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Yakuza Kiwami 2

Yakuza Kiwami 2 Game Cover
96%Game Brain Score
story, gameplay
grinding, stability
96% User Score Based on 10,728 reviews

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Yakuza Kiwami 2 Game Cover

About

Yakuza Kiwami 2 is a single player and multiplayer open world hack and slash game with a violence theme. It was developed by Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio and was released on July 29, 2020. It received overwhelmingly positive reviews from players.

There can only be one dragon.

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Yakuza Kiwami 2 screenshot
Yakuza Kiwami 2 screenshot
Yakuza Kiwami 2 screenshot
Yakuza Kiwami 2 screenshot
Yakuza Kiwami 2 screenshot
Yakuza Kiwami 2 screenshot
Yakuza Kiwami 2 screenshot
Yakuza Kiwami 2 screenshot
Yakuza Kiwami 2 screenshot
Yakuza Kiwami 2 screenshot
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96%
Audience ScoreBased on 10,728 reviews
story1.7k positive mentions
grinding131 negative mentions
  • The game features stunning, photo-realistic graphics powered by the Dragon Engine, with vibrant, detailed environments and seamless transitions that elevate immersion.
  • Yakuza Kiwami 2 delivers a deeply emotional and engaging story with strong character development, especially highlighting the rivalry between Kiryu and Ryuji Goda, complemented by a well-crafted soundtrack.
  • Gameplay is polished and exhilarating, combining smooth combat mechanics with diverse side content and high replayability, including minigames and management features without intrusive microtransactions.
  • The PC port suffers from notable optimization issues including stuttering, frame drops, buggy controls, and graphical glitches which impact the overall experience.
  • The story can feel convoluted, melodramatic, and unevenly paced for some players, with certain plot elements and character developments perceived as rushed or less impactful.
  • Grinding and some side activities, such as the Majima construction and cabaret club, are frequently described as tedious and repetitive, potentially detracting from the fun for some players.
  • story
    4,672 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The story in Yakuza Kiwami 2 is generally praised for its engaging mafia narrative, rich characters, and emotional depth, with the antagonist Ryuji Goda standing out as a series highlight. While it features complex plot twists and intertwining storylines that keep players hooked, some find it convoluted and overly melodramatic, especially towards the finale. The included Majima Saga adds valuable context and emotional closure, enhancing the overall narrative experience, though the pacing and certain plot elements may feel uneven compared to previous entries like Yakuza 0.

    • “Yakuza kiwami 2 is storytelling, spectacle, and combat refinement at its finest — a stunning remake of one of the franchise’s greatest entries, reborn through the dragon engine. The story begins with tragedy and tension in the Tojo clan, sending Kiryu back into the world of yakuza politics despite his attempts to live peacefully. And returning fan favorites from Kamurocho add warmth and nostalgia, grounding the story in the legacy of the series. Not only does it flesh out the world, but it also delivers some surprising, emotional storytelling in its own right. When the final confrontation arrives, the music, story, and emotion align to create an unforgettable payoff.”
    • “Among the first three titles of this series ("Yakuza 0", "Yakuza Kiwami", and "Yakuza Kiwami 2"), this is the most complete, emotionally layered, and thematically rich story. The story and characters are super enjoyable, with plenty of twists and turns that kept me engaged throughout. The pacing is good, tying together multiple storylines and building satisfying character relationships, especially between Kiryu and Kaoru. The addition of the Majima saga side story adds heartfelt closure and ties into the larger narrative beautifully.”
    • “Yakuza kiwami 2 is an absolute triumph, seamlessly blending intense action, intricate storytelling, and vibrant characters into an unforgettable gaming experience. The storytelling is masterfully crafted, keeping you on the edge of your seat as you unravel the mysteries of Kamurocho and beyond. The story features some of the best pacing in the series, balanced with a fantastic antagonist in Ryuji Goda. The game's focus on a compelling, dramatic story, combined with refined combat and rich side content, makes it an essential experience for fans of action-adventure games and Japanese crime dramas alike.”
    • “Story wise, personally, I found this the weakest out of the ones I played so far, for the simple reason that it is the most random.”
    • “The story had more plot twists than a Bollywood drama, but I guess that's what you come to expect from Yakuza games.”
    • “Story is all over the place, and it's hard to explain without spoiling, but to me, this is when the Yakuza series' storytelling starts going off the ledge into ass-pull territory.”
  • gameplay
    1,051 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Yakuza Kiwami 2 significantly improves gameplay over its predecessors through the new Dragon Engine, delivering smoother, more fluid combat and seamless transitions that enhance immersion. While the removal of multiple fighting styles simplifies combat, the single refined style, along with added mechanics like extreme heat mode and diverse side activities, keeps gameplay engaging and enjoyable. Some players note initial adjustment challenges and occasional clunky animations or jank, but overall, the gameplay is praised for its satisfaction, depth, and integration with the game's rich world and story.

