It’s the holiday season, and in an early gift to fans of the Like A Dragon franchise, developers RGG Studios and publisher SEGA just held a small direct for Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties. If you missed it don’t worry I have covered the most interest information from the direct presentation below.
For those who don’t know what a Kiwami game is in this franchise, the easiest way to explain it is as a remake. However, in truth, they are more of a reimagining… often adding significant content to the games they are based on. Often in the form of additional side stories to add context to particular moments or characters. In this regard, Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties isn’t that different from the previous Kiwami remakes of Yakuza 1 and 2. However, as the name suggests, Yakuza Kiwami 3 is further expanded by being packaged with a prequel game, hence the & Dark Ties part of the name.
In Dark Ties, you’ll play as Yoshitaka Mine a character who is well known to those that have previously played Yakuza 3. Dark Ties will see Mine assisting his lieutenant, Tsuyoshi Kanda, as he seeks to bolster his reputation and rise in the ranks by resolving a series of dramatic substories, local disputes, tasks and missions.
During the direct, we got a look at Yoshitaka Mine’s fighting style and his ability to unleash the darkness inside. Speaking of fighting, in Dark Ties, you’ll be able to take on Hell’s Arena, an underground fight club which acts as a treasure-filled dungeon of sorts.
Of course, this direct wasn’t just about this new prequel game. I mean, it’s called Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties after all. Thankfully, the Yakuza 3 portion of this package is also getting tons of new content, from an extra fighting style for Kiryu, the Okinawa-inspired Ryukyu Style, to new mini-games and things to do at Morning Glory.
Then we have the brand new Bad Boy Dragon, where Kiryu will join the small-time Haisai Girls gang. In this new mode, you’ll build out a squad of twenty and upgrade them as you do battle against rival gangs, in a quest to keep the peace in Okinawa. You will also be able to customize your gang uniforms and motorcycles.
Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties launches on February 12th, 2026, on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch 2 and Steam.
