User Score
8.6

Generally favorable reviews- based on 1510 Ratings

User score distribution:
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  1. Oct 30, 2021
    9
    Must have game for PlayStation owners. This game is the peak in the Yakuza aka Ryu ga Gotoku (Like a Dragon) franchise with its terrific story, characters and gameplay.
  2. Jun 23, 2020
    9
    Pretty fun game tbf it's one of the most enjoyable games I have play in a long
    I got it for Xbox , you can try it with gamepass
  3. Aug 2, 2020
    9
    Amazing game with great action cutscenes and also nice fighting mechanics. Well done activities in town and large variety of them. Main plot is really good and side quests are hilarious. The only minus is that games budget isn’t big, so graphic aren’t great, a lot of dialogs are without voices audio and a bit of technical issues but all in all the game is awesome.
  4. Jun 28, 2020
    9
    I love the characters int the story.

    See how close and nice between Kiryu and Nishiki
  5. Nov 19, 2020
    9
    A flawed masterpeice.

    Yakuza 0's gameplay feels very smooth, fluid, varied, satisfying, polished and extremely fun, its the most satisfying combat in a game ever along with yakuza Kiwami, the combat is honestly perfect, it's not complicated like a fighting game, it doesn't need to be and shouldn't be, it's simple but very satisfying and skill based. The game doesn't have a high skill
    A flawed masterpeice.

    Yakuza 0's gameplay feels very smooth, fluid, varied, satisfying, polished and extremely fun, its the most satisfying combat in a game ever along with yakuza Kiwami, the combat is honestly perfect, it's not complicated like a fighting game, it doesn't need to be and shouldn't be, it's simple but very satisfying and skill based. The game doesn't have a high skill ceiling or anything (as it shouldnt since its a singleplayer game) but u can easily identify an experienced player from a beginner, furthermore the fact it has 3 playstyles (4 if you find the hidden one) that can be switched to at any time adds a lot of depth and stratagy to the combat which wasnt in the series before this game. Grabbing thing from the environment to beat the **** out of people with is really fun and so are heat actions. The combat is so well design that if done right combat encounters can look like well choregraphed fight scenes. This game also has the most memorable and most fun bosses in the series along with Kiwami, atleast for me. Even though I personally like kiryus playstyles more than those of Majima, majimas playstyles are still great but they take more getting used to than those of kiryu and therefore, at first feel less satisfying as a result. As expected in a yakuza game the side stuff here is well made and entertaining. I love the aesthetic and the setting. The story here is great but its a pain to skip on repeat playthroughs due to the fact there is a lot of dialogue, this results in a game that isn't as replayable as kiwami and kiwami 2, which have stories that are easier to skip, but its still very replayable. along with this skipping the story results in bad pacing unlike some other games in the series where it still retains good pacing if the story is skipped. There are also a couple of tedious escort missions that are just not fun and the game is lacking when it comes to beat em up stages when you consider how long it is, it has roughly the same amount as kiwami but kiwami is a much shorter game so u would expect 0 to have more. There are also a lot of parts where you're stuck trying to find where you need to go next, these parts are really unfun for me. I rate games based on enjoyment and this one gets a solid 9/10, it has its flaws yes, but they didn't stop me from enjoying the game during 90% of the time.
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  6. May 3, 2021
    9
    Really fun game! Graphics are great, I liked how immersive it was and it plays like a TV drama which was very engaging, as were all the characters.The story has lots of twists, v. unpredictable. V. interesting to play as two characters trying to achieve the same goal but told from different angles, and then seeing their two worlds come together. The investment and club business did feel aReally fun game! Graphics are great, I liked how immersive it was and it plays like a TV drama which was very engaging, as were all the characters.The story has lots of twists, v. unpredictable. V. interesting to play as two characters trying to achieve the same goal but told from different angles, and then seeing their two worlds come together. The investment and club business did feel a bit pointless though as you make a lot of money by completing the later chapters. I only did the club twice and took over 1 area for Kiryu's investment, so not really needed to finish the game. Expand
  7. Oct 3, 2020
    9
    The storyline is good and touching. Best among the whole series. Graphics is good
  8. Sep 30, 2021
    9
    sooo much side content, such a great fighting system and gripping story. Cabaret club management itself, a small side content, could be a 70 dollar full game by itself. only downside are unnecessary long cutscenes and "walking sections", where you go from place a to b only to go back from b to a to to meet the same character c again. additionally, the game is too easy on "hard" if yousooo much side content, such a great fighting system and gripping story. Cabaret club management itself, a small side content, could be a 70 dollar full game by itself. only downside are unnecessary long cutscenes and "walking sections", where you go from place a to b only to go back from b to a to to meet the same character c again. additionally, the game is too easy on "hard" if you really upgrade everything, buy weapons and healing drinks. However, the game does have a legendary difficulty that gets unlocked once you finish the game that is supposed to be way harder. you can also make it harder by simply not buying healing drinks before each mission. to sum it up, even little side missions in this game are so beautifully written that they bring the tears to your eyes and the combat is always fun. my personal highlight is the cabaret club which feels like your small dysfunctional family full of beautiful girls Expand
  9. Apr 9, 2023
    9
    This game surprised me. Did not like much at the beginning, mas after a few hours I was in love by the game. Awesome history. Very good and fun gameplay, list of minigames.
  10. Nov 23, 2020
    9
    Honestly this game is incredible and more people should play it, I am in love with this game and it's franchise. 9/10
  11. rvp
    Nov 30, 2020
    9
    I just love the Yakuza series, I can recommend all of the games! Also this entry of the series is just great. The story is great, the side quests are amazing. The open world is a lot of fun! It's nice to play in a smaller open world where you know the whole world after a while and it's a lot of fun to do stuff in it. The characters are as always loveable. The plot twists are great! A greatI just love the Yakuza series, I can recommend all of the games! Also this entry of the series is just great. The story is great, the side quests are amazing. The open world is a lot of fun! It's nice to play in a smaller open world where you know the whole world after a while and it's a lot of fun to do stuff in it. The characters are as always loveable. The plot twists are great! A great great Yakuza game! Imo the best game of the series, it's just soooo much fun! Expand
  12. Dec 3, 2020
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. A game with a very good narration, the hilarious substories are cool and the boss fight are insane mostly the final boss Expand
  13. Aug 4, 2021
    9
    Probably the best in the series and you can start with it.