    • “Kiwami 2 is my favourite entry in terms of gameplay.”
    • “Gameplay in Kiwami 2 is polished and exhilarating, combining fast-paced combat with strategic depth.”
    • “The dragon engine roars even louder on PC - no loading between fights, no loading screens from the streets to the interior of buildings, basically just seamless gameplay.”
    • “Terrible combat, way worse than Yakuza 0 and Kiwami 1; ask yourself if you want to force yourself to play potentially hundreds of hours of a beat-them-up game with terrible combat mechanics.”
    • “The majima construction side story was frustrating at worst and boring at best, so I did not get very far in it.”
    • “Gameplay-wise, this was by far my favorite of the series, but the combat now more resembles Sleeping Dogs, with its own unique mechanics that can feel chaotic and frustrating at times due to ragdoll physics and uncooperative controls.”
  • graphics
    1,026 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Yakuza Kiwami 2 features a significant graphical upgrade over previous entries, powered by the Dragon Engine, offering stunning, realistic, and vibrant visuals of Kamurocho and Sotenbori with seamless transitions and detailed environments. While the graphics are widely praised for their beauty, improved lighting, and immersive city life, some users note performance issues, occasional glitches, and an overpowering greenish filter effect. Overall, the graphics are considered one of the game's strongest aspects, elevating the experience despite some optimization challenges.

    • “Yakuza Kiwami 2 is a massive improvement over Kiwami 1 in almost every way—visuals are better, with a significant graphical leap thanks to the Dragon Engine that makes the cities of Kamurocho and Sotenbori feel more alive than ever.”
    • “The game features stunning graphics with incredibly detailed environments, lifelike character models, and fluid animations that bring the bustling streets to life. The improved lighting, reflections, and seamless transitions without loading screens elevate the immersive experience.”
    • “The Dragon Engine propels the graphics to a whole new level compared to previous entries, offering beautiful photo-realistic visuals, enhanced lighting effects, dynamic ragdoll physics, and the ability to freely explore interiors and exteriors without loading interruptions.”
    • “A massive drop in quality compared to Yakuza 0 and 1, both in combat and visuals.”
    • “But in Kiwami 2, the graphics had me nauseous, with overdone bloom and an unstable framerate.”
    • “I'm not one to care about graphics that much but oh my gosh this game looks so ugly with the stupid unremovable green filter they put all over the game.”
  • humor
    444 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The humor in the game is widely praised for its blend of hilariously absurd side stories, quirky characters, and over-the-top ragdoll physics that frequently result in funny, chaotic fight moments. While the main story balances serious and emotional elements, comedic relief is often found in substories and mini-games, with the dragon engine physics amplifying the comedic effect, though sometimes the ragdoll antics can feel jarring or immersion-breaking. Overall, the humor is a distinctive and beloved aspect, delivering consistent laughs and a unique charm true to the Yakuza series.

    • “The ragdoll physics are absolutely hilarious too.. watching enemies go flying never gets old .”
    • “Both cities are packed with substories that range from emotional and heartfelt to hilariously outrageous, making every detour worth taking.”
    • “The comic timing in this game is top notch and absolutely hilarious.”
    • “Sometimes, it's just an unfunny and repetitive grind—not only the mini-games, but the whole formula of the series feels diluted, lacking enough fresh gameplay and content to renew the franchise's variety.”
    • “The combat system wasn't good, and the Majima construction was not funny like the cabaret club.”
  • music
    440 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The music in Yakuza Kiwami 2 is generally praised for its strong, emotional soundtrack that blends remixed classic tracks with new compositions, creating memorable battle themes and atmospheric pieces that enhance the story and setting. However, some fans express disappointment over the replacement or removal of beloved original tracks due to licensing issues, with many recommending unofficial music restoration mods to fully experience the intended score. Overall, while the soundtrack maintains the series' high standards, it is considered slightly weaker or less consistent than previous entries like Yakuza 0.

    • “The soundtrack swings between electric guitar anthems, somber introspective pieces, and adrenaline-charged battle themes — each perfectly matched to the moment.”
    • “The songs 'A' and 'The Sound of Breath' are both bangers, and I recognized right away that it was their songs due to their incomparable music style and the vocalist’s voice.”
    • “The music and sound design are generally solid, with a couple of standout boss themes that really stand out; the overall soundtrack maintains that signature quality, even if it's good rather than great by series standards.”
    • “Music is overall worse because unique tracks weren't carried over or remixed; the game repeats the same few tracks more often as a result.”
    • “Despite considering the game near perfect, the remake version had issues with licensed songs, which was very disappointing since the classics were the soul of this dramatic story.”
    • “They ruined some of the best scenes by replacing music with really terrible songs.”
  • optimization
    220 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The PC port of the game suffers from notable optimization issues, with frequent stuttering, frame drops, and poor performance even on mid- to high-end systems, often requiring mods or patched fixes to improve stability. While the Dragon Engine delivers impressive graphics and enhanced immersion, these visual upgrades come at the cost of demanding hardware requirements and subpar fluidity compared to earlier entries, making the experience frustrating for many players. Overall, the game looks great but runs inconsistently, with optimization being the primary technical drawback.

