Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio, in a new RGG Direct stream, has announced that its next major release will be Yakuza Kiwami 3, the next in its Kiwami remake series, tackling 2009’s Yakuza 3. Not only is it an extensive reworking of the original game, but it comes with Dark Ties, an entirely new spinoff game starring Yakuza Kiwami 3‘s antagonist, Yoshitaka Mine.
Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties will be released on Feb. 12, 2026 for Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 4 and 5, Windows PC, and Xbox Series X. It forms part of the 20th anniversary celebrations for the Sega studio’s Yakuza/Like a Dragon series.
Yakuza Kiwami 3 expands the original story, which follows Kazuma Kiryu to Okinawa where he runs a local orphanage, with new cutscenes, dialogue, and side-stories. New features include a new weapon-based combat style named Ryukyu Style after the game’s location and based on Okinawan martial arts. There’s also a new life sim portraying daily life at Kiryu’s orphanage, Morning Glory, with cooking, fishing, bug-catching, and other mini-games, and side-stories with the kids that will showcase Kiryu’s quest to become the “ultimate dad.” That’s not all; there’s also a new team battle mode in which Kiryu leads customizable motorbike gangs in tactical battles, plus flip-phone customization, new karaoke songs, and more.
Dark Ties, meanwhile, is a prequel of sorts that details Yoshitaka Mine’s backstory. It’s the first time Mine has been a playable character in the series, and it’s billed as a gritty, downbeat crime story, reflecting the amorality of its protagonist. It’s set in the familiar Yakuza stomping ground of Kamurocho, Tokyo, where the normally reserved Mine sings karaoke, beats up thugs using a signature boxing combat style, and engages in power struggles with other gangsters. There’s also a mission-based mode called Kanda Damage Control, in which Mine must help manage the reputation of his unruly partner-in-crime, plus an underground fight club with a survival mode.
All in all, the two games seem to represent a lot of content, even by RGG Studio’s intimidating standards. If it’s not enough for you, however — or if you feel the need to prep for Kiwami 3 with a refresher on the story so far — know that Yakuza Kiwami and Kiwami 2 will be released on Switch 2 on Nov. 13th, and in a new double-pack on PS5, Xbox Series X, and Steam on Dec. 8th. Yakuza 0 Director’s Cut also ends its Switch 2 exclusivity and comes to the same platforms on the same date.
As if all that weren’t enough, the prolific RGG Studio is also currently working on a new Virtua Fighter game and Stranger Than Heaven, a new period crime epic. The RGG Direct ended with some new footage of a jazz singer in Stranger Than Heaven, but no more substantive information on the title, or when it will be released.
