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Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties

Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties Game Cover
55%Game Brain Score
story, gameplay
grinding, monetization
55% User Score Based on 1,141 reviews

Platforms

Nintendo SwitchXbox Series X|SPCPlaystation 5Playstation 4XboxWindowsPlayStationNintendo Switch 2
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Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties Game Cover

About

Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties is a single player and multiplayer role playing game with a violence theme. It was developed by Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio and was released on February 11, 2026. It received neutral reviews from players.

Discover Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties for PlayStation 4 and PS5 on the official PlayStation website. A legend is reborn and a new legacy begins in this extreme remake of Yakuza 3 and the all-new separate game, Dark Ties.

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Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties screenshot
Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties screenshot
Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties screenshot
Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties screenshot
Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties screenshot
Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties screenshot
Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties screenshot
Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties screenshot
Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties screenshot
Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties screenshot
Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties screenshot
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55%
Audience ScoreBased on 1,141 reviews
story206 positive mentions
grinding62 negative mentions
  • Combat is improved compared to the original Yakuza 3, featuring two fighting styles that offer variety and fluidity.
  • The Morning Glory orphanage side content is fun and heartwarming, allowing Kiryu to bond with the kids and engage in various mini-games.
  • Dark Ties offers an engaging story focused on Mine with unique combat and additional side content, providing satisfying additional gameplay.
  • A significant amount of original side content and substories were cut or replaced, leading to a less rich and less immersive experience.
  • The ending was controversially retconned, causing inconsistencies with later games in the series and upsetting many long-time fans.
  • Technical issues such as frequent crashes, graphical downgrades in certain areas, and poor lighting hurt the overall experience.
  • story
    1,165 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The story of Yakuza Kiwami 3 largely follows the original Yakuza 3 narrative but features significant and controversial changes, including major content cuts, restructured pacing, and a retconned ending that disrupts continuity with other series entries. While some praise the enhanced character development and added scenes—especially in the emotional orphanage and Mine’s "Dark Ties" side story—many fans express disappointment over the removal of beloved substories, forced and tedious side content, and a narrative that feels diluted and inconsistent. Overall, longtime fans are divided due to these alterations, but newcomers may find it a more streamlined and accessible, if somewhat abbreviated, experience.

    • “Yakuza kiwami 3 beautifully continues the legendary saga of Kazuma Kiryu, blending emotional storytelling, character depth, and refined combat into a polished modern experience. Unlike previous entries that focus heavily on large-scale criminal conspiracies, Kiwami 3 offers a more intimate and heartfelt story. It’s a story about responsibility, sacrifice, and the struggle to escape one’s past — themes that define the Yakuza series at its best.”
    • “Yakuza kiwami 3 is a heartfelt and meaningful chapter in Kiryu’s journey — one that balances emotional storytelling with satisfying action and memorable characters. With its grounded tone and mature storytelling, the game creates a compelling atmosphere that keeps players invested from start to finish.”
    • “Finally, the side content is absurdly addicting; the story writing for these activities feels very well done, and I found myself constantly diverging from the main story to complete Taichi's math homework, challenge Mame in a bug catching contest (yes, the dog), complete Morning Glory bulletin requests, Bad Boy Dragon, and sparring with Miya-san in downtown Ryukyu.”
    • “They cut 80% of the substories from the original game, including some that dotted the storyline; Komaki, a staple to every Yakuza game, is removed entirely and not even mentioned; revelations are removed; they delisted the Yakuza 3 remastered from Steam when this Kiwami version launched; they also hired a known sexual predator to recast Hamazaki; and on top of that they made silly retcons that leave a significant impact on story continuation.”
    • “All you had to do was remake a game and add some new content. Instead, they cut 75% of the original game’s substories and replaced them with many of the same ones we've seen before. They made the new side content mandatory to progress the story, which was fine without it. This padding kills the pacing and cuts out staples like Komaki, Mack, and Yonashiro, replacing them with generic characters that serve the same purpose. The side content is not worth your time.”
    • “Almost all side content from the original Yakuza 3 is gone, characters removed, and the story has been retconned in a way that completely loses all emotional impact. Many bonding moments with the kids are cut, killing the emotional core of the story. Instead of meaningful character development, the game pads itself with unnecessary filler combat encounters and detours, notably the biker minigame, which is forced into the main story twice and absolutely destroys the pacing.”
  • gameplay
    258 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The gameplay in this title generally improves upon the original, offering smoother, more responsive combat that blends classic brawler mechanics with modern refinements, making it more accessible especially to newcomers or those who found the original clunky. However, many reviews criticize the introduction of new mechanics like the "aura" system that leads to frustrating enemy superarmor, a reduction in move variety, and the removal or simplification of substantial original content, resulting in a more repetitive and less engaging experience. While some side stories and new gameplay modes add variety, the overall feel is regarded as a step backward by veterans due to underwhelming upgrades, cut substories, and less dynamic combat compared to recent series entries.