    • “Performance on PC is solid, with options for improved resolution and framerate that make the experience even more immersive.”
    • “Performance as I said earlier has been fine on my i9 9980xe and my RTX 2080 Ti played capped at 240 fps and 2160p, all maxed, with SSAA, no slowdowns ever, in general pretty smooth.”
    • “The visual upgrade over Yakuza Kiwami is huge, yet the game still runs smoothly even on my three-year-old desktop PC in high detail.”
    • “Performance on PC is terrible.”
    • “Great game, poorly optimized port for the PC.”
    • “Completely unplayable, the stuttering is way too much and too frequent.”
  • emotional
    216 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Yakuza Kiwami 2 delivers a deeply emotional and gripping narrative that combines intense crime drama with heartfelt character moments, often evoking tears and strong connections with its cast, especially Kiryu and Majima. The story balances powerful themes of rivalry, loyalty, and sacrifice, enriched by memorable supporting characters and poignant side stories that range from touching to humorously absurd. While some find the emotional impact slightly less intense than earlier entries like Yakuza 0, the game's cinematic storytelling, evocative soundtrack, and well-crafted character dynamics make it a standout, emotionally resonant experience within the series.

    • “It continues Kazuma Kiryu’s journey with cinematic brilliance, emotional impact, and some of the most gripping character drama the series has ever delivered.”
    • “The game’s emotional weight is anchored by two towering forces: Kazuma Kiryu and Ryuji Goda, the “Dragon of Kansai.” Their rivalry — equal parts philosophical and physical — stands as one of the most powerful central conflicts in the franchise.”
    • “The narrative balances gripping drama with moments of humor and warmth, creating a story that is as emotionally resonant as it is thrilling.”
  • grinding
    150 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Grinding in the game is frequently described as a significant and sometimes tedious aspect, especially in side content like the cabaret club, majima construction, and certain minigames. While some appreciate the introduction of experience gain through eating, making leveling less monotonous, others find skill upgrades and some quest grinds repetitive and time-consuming, often requiring extensive farming to max out stats. Overall, grinding remains a core but divisive part of the experience, with enjoyment often depending on player patience and approach.

    • “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
    • “The completion list is not very grindy this time.”
    • “A bit grindy sometimes, but manageable.”
    • “Majima Kensetsu is hideously tedious and really boring, while also costing more money than you earn (on top of being kinda stupid as a concept).”
    • “The XP system is interesting in that there are five types of XP, and you will get some from at least one category for just about anything you do, but it is set up in a way that it is basically impossible to max out most of your skills without farming experience at restaurants.”
    • “Grinding for levels in general felt very annoying; I tried repeatedly to get used to the combat system, as well as grind out levels only to realize that the objectively best way to earn XP is to spam eating at shops, then spam the not-hungry medication over and over until you're able to buy whatever you need.”
  • atmosphere
    53 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its immersive and lively depiction of Japanese city life, enhanced by the Dragon Engine's improved graphics, seamless loading, and atmospheric lighting. The soundtrack effectively complements different districts and key moments, adding emotional depth, while the detailed environments and bustling side activities create a vibrant, authentic setting. Though some note minor drawbacks like side quest interruptions and slight tone shifts from previous entries, overall the atmosphere is regarded as one of the series' strongest and most engaging aspects.

    • “The soundtrack complements the atmosphere perfectly, ranging from upbeat tunes in lively districts to tense music during key confrontations, enhancing the emotional tone throughout the game.”
    • “The atmosphere of walking around the 2 cities, especially Sotenbori, was really immersive in the new engine.”
    • “The cities look prettier than ever with plenty of atmosphere, great graphics and plenty of hidden treasures to find, full of funny sub-stories, involving mini-games and lots of charm and ambience.”
    • “The side quests are annoying too; while they're funny, you walk into a lot while doing story missions, which for me kills the atmosphere.”
    • “Though the whole noir crime atmosphere has been significantly toned down due to how the engine handles the lighting, it can be fixed with reshade but will take a bit of tinkering.”
    • “The original Yakuza 2 has this game beat in all aspects except for graphics, but what is the point of graphics if the atmosphere isn't there?”
  • stability
    38 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game generally runs well and is visually impressive, often performing smoothly on various systems including the Steam Deck. However, it suffers from several bugs, particularly with physics, ragdolls, controller compatibility, and occasional freezes or graphical glitches, especially in the PC port. Despite these issues, most players find the experience enjoyable, expecting further patches to improve stability.

