Reviewed on: PlayStation 5
Platform: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, PC
Publisher: Sega
Developer: Ryu Ga Gotoku Studios
Release: February 12, 2026

The Yakuza/Like a Dragon series has emerged as one of Sega’s top dogs over the last decade. For more than 20 years, Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio’s Japan-set crime-action franchise has delivered gripping narratives with stellar gameplay. Its latest effort, Yakuza Kiwami 3, a remake of the often-overlooked 2010 original that includes a new narrative side-story called Dark Ties, continues the momentum. While not perfect, it delivers the fun and fury of previous entries and features a plot that doesn’t pull punches.

Returning to the crime-riddled streets of Kamurocho and, now, the sunny townscape of Okinawa, protagonist Kazuma Kiryu is thrust back into the yakuza scene after his new life as an orphanage owner is threatened. For newcomers, Kiwami 3 isn’t as action-oriented as the original game or even Yakuza 0, but focuses on the drama and familial aspects, with questions of morality and trust at the forefront.

 

As a result, Yakuza 3 has one of my favorite narratives in the series, and Kiwami keeps it mostly intact, apart from some missed opportunities and plot changes. Characters like Mine and Rikiya shine, with this entry’s more dramatic flair bringing out the best from the actors. However, some flaws from the original story, like pacing, are noticeably untouched in this release, which proves even more disruptive in 2026.

Fortunately, the game’s fist-to-face combat is still top-notch. One of the original’s biggest gameplay issues was its impossible-to-hit foes, and Kiwami 3 fixes that mistake while keeping the challenge. Plus, with the new Ryukyu style, you get more options in your street fights, like area-of-effect attacks and guard breaks. While 0 and Lost Judgment have Kiwami 3’s combat beat, this modern remake still delivers the brand of high-octane combat that made the series what it is. Plus, nothing beats using a bicycle to slam hooligans in the middle of traffic.

I just wish those satisfying fight sequences looked more consistent, as the visuals deliver a mixed bag. Sometimes, the crowded cityscapes and engaging cutscenes look great. Other times, textures and combat can feel a bit muddied. It starts to lose that seamless cutscene-to-gameplay transition the franchise often prides itself on, especially with recent titles like Infinite Wealth and Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii.

That aside, everything fans want in a Yakuza game is present, including mini-games and karaoke. While still fun, some aspects of the side content are a bit contrived. A few of the new activities are little more than minor rebrands of content from Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii, like the new Bad Boy Dragon missions, which is disappointing for a mainline title. While managing your orphanage via minigames and substories are fun ways to experience the story and world, its forced inclusion into the main narrative often impedes the momentum of the plot if not actively engaged with.

The biggest addition is, of course, the new narrative arc Dark Ties, which follows antagonist Yoshitaka Mine on his rise to power in the Tojo Clan. While only a few chapters, akin to Kiwami 2’s Majima Saga, it does a great deal to show off Mine and his mysterious psyche. In a brains/brawn style matchup, both he and Kanda, the hotheaded leader of the Nishikiyama Family, are fun to watch bounce off each other. We also get some excellent back and forth between Mine and Daigo Dojima, otherwise absent in the main game 

Unfortunately, Dark Ties’ combat falls well short of the highs achieved by the main game. Mine’s style is too simplistic, and his move variety leaves much to be desired. His Rage system is a neat concept, as each charge makes attacks more powerful, helping against tougher enemies and leveling the playing field. Compared to Kiwami 3’s main game, it’s underwhelming, but the fun story is worth tolerating the underbaked gameplay.

Yakuza Kiwami 3 continues the solid streak for Ryu Ga Gotoku and the series. The gripping narrative and fun combat deliver on what players enjoy. It doesn’t raise the bar in any way, but newcomers and returning fans will find it a thrill ride from start to epic finish. 

Score: 8

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PlayStation has announced that it will host a State of Play livestream this week, featuring news, gameplay updates, and announcements from studios around the world. More specifically, the State of Play airs on Thursday, February 12, at 2 p.m. PT/5 p.m. ET, and will spotlight more than 60 minutes of third-party, indie, and first-party games. 

The State of Play will stream on PlayStation's various YouTube and Twitch channels. As for what to expect, that's anybody's guess. On the first-party front, PlayStation's Housemarque studio is launching Saros in April, after a delay from its original March date; Insomniac Games is releasing Marvel's Wolverine, which is set in the same universe as the studio's Spider-Man games, sometime this year as well, so there's a good chance we'll see both of these games on Thursday. 

On the third-party front, nobody would be surprised to see more Resident Evil Requiem, which has been closely aligned with PlayStation on marketing, and given Capcom's history with its prior Resident Evil games, there's a chance we get a Requiem demo – both Biohazard and Village received demos prior to launch. Capcom could also appear with another look at Pragmata before its April release, and we also expect to see various other third-party and indie games as well. 

With over an hour promised of news and updates, this will likely be one of PlayStation's biggest showcases of the year. 

Let us know what you want to see at the PlayStation State of Play in the comments below!