    • “This remake preserves the soul of the original while enhancing visuals, gameplay mechanics, and overall presentation to meet modern standards on PC.”
    • “Combat feels smoother and more responsive, blending classic brawler mechanics with modern refinements.”
    • “The gameplay overall is fantastic — honestly, this might even be my favorite entry in the series right now.”
    • “The gameplay is barebones, the upgrades hardly exist, a lot of original features/gameplay was cut out completely.”
    • “The enemy AI and combat mechanics are lazy and poorly made, attacks track you, enemies read inputs for example when you pick up a weapon they always try to attack you during that.”
    • “The gameplay is just too basic and easy in my opinion, which makes for a pretty boring experience after about 5 hours (since you can unlock everything pretty early on).”
  • graphics
    146 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The graphics in the game receive mixed reviews, with some praising modernized visuals and improved frame rates, while others criticize inconsistent quality, lighting issues, visual clutter, and occasional downgrades compared to the original. Though certain areas and character models look great, many users find the graphics less polished than prior Dragon Engine games, citing bugs, rough textures, and an overall loss of the original’s artistic charm. Overall, the visuals are considered a step forward in some respects but a disappointment in others, leading to divided player opinions.

    • “Beyond that is everything else you'd rightfully expect, the annoying combat from the original is fixed and the graphics and general presentation are brought up to the level of a modern Dragon Engine game.”
    • “An excellent remake with a greatly improved combat system, visuals, and overall polish across all aspects of the game.”
    • “This remake preserves the soul of the original while enhancing visuals, gameplay mechanics, and overall presentation to meet modern standards on PC.”
    • “The graphics are worse, featuring an obnoxious blue filter over the game, over 70 substories were removed in comparison to the original, the map of Okinawa has been shrunk compared to the original Yakuza 3, and the combat feels like it's trying something new, but not utilizing anything it's built up over the years.”
    • “The graphics are terrible in some parts of the game.”
    • “- The graphics are a let down, RGG has showed us what amazing graphics they can have with games like 6 or Gaiden, but then they throw it completely out the window and decide to slap an annoying blue filter which is somehow even worse than the green filter Kiwami 2 had (I swear this game makes Kiwami 2 look good).”
  • music
    97 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The music in the game received mixed reactions, with many fans criticizing the replacement or removal of iconic tracks from the original Yakuza 3 soundtrack, particularly the absence of "Clay Doll on the Cradle," which diminished key moments' impact. While some new songs and remixes were praised, overall, the soundtrack was often seen as inferior, generic, or lacking the emotional weight of the original. A common suggestion was to use mods to restore the original OST for a more authentic experience.

    • “Soundtrack is a masterpiece.”
    • “Music is a 10/10 for me.”
    • “The soundtrack was great, as usual.”
    • “Now the soundtrack is truly horrendous compared to the original game; it's not even comparable. Why the hell did they remove one of the best soundtracks, "Clay Doll on the Cradle"?”
    • “They butchered the game's soundtrack and vibes.”
    • “The soundtrack was also a victim of RGG's butchering, including 'Clay Doll on the Cradle' which plays during the hospital long battle, and is replaced by an instrumental of another track which completely contrasts the tone set in that chapter.”
  • emotional
    66 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Yakuza Kiwami 3 evokes strong emotions through its heartfelt narrative, especially via the Morning Glory orphanage minigames and bonding with Kiryu's adoptive kids, which add warmth and depth to the story. While some praise the renewed character focus and emotional weight of key scenes, others find the pacing bloated and feel the remake dilutes the original’s emotional impact with excessive filler and retconned story elements. Overall, the game balances touching moments and character development but divides fans on whether it enhances or undermines the series' trademark emotional resonance.

