Director’s Cut Review – Still the Gold Standard of the Series

Review of Yakuza 0: Director's Cut (PS5)

Yakuza/Like a Dragon is one of my favorite video game series of all time. The first two Yakuza games were released for the PS2, and the series remained fairly niche until the sixth main game, Yakuza 0released on PS4. In 2025 Yakuza 0: Director's Cut was released as an exclusive for Switch 2. Yakuza Kiwami 3 was also announced for an early 2026 release. To capitalize on the success of these latest releases, Sega has released Yakuza 0: Director's Cut Out for PS5 and Xbox Series X/S. If you have the base version of Yakuza 0, you can upgrade it for $20.

If you already own the Switch 2 version of Yakuza 0: Director's Cut, there is no new content in this current-gen version. There has been a slight increase in performance since the PS5 and Xbox Series X/S hardware is more powerful than the Switch 2 or PS4. This review will give you an idea of ​​what newcomers can expect from the Yakuza games. It will discuss additions to Yakuza 0: The Director's Cut from the vanilla version. And I will recommend where newcomers to the series should start if they want to get into this terrifying franchise.

Prequel tale

Yakuza 0 takes place before the events of Kiwami 1, in the 80s, when Kiryu and Nishiki were young yakuza. The story explores their relationship and adds tons of heaviness and fear to the events of the first game. Goro Majima, a villain in Yakuza Kiwami 1 and an eventual ally of Kiryu, is also a playable character in Yakuza 0. The game shows his origins as a nightclub manager and gives a lot of information about how Majima became the maniac we all know and love.

All Yakuza games have incredibly cinematic storytelling. There are a ton of cutscenes in each story chapter, and they are incredibly well directed. I would seriously put them up there with any great movie or TV series. One of the main benefits of these games is the ability to experience such well-told stories. Some sections of Yakuza 0: Director's Cut use still images. The game tries to present this as a stylistic choice, but it's too obvious for budgetary reasons. I was hoping that the director's cut would fix these jarring scenes, but it doesn't.

Rich environment

While there are plenty of cutscenes to watch in each chapter of each game, the core gameplay is third-person open-world action. Much of Yakuza 0 takes place in a fictional Japanese red light district called Kamurocho, which is modeled (in great detail) after Kabukicho, a real-life red light district in Shinjuku. The sandbox is so accurate and vibrant that the series has become known as a virtual Japanese vacation simulator. Visiting real-life equivalents of locations from Yakuza games has become a popular tourist activity.

While wandering the streets, Kiryu and Majima get into fights. Much of Yakuza 0: Director's Cut's gameplay involves third-person combat. Kiryu has multiple attack buttons and unlocks more abilities as the game progresses. Battles often involve grabbing surrounding weapons and performing QuickTime cinematic attacks. As the series progresses, the games introduce more RPG elements. Yakuza 0: Director's Cut features easier RPG progression than later games in the series. The side content doesn't contribute to the character development of Kiryu or Majima. They are just entertainment for entertainment's sake.

Even more side content

A huge part of the appeal of Yakuza 0: Director's Cut is the incredible amount of things to do in the sandbox. Kiryu can enter many buildings. On every street corner you can find a new side quest or mini-game. There are many casinos and gaming parlors with many different games. The arcades feature full versions of classic Sega games. Side quests get weird and can involve strange scenarios, such as rooms of grown men in diapers asking for help. They provide a goofy contrast to the very serious crime drama taking place in the main narrative.

Yakuza 0: Director's Cut includes several new additions to the original game, in addition to improved frame rate and graphical quality. The most welcome change for longtime fans is that the music has been restored. The licensed music was cut from the North American release of Yakuza 0 and is now found here in the Director's Cut. There's also a great new English dub. Added a new online multiplayer mode called Red Light Raid. It's sort of like a Yakuza Musou mode, with a lot of characters from the series being played for the first time. There are also 20 minutes of new videos. However, some of them repeat character deaths and don't necessarily welcome new changes.

Series chronology

The Kiryu Saga consists of the games Yakuza, Yakuza 2, Yakuza 3, Yakuza 4, Yakuza 5Yakuza 0 and Yakuza 6: Song of Lifein that order. Yakuza Kiwami was released after Yakuza 0, and Kiwami 2 after Yakuza 6. The 7^th and 8^th there are games in the series Yakuza: Like a DragonAnd Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealthbut they follow another main character, Ichiban Kasuga.

There are also several side effects. Yakuza: Dead Souls is a what-if zombie shooter that followed Yakuza 4. Like a Dragon: Kenzan and Like a dragon: They were Set in feudal Japan (however, Kenzan was never released in North America). Fist of the North Star: Paradise Lost is not related to the Yakuza games, but is created by the same developer and has similar gameplay. Solution And Lost Judgment are Kamurocho detective stories with a different main character, but they are among the best games in the franchise. Like the Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name is a side story that takes place between Yakuza 6 and Yakuza: Like a Dragon. Finally, Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii is a Majima side story set after Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth.

Play Kiwami 1 to 0

Many people recommend starting with Yakuza 0, but I don't agree with that. It's the right way to start the Yakuza series, but it's not the best way. I think a lot of people started from 0 and think their path was the best. It's best to start with Yakuza on PS2 and go in chronological order of release. I know a lot of people won't go back and play the PS2 version, so I usually recommend people start with Kiwami 1 and go in chronological order of release. Game 0 to Kiwami 1 reveals many of the events of the first game. And knowledge of Kiwami 1 makes 0 richer. Even if I really want to go to 0 because of his reputation, I would at least play Kiwami 1, then 0, and then do everything else in order.

One of the interesting aspects of playing all the Yakuza games is watching how they develop. It's interesting to see how the mechanics of the original versions of each game are built as each new part is released. Starting at 0 means the first five games will mechanically feel like steps backwards, but their stories are important. Yakuza 0 isn't even objectively superior. Games 4 and 5 have a lot more side quests. Yakuza 1 and 2 have my favorite stories. And Yakuza 6 integrates RPG elements and is overall my favorite game. Other great/valid starting points for the franchise are Judgment and Yakuza: Like a Dragon.

Great for all time

The Yakuza/Like a Dragon series has become one of the most beloved video game franchises on the planet. They're a combination of cinematic crime drama, fun third-person brawls, deep open-world exploration, and insanely wacky side quests and mini-games. Yakuza 0: Director's Cut is the best version of the game that brought the series into the mainstream. There are some changes that aren't for the better, but overall this is a great version of an all-time great video game.

***PS5 code provided by publisher***