavy attack makes the skill tree feel less like growth than bookkeeping. The arcade games and the cabaret club are the better argument.
Yakuza 0 earns its reputation as the entry point that finally made this franchise land in the West. Score: 8.6 of 10.
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