    • “This game got me emotional; I cried 3 times. That shows great writing to the story and means you get attached to the characters.”
    • “The new stuff like morning glory minigames (and every kids' substories) is a highlight in Kiwami 3 because it fleshes out all the kids equally. The biker minigame is fun, chaotic, and quite wholesome, and how they flesh out Kiryu's neighbors is wonderful.”
    • “Yakuza Kiwami 3 is a heartfelt and meaningful chapter in Kiryu’s journey — one that balances emotional storytelling with satisfying action and memorable characters.”
    • “Boring story compared to the rest.”
  • grinding
    63 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Grinding in this game is widely viewed as tedious and repetitive, with many side quests and minigames like farming, cooking, and homework locked behind slow, drawn-out tasks. While some players appreciate the brevity and find certain grinding elements rewarding, the overall consensus highlights grind-heavy mechanics that detract from enjoyment, making many side activities feel like monotonous busywork. Combat and certain boss fights also contribute to the sense of repetitiveness and lengthiness.

    • “All of the orphanage content is locked behind pointless grinding by repeating the same set of mini games over and over.”
    • “It's boring, it's tedious, and it's not even hard.”
    • “This game's Amon fight was an unbelievably tedious chore, absolutely stupidly tanky and spams incredibly annoying moves; thankfully you can just fill your inventory with healing items and food and wear him down.”
  • humor
    51 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's humor is a mixed bag, with some moments praised for being genuinely funny, charming, and quirky, especially involving side characters like Kanda and scenes featuring absurd antics. However, many found the humor inconsistent, often annoying due to overuse or poor execution, with some criticizing the removal of classic funny content and the awkward handling of dark themes leading to uncomfortable or darkly comedic moments. Overall, while there are amusing and playful elements, the remake's humor sometimes falls flat or feels out of place, detracting from the experience for some players.

    • “Kanda always had me laughing, and the brotherhood he and Mine shared was captivating, which made that ending hurt so much more.”
    • “Three characters that teach you new heat actions, fun revelations (actually funny cutscenes involving locals and crazy antics - a grandma literally frontflips over a car on her moped looking at a billboard and lands perfectly and keeps driving - and for some reason you get a heat action out of that. Kiryu even posts it on his blog.) and new moves.”
    • “Writing was generally really good, I found a lot of scenes actually funny and charming.”
  • optimization
    42 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Yakuza Kiwami 3 generally offers strong optimization, running smoothly on high-end PCs and even the Steam Deck with stable frame rates and minimal crashes. However, some users report intermittent performance issues such as stuttering, frame drops at higher settings, and bugs that affect gameplay, particularly on launch day. Overall, despite a few technical hiccups, the game maintains solid performance that enhances the experience without major disruptions.

    • “On PC, smooth performance and visual clarity help elevate the overall presentation.”
    • “I think Kiwami 3 is the best way to play Yakuza 3; the combat is less tedious since not all enemies block every time making combat a grabfest. It has quality of life improvements from previous games, fixed pacing, and performance on this game is top notch. I never had it crash or have any visual or sound bugs on my playthrough.”
    • “Overall, Yakuza Kiwami 3 is well optimized, packed with content, and improves on the gameplay the original title suffered from.”
    • “Numerous performance issues, constant stuttering, and a game-breaking bug in chapter 9 (don't do any side stuff, you have to complete the main objective once the chapter starts) until they decide to fix it.”
    • “Performance wise, I could not run 1440p at more than medium settings with performance DLSS without significant frame drops and stutters.”
    • “The cherry on top, this game has Denuvo stuttering and lower performance compared to previous games.”
  • monetization
    16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The monetization of the game is widely criticized as a blatant and disappointing cash grab, with many players feeling it offers minimal new content, removes key story elements, and relies heavily on microtransactions and DLC. Fans express frustration over the perceived lack of effort, disrespect to the original material, and changes that seem aimed at generating revenue rather than enhancing the experience.