It's February, which in recent years has become an unexpected battleground for big new releases. Resident Evil Requiem is right around the corner, as is the Switch Virtual Boy peripheral – two video games experiences that are inspiring equal amounts of hype. The good news, is we have played both, which you can read about below. But more importantly, you can read about what we're playing this weekend, and what we think you might want to check out, as well.

It's Friday and it's time for the weekend and our usual recommendation of games and things you should check out! But before that, here's a recap of the biggest stories of the week:

• The Oral History Of Fallout
• Dragon Quet VII Reimagined Review
• Overwatch 2 Is Just 'Overwatch' Again And Five New Heroes Arrive Next Week
• I Played The Virtual Boy Games On Switch 2, And It Was Actually Kind Of Cool
• I Played Resident Evil Requiem And Pragmata On Switch 2 – And They Ran Surprisingly Well
• Mewgenics – Review In Progress

The Games You Should Check Out This Weekend

It's a jam-packed show this week, as 2026 is running full-steam ahead. Alex, Marcus, Charles, and Eric sit down fresh off the Nintendo Direct: Partner Showcase to share their reactions and favorite reveals, then Charles divulges some details from a recent Nintendo preview event where he played a slate of the handheld's upcoming games.

After the break, Alex discusses what he played of Overwatch's big overhaul -- so massive, it's dropping the "2." And to cap it all off, Charles talks about the long-awaited launch of Mewgenics, and Marcus shares his thoughts on Nioh 3 so far. It's a feature-length episode of The Game Informer Show, so grab a cold beverage and enjoy.

The Game Informer Show is a weekly podcast covering the video game industry. Join us every Friday for chats about your favorite titles – past and present – alongside Game Informer staff and special guests from around the industry.

Watch the video version here:

Listen to "A Look At Nintendo's Year Ahead, Plus Overwatch's Big Overhaul" on Spreaker.

Follow our hosts on social media:

• Alex Van Aken (@itsvanaken)
• Marcus Stewart (@MarcusStewart7)
• Charles Harte (@chuckduck365)
• Eric Van Allen (@seamoosi)

Jump ahead to specific segments:

• 00:00 Intro
• 04:32 - Nintendo Direct: Partner Showcase Reactions
• 22:07 - Nintendo Switch 2 Previews
• 1:00:13 - Overwatch
• 1:28:20 - Mewgenics
• 1:48:57 - Nioh 3

Highguard launched last month on January 26, after closing out The Game Awards back in December, and it's already received some pretty hefty updates addressing player feedback for the free-to-play PvP FPS-raid game. That streak continues today with the release of Episode 2, which adds a heavily requested Ranked Mode, the game's first new warden, a new map, and more. 

Episode 2 is live in the game already, and those who boot up the gamewill meet Ekon, a "legendary monster-slayer who shapeshifts into a powerful direwolf to track and hunt his prey." Ekon, who is pictured below, has a passive ability called Dread that reveals the heartbeat of wounded enemies, a tactical ability called Wolf Spirit that let him unleash a spirit wolf to hunt the nearest enemy and apply Dread to them, and an ultimate called Fearsome Howl, where Ekon applies Dread to all enemies across the map and increases his movement speed – it can be cast in human and wolf form (yes, Ekon can transform into a wolf). 

As part of today's update, developer Wildlight Entertainment has released a new story cinematic called "Skydrift" centered on Ekon and his place amongst the other Highguard wardens. Launching alongside Ekon is Skydrift, a new map for the game's 3v3 and now-permanent 5v5 raid modes. 

You can check out a look at Skydrift in the image at the top of this story, and you can watch the Skydrift cinematic story trailer below: 

Perhaps the biggest addition to Highguard with the Episode 2 update is Ranked Mode, which allows players to earn Ranked Points, point modifiers, and more as they climb the ranks to gain unique rewards. You can go from bronze (Hare) to grandmaster (Leviathan) if you're good enough. Ranked Mode will be available only in a 3v3 format, as Wildlight believes "3v3 is the more tactical structure of the game and fits best for comp," according to its update on X. 

All players will start at bronze 3 rank, and each rank has three divisions to climb through: bronze (Hare), silver (Goat), gold (Ape), platinum (Dire Wolf), diamond (Gryphon), master (Manticore), and grandmaster (Leviathan). At the end of each Episode, you will be rewarded based on your final rank achieved. You can also de-rank within a division during a Split, so be careful. More details about how this Ranked Mode works can be found here. 

The Wolf mount has been added to the game as a rideable beast as part of Episode 2, and is free to all players. If you play 10 matches of Ranked Mode, you will earn the Shadow Wolf skin, which is pictured below. 

Elsewhere in Episode 2, players can expect better POI loot, new Ultimate Charger items, waypoint markers, changes to Speed Gates, and quality-of-life updates like a new Stats menu, additional Orange Weapon Mods, and balance changes and improvements to gameplay and Highguard's technical performance. All of that and more can be found in the Episode 2 patch notes here. 

Highguard Episode 2 is now live.

For more about the game, read Game Informer's review-in-progress of Highguard, and then check out the Highguard reveal trailer. 

Are you hopping into Highguard today to check out Episode 2? Let us know in the comments below!