The Like a Dragon franchise, which was known as Yakuza in the West until very recently, is a longstanding but still growingly popular series that has a huge breadth of content to offer fans. With series installments coming out faster than ever nearly two decades after its initial launch, there is understandably a huge amount of mainline games that come under the LaD catalog.
Given the abundance of releases that have come out under the Like a Dragon and Yakuza name, it can often be difficult for fans to get a clear understanding of which order to play the games, or at the very least what the chronological order of the titles is. Spanning over the course of nearly four decades and often going back and forth on the time in which it is set, the story and games of the Like a Dragon franchise have a fascinating chronology that deserves to be outlined.
Yakuza 0
Despite releasing in 2015, the extremely popular title Yakuza 0 is actually the first title in the franchise that players should experience. Set in the 1980s during the boom of Japan's economy, Yakuza 0 sees fan-favorite protagonist Kazuma Kiryu as a wild-eyed 20-year-old, while also featuring other series favorite Goro Majima as a drastically different 24-year-old.
Taking place between 1988 and 1989, Yakuza 0 is by far the earliest-set game in the mainline franchise, offering a unique and charming aesthetic befitting of the period. WIth many considering Yakuza 0 to be one of the best franchise titles, it is as good a place as any for fans to begin experiencing the series.
Yakuza Kiwami and Kiwami 2
The series' next chronological steps come with the recent remakes of Yakuza 1 and 2, now named Yakuza Kiwami and Yakuza Kiwami 2. Using the popular Dragon Engine that is now a staple of the franchise, the Kiwami games retell the original stories that launched the series, showcasing Kiryu's first real struggles with the concept of power. Kiwami 1 begins in the year 1995, although most of the title is played in 2005. Its direct sequel,Yakuza Kiwami 2, takes place shortly afterwards in the year 2006, with both games telling intimate but deeply important narratives.
Yakuza 3, Yakuza 4, and Yakuza 5
The next three games chronologically within the franchise are sensibly Yakuza 3, 4, and 5. While this trio of games has yet to get the same Dragon Engine remake treatment that the original two games have received, these three titles are available in a remastered Yakuza trilogy collection, which released in 2019.
Yakuza 3 takes place between the years of 2007 and 2009, introducing the new picturesque location of Okinawa and showing a much softer paternal side to Kiryu. Yakuza 4 then takes place mostly in the year 2010, and revolutionized the franchise formula by introducing four playable protagonists that the player shifts between throughout the game.
Yakuza 5 continues this trend, upping the ante and introducing five protagonists that the player controls over the course of the title. This title skips forward a few years, taking place mostly within 2012, although some flashback sequences are set prior to this.
Yakuza 6: The Song of Life
Yakuza 6 was the first title to showcase the aforementioned Dragon Engine, releasing in 2016. With the increased capabilities and scale of this new game engine, the title boasts a huge range of stunning locations, while reverting back to the single protagonist formula to showcase the end of Kiryu's arc as the primary franchise lead.
Giving further credence to the massive scope of this particular title, Yakuza 6 takes place between the years 2012 and 2016, exceeding the timeframe range of most other mainline series installments. When considering the gravitas behind the game marking an end of Kiryu's saga, it is no wonder that the title has such an expansive timeframe in which it is set.
Yakuza: Like a Dragon
Yakuza: Like a Dragon marks a momentous shift in the franchise formula, ditching the traditional beat 'em up gameplay that the series had become known for in favor of a bold new JRPG system. Not only this, but the game also launched the character arc of Ichiban Kasuga, the brand-new face of the franchise who will essentially replace the role that Kiryu held for so long.
Befitting of such a new experience, Yakuza: Like a Dragon takes place three years after the events of Yakuza 6, taking place primarily in 2019 while earlier segments take place in 2000. As the series moves forward narratively as well as temporally it must modernize and adapt, and Like a Dragon is a perfect example of this need being met in a successful way.
Like a Dragon 8
Like a Dragon 8 is the recently announced and upcoming latest addition to the franchise, and it's the first mainline title to fully ditch the Yakuza moniker. Surprisingly, it's also set to be the stage for a return of Kiryu alongside Ichiban, with the two acting as dual protagonists; the ambition and subsequent hype surrounding the game is clear to see.
While not a lot is currently known of the title other than its protagonists and that it will return to the iconic franchise location of Kamurocho, there is still a lot that can be inferred from what fans have already been shown. With Kiryu sporting a wildly different never-before-seen look, it is safe to say that Like a Dragon 8 will take place after its predecessor, bringing the Like a Dragon chronology to its most recent point.