    • “Whether it be locking New Game+ behind DLC or a bunch of microtransactions for huge nothingburgers, or casting Japanese celebrities to replace old cast members, or rewriting and screwing up huge parts of the story.”
    • “Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties is a low-effort cash grab that disrespects the original game and offers nothing new of its own.”
    • “I want to root for these games so badly as a diehard fan, but the past few years have been very messy in terms of quality, and Kiwami 3 feels like an explicit cash grab, bastardizing many elements of the original and adding worthless or borderline awful changes.”
  • stability
    14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's stability is generally solid, running well on multiple platforms including the Steam Deck, with good optimization and minimal impact on progression. However, it still experiences some bugs, glitches, occasional crashes, and minor technical issues like camera glitches and NPC pathfinding errors, which can affect the overall experience.

    • “Some bugs but nothing that blocked me or my progression; runs great on Steam Deck with FSR 3 and medium settings, helped me a lot through completing the achievements.”
    • “If your game crashes after ~90 minutes of play, try turning on DLSS even if it runs great without; this helped for me anyways.”
    • “Runs great, plays great, loving it!”
    • “They have been using this engine since 2016, yet for some reason there are new bugs and glitches that don't get solved even between games.”
    • “I've never had to spend so much time troubleshooting the game to get it to work as much as I did with AC Creed and Origins.”
    • “The game is currently plagued by bugs, glitches, and frequent crashes.”
  • character development
    12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The character development in Yakuza Kiwami 3 is a mixed bag: while it emphasizes bonds between the cast and adds voice acting to strengthen engagement, much of the original side content and meaningful story arcs are either truncated or poorly paced. New additions and redesigns often clash with established character traits, resulting in shallow or unsatisfying growth, and filler content disrupts the narrative flow, undermining the overall impact of the character development.

    • “While Kiwami 3 focuses more on character development and the bonds between the cast, it does leave part of the original side content behind.”
    • “Encounters feel purposeful, and character development systems allow players to shape their approach in meaningful ways.”
    • “All of the character development writing was focused on Mine and Daigo, but the short runtime of the game means there's zero story arcs or buildup, so the final moment of the game feels incredibly undeserved.”
    • “All stakes, all meaning, all character development gets taken away so that... what?”
    • “There is pretty much no climax, no plot twist, no character development, nothing.”
    • “All of the character development writing was focused on Mine and Daigo but the short runtime of the game means there's zero story arcs or buildup so the final moment of the game feels incredibly undeserved.”
  • atmosphere
    12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's atmosphere is praised for its grounded, mature storytelling and immersive depiction of Okinawa and Kamurocho, blending bright beach scenes with gritty cityscapes to create a unique vibe. However, some criticize the smaller map size, simplified side content, and overuse of color filters, which detract from the overall mood and visual quality. Despite these drawbacks, the nightlife and story-driven ambiance remain strong highlights.

    • “With its grounded tone and mature storytelling, the game creates a compelling atmosphere that keeps players invested from start to finish.”
    • “Dark Tides succeeds through its commitment to atmosphere and storytelling.”
    • “Okinawa/Tokyo atmosphere is a huge draw—bright beach calm into glowing city grime.”
    • “Another major mood killer in this game was the atmosphere and scenery.”
    • “It cuts corners everywhere it can: downtown Ryukyu was already a small map but for some reason it was made even smaller. Parts of the side content that were fully fleshed out like golf (which had a whole multiple-hole outdoor golf course and several mechanics) got dumbed down to simply just reusing the batting cages-style golf from Kiwami 2, overall dumbing down the atmosphere the game was supposed to give.”
    • “The Okinawa atmosphere is gone.”
  • replayability
    3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Replayability is generally seen as average, with game modes considered playable but not particularly unique or engaging. Some users express diminishing interest in replaying due to lackluster content or superficial progression systems.

    • “The game modes aren't anything special, but they're playable.”
    • “Results are fake redemption arcs and fading interest in replayability to their games.”
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10h Median play time
21h Average play time
3-30h Spent by most gamers
*Based on 12 analyzed playthroughs
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Frequently Asked Questions

Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties is a role playing game with violence theme.

Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties is available on Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X|S, PC, PlayStation 5 and others.

On average players spend around 21 hours playing Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties.

Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties was released on February 11, 2026.

Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties was developed by Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio.

Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties has received neutral reviews from players. Most players liked this game for its story but disliked it for its grinding.

Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties is a single player game with multiplayer and local co-op support.

Similar games include Yakuza 6: The Song of Life, Yakuza Kiwami, Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, Yakuza 4 Remastered, Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii and others.