Pirates, Remakes and a Jazz-Age Gamble: RGG Studio's Busiest Two Years

Twenty years ago, Toshihiro Nagoshi had trouble getting a crime drama about a Tokyo gangster approved at Sega. Executives doubted it would sell, and the violence and adult content worried the people who rate games in Japan. The first Yakuza came out in Japan on December 8, 2005 anyway. By November 2024, the series had sold more than 28 million copies.

The studio behind it, now called Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio or RGG Studio, may be the most productive team in AAA. Between February 2025 and February 2026 it shipped a pirate spin-off, a Switch 2 version of a fan favourite and a major remake, while preparing a completely new series. In January 2027 comes the biggest risk of all: Stranger Than Heaven, a crime story told across five decades of Japanese history.

From Yakuza to Like a Dragon

The series began with Kazuma Kiryu, a former gangster with a strong moral code, fighting his way through Kamurocho, a fictional district based on Tokyo's real Kabukicho. Over the years it became famous for its unusual mix: serious crime drama in the main story, and silly side quests, karaoke and arcade games everywhere else.

In 2019, Yakuza: Like a Dragon handed the lead role to Ichiban Kasuga and switched to turn-based battles. In 2022, Sega confirmed it would use the name Like a Dragon for the whole series around the world, matching the Japanese title Ryu ga Gotoku. Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, the eighth main game, sold 1 million copies in its first week in 2024.

Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii: Majima sets sail

Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii arrived on February 21, 2025, a week earlier than first planned, on PC, PlayStation and Xbox. It stars Goro Majima, the series' unpredictable fan favourite, washed up on a Hawaiian island with no memory. He builds a pirate crew, takes command of a ship called the Goromaru and fights other pirates in real-time sea battles, boarding enemy ships once their health is gone.

On land, Majima switches between two fighting styles: the fast Mad Dog and the new Sea Dog, with twin cutlasses and pistols. For the first time in the series, you can juggle enemies with combos in mid-air. The game began life as a standalone expansion after the success of Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name, but grew to around 1.3 to 1.4 times the size of Gaiden's main story.

Speed is part of the plan. Development started shortly before Infinite Wealth had even shipped, and the team chose Hawaii partly so it could keep using the setting, which it had built for Infinite Wealth, beyond a single game. Director Masayoshi Yokoyama picked the pirate theme simply to try something different. The usual distractions are all here too: karaoke, Crazy Delivery and Dragon Kart return, and a new side story called Masaru's Love Journey joins them. Hidden among the extras are playable Sega classics, including Space Harrier 3-D and the arcade gun game The Ocean Hunter.

Critics enjoyed the change of scenery. It scored 81 on Metacritic for PC and 87 for Xbox Series X|S, and 84% of critics recommended it on OpenCritic. Famitsu gave it 36 out of 40, and it won an Award for Excellence at the Japan Game Awards 2025.

Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties: a remake that split the room

In June 2025, Yakuza 0 Director's Cut launched as a timed exclusive for Nintendo Switch 2. Then, on February 12, 2026, came the studio's biggest remake: Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties. It rebuilds the 2009 Yakuza 3, in which Kiryu runs an orphanage in Okinawa, with new combat and visuals. It comes bundled with Dark Ties, a new prequel starring Yoshitaka Mine, one of the series' most memorable villains.

The reception was mixed. GameReactor gave it 9/10 and Push Square 8/10, praising the size of the package. IGN gave it 7/10, and GameSpot and Nintendo Life 6/10, citing pacing, story changes and a voice recasting controversy. On OpenCritic it settled at a 74 top-critic average, with 62% of critics recommending it. Several reviewers said Dark Ties was the highlight.

For newcomers, the package is still a good deal: a full remake, a new prequel campaign, new side stories and extra modes in a single purchase, on every current platform including Switch 2 and even PS4. The debate is mostly among long-time fans, who know the 2009 original well enough to notice every line that changed.

Stranger Than Heaven: five eras, one musician

At The Game Awards in December 2024, RGG Studio revealed a mysterious game known only as Project Century. Its real name, Stranger Than Heaven, came in June 2025. It is due on January 15, 2027 for PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X|S.

The game follows Makoto Daito, a Japanese-American orphan who stows away on a ship from San Francisco to Japan. He is played by Yu Shirota. The story moves through five districts in five different years: Kokura and Fukuoka in 1915, Kure in 1929, Minami in Osaka in 1943, Atami in 1951 and Shinjuku in Tokyo in 1965. Each stop is a different Japan, from the early 20th century through wartime Osaka and postwar Atami to the neon Tokyo of the 1960s.

Music sits at the centre of the game. Makoto records sounds around him that composers can turn into new pieces, and he runs musical shows as a showman. Mikinobu Abe directs, with Hiroyuki Sakamoto producing, who also produced Pirate Yakuza.

By the numbers

• December 8, 2005: the first Yakuza launches in Japan
• 28 million+: Like a Dragon series copies sold as of November 2024
• 40/40: Famitsu's perfect score for Yakuza 5, the series' best
• 84%: critics recommending Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii on OpenCritic
• 74: Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties' top-critic average
• 5: eras visited in Stranger Than Heaven

Why it matters

RGG Studio's strength has always been speed. It reuses its engine, its cities and even its maps, and fans forgive the familiar surroundings because the stories and side content keep surprising them. Pirate Yakuza shows how far that formula can stretch: a spin-off with ship battles, pirates and a karaoke machine that still reviews well.

Kiwami 3 shows its limits. Remaking a much-loved game invites comparisons, and changes that would be fine in a new story felt like losses here. That makes Stranger Than Heaven the studio's most important release in years. It has no Kiryu, no Kamurocho and no history to lean on, and its music system is unlike anything in the series so far. If it lands, RGG Studio proves it is more than the Yakuza factory.

What to play next

• New to the series: Yakuza 0 is still the best starting point, and it is now on Switch 2 as well.
• For pure fun: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii is a self-contained adventure, though it makes most sense after Infinite Wealth.
• What to watch: Stranger Than Heaven on January 15, 2027.

For another studio rebuilding its past, see our remaster and remake boom feature.