    • “The game itself runs great, looks pretty good and is actually pretty fun.”
    • “It runs great, 70-120 fps varying at 1440p on a 2070 super.”
    • “Runs great on Steam Deck, too, especially if you don't mind locking it to 30fps.”
    • “Frustrating to even get through the start of the game as nearly every cutscene freezes, accompanied by random freezes throughout regular gameplay.”
    • “Firstly, this game isn't optimized that well, at least engine wise, on my current system with a GTX 1080, i7 4790k 4.0GHz and 16GB of RAM, this game struggles to play at 60fps at 1080p medium settings. There are graphical glitches if you try to run above 30fps, mostly ragdoll physics breaking in the distance, with body parts extending across the city briefly.”
    • “The control scheme is buggy if you are not using a PlayStation controller, as the button mapping tends to swap to PlayStation controls for no reason, despite what controller you may be using.”
  • character development
    22 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Character development in the game is generally praised for its depth, especially highlighting Kiryu's steadfast honor and strong rivalries, with many noting it as a standout aspect that enhances the story. However, some feel certain character arcs are rushed or superficial, and newcomers may find it less impactful without prior series context. Overall, the characters and their development are seen as a core strength, contributing significantly to the narrative's engagement.

    • “Character development is strong throughout, with Kiryu’s steadfast honor contrasted against the ambitions and flaws of those around him.”
    • “Characters are a forte in this franchise, and Kiwami 2 has very interesting characters, some new, some old, with quite a lot of character development for some of the old ones, while also introducing new interesting faces that will surely play important roles in the future of the saga.”
    • “It definitely has a stronger set of characters than Kiwami, with some really strong character development, and Ryuji Goda serves as one of the better antagonists in the series and a great rival to Kiryu.”
    • “I understand the intent behind the protagonist’s character development, but emotionally, it just didn’t land naturally.”
    • “I will admit the story and some of the character developments can feel quite rushed.”
    • “I still consider Yakuza 0 more complete overall, since the Kiryu/Majima stories are very well developed there, it felt like two games slapped together with a lot of character development for both characters.”
  • replayability
    15 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game offers high replayability, driven by varied gameplay elements such as minigames, the cabaret club, and clan creator features. Although some content was cut, the new management role and additional hostesses provide fresh experiences, making it engaging for fans of the series. Overall, it maintains solid replay value without feeling overly grindy.

    • “As a Yakuza game, it has a lot to offer in terms of gameplay and replayability.”
    • “The cabaret club is back from Yakuza 0 and the clan creator is back from Yakuza 6 (even though it is "new" on PC), giving you tons of replay value.”
    • “Update: I have now officially completed it 100% (with all achievements) and I want to mention that this game has so much replayability it didn't feel as "grindy" as many might believe.”
    • “An entire playable area and its story/substories were cut from the game.”
    • “I'm not much of a fan of the substories and playing it for the replay value.”
    • “The major differences are that it’s now Kiryu who manages the club, there’s a new roster of hostesses to choose from, and it’s more playable with mouse and keyboard.”
  • monetization
    7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game features a complete experience with abundant content and no microtransactions or DLC-locked content, avoiding any cash grab tactics. While it includes gacha-like mechanics in minigames, these are generous and fully earnable through gameplay without spending real money. Overall, the monetization approach is praised as fair and player-friendly.

    • “The game is complete, has tons of content, no silly microtransactions or DLC locked content.”
    • “But they still had no reason to delist another game under their studio to produce another cash grab, they added a few more languages where they could just update the original Kiwami 2.”
    • “Kiwami 2 sadly brings back the cabaret club but also adds a sort of tower defense style game mode.”
    • “While there are 'gacha-like' mechanics in both minigames, they're very generous, have no microtransactions, and you can earn summoning currency in boatloads by playing the game.”
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22h Median play time
34h Average play time
2h Main story
171h Completionist
16-40h Spent by most gamers
*Based on 21 analyzed playthroughs
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Frequently Asked Questions

Yakuza Kiwami 2 is a open world hack and slash game with violence theme.

Yakuza Kiwami 2 is available on Xbox Series X|S, PC, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4 and others.

The main story can be completed in around 2 hours, while the entire game is estimated to take about 171 hours to finish. On average players spend around 34 hours playing Yakuza Kiwami 2.

Yakuza Kiwami 2 was released on July 29, 2020.

Yakuza Kiwami 2 was developed by Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio.

Yakuza Kiwami 2 has received overwhelmingly positive reviews from players. Most players liked Yakuza Kiwami 2 for its story but disliked it for its grinding.

Yakuza Kiwami 2 is a single player game with multiplayer support.

Similar games include Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties, Yakuza Kiwami, Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, Yakuza 4 Remastered, Yakuza 6: The Song of Life and others.