8 Yakuza games are coming to PlayStation Plus – but Xbox Series X owners have the better deal
You’ll also need PlayStation Plus Premium if you want to play every Yakuza game on PS5
➡️ The Shortcut Skinny
8️⃣ Eight Yakuza games are coming to PS Plus this year
😖 You’ll need a PlayStation Plus Premium subscription to play them all
💪 Xbox Series X|S has Auto HDR, and Yakuza 6 benefits from FPS Boost
👍 You only need an Xbox Game Pass subscription to play every title
☁️ Xbox Game Pass Ultimate members can also play via the cloud
PlayStation Plus members can look forward to playing eight Yakuza games, as every mainline entry in the acclaimed series is coming to Sony’s subscription service this year.
Yakuza: Like a Dragon kicks off the wave of Yakuza titles coming to PS5 and PS4 and is part of the PS Plus free games for August, but things get a little confusing after that.
Here’s a quick look at every Yakuza game on the way.
Coming in August…
Yakuza: Like a Dragon - August (PlayStation Plus Essential / Extra / Premium)
Yakuza 0 - August (PlayStation Plus Extra / Premium)
Yakuza Kiwami - August (PlayStation Plus Extra / Premium)
Yakuza Kiwami 2 - August ( PlayStation Plus Extra / Premium)
…and later this year
Yakuza 3 Remastered (PlayStation Plus Premium)
Yakuza 4 Remastered (PlayStation Plus Premium)
Yakuza 5 Remastered (PlayStation Plus Premium)
Yakuza 6: The Song of Life (PlayStation Plus Extra / Premium)
Notice anything? That’s right: you’ll need to subscribe to PlayStation Premium if you want to play every Yakuza game coming to PS Plus. Yakuza 3 Remastered, Yakuza 4 Remastered, and Yakuza 5 Remastered are only available to PlayStation Plus Premium members, which is odd considering they’re PS4 games.
👀 Here’s the full PlayStation Plus Premium games list
PlayStation Plus Premium is the highest tier of Sony’s revamped service and comes with additional perks compared to PS Plus Extra. You can play classic PS1, PS2, PS3, and PSP games, enjoy limited-timed demos, and more. Read our PlayStation Plus Premium review for our current verdict (spoiler: you’re best sticking with PS Plus Essential or Extra).
🐍 A rival family
Microsoft’s subscription service is also home to all the Yakuza games, and there are a few noteworthy benefits if you play the games on Xbox Series X|S consoles.
Unlike on PlayStation, you only need an Xbox Game Pass subscription to play every game in the series. That means it’ll only cost you $9.99 per month instead of $17.99 if you want to enjoy the whole series.
The other benefit of playing the Yakuza games on Xbox Series X|S is Yakuza 6: A Song of Life benefits from FPS Boost. The game runs at 30fps on PS4/PS5, but thanks to FPS Boost, it’s a silky-smooth 60fps on Microsoft’s consoles.
🆚 Which console is right for you? PS5 vs Xbox Series X
Finally, there’s Auto HDR. Most Yakuza games don’t support high dynamic range, like Yakuza 0, but Auto HDR analyzes standard dynamic range titles and cleverly converts them into HDR. In a series like Yakuza, which has countless brightly-lit neon scenes, it’s a compelling feature and helps elevate the games’ visuals.
If that wasn’t enough reason to play the Yakuza games on Xbox Series X and S, which are all available right now, there’s also the option of playing them via the cloud if you’re an Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscriber. While you can enjoy the entire Yakuza series with a standard Game Pass subscription, Ultimate members can play them over the cloud on mobile, PC, or console, allowing you to skip a lengthy download.
The Yakuza games are absolutely brilliant, so it’s fantastic to see all eight of them come to PS Plus. It’s a shame Sony has opted to lock some of them behind its highest PS Plus tier, though, and features like FPS Boost, Auto HDR, and Xbox Cloud Gaming make Xbox our preferred place to play.