    Great prequel with great combat and a deep engaging story.
  14. Jun 5, 2021
    9
    This is the best start to get in series, the combat is fun, substories too, only thing I hate that they added this Game Clear data, I was super confused, so I clicked no. Worst mistake of my life. Press Yes after completing the game
  15. Sep 9, 2023
    9
    Yakuza 0 takes you to the late 80s of the Tokyo night life in such a charming and unexpected way.
    Kamurocho and Sotenbori (based on the real Kabuchiko and Dotenbori) aren't ashamed of showing their best and worst aspects, and are fully recreated in order to feel like real places with real people living in them: the way NPCs, shops, substories and minigames animate the game's world is one
    Yakuza 0 takes you to the late 80s of the Tokyo night life in such a charming and unexpected way.
    Kamurocho and Sotenbori (based on the real Kabuchiko and Dotenbori) aren't ashamed of showing their best and worst aspects, and are fully recreated in order to feel like real places with real people living in them: the way NPCs, shops, substories and minigames animate the game's world is one of the most charming aspect of Yakuza 0.
    All the stories, despite being exaggerated for the purpose of comedy and action, are grounded in reality to the point where the game itself treats the narrative as if it was like a film narrating real events, just re-elaborated in order to give the player more suspense and adrenaline.
    The gameplay isn't really deep, but its simplicity isn't necessarily bad: I would call the game a "modern" beat 'em up with RPG elements. It never feels boring and it has the right pace. Also, making the player switch between the two protagonists, Kiryu and Majima (which honestly stole the spotlight, at least for me), really helps.
    The only thing that anyone with at least a bit of gaming experience can immediately notice is that, yes, this is a PS3 game indeed, so you'll notice very square-y hitboxes in the city, limited animations, some low quality textures hidden in the least interesting points and the pop-in effect.
    The side content is fun and really vast but, dare I say, really redundant, making this game the worst nightmare of a completionist (I abandoned the idea of getting the Platinum Trophy after 90 hours). As for me, I immediately dropped the idea of getting the Platinum, but I spent a lot of time grinding to get to the Secret Boss and unlocking the fourth battle style for both the protagonists: those operations made me easily get to 100+ hour of playthrough, but I don't regret doing it and the game gave some good memories.

    Overall one of my favorite games ever. I never did like the 80s (which, in Japan, feels more like the 70s in Europe), but this game made me appreciate them in a way I never expected to. Interesting how the developers thought about making the Economic Bubble event into a game trait (basically you'll get a tons of money, while in other Yakuza games they are much less. And you use that money to learn skills).
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  16. Jan 9, 2023
    9
    So far this is the best yakuza game I played after Yakuza 5. The story was amazing and heartbreaking. Majima was amazing this time around, he really felt alive.
  17. Nov 21, 2021
    9
    The is a story driven game so lot of reading and cut scenes but don't get discouraged by this, playing this game is like watching a Martin Scorsese movie. The side missions are good and main missions are just great. I don't know how I did not play this game earlier.
  18. Dec 20, 2021
    9
    This is hands down one of the best videogames ever made. There's just so much to do: a ton of neat mini-games, insanely fun fighting and random encounters, plus a really, really cool main story. The fight into scenes are some of the coolest I've seen in any game, and the intro for the game is wild... watching it for the first time was really something else. It got me more hyped to play theThis is hands down one of the best videogames ever made. There's just so much to do: a ton of neat mini-games, insanely fun fighting and random encounters, plus a really, really cool main story. The fight into scenes are some of the coolest I've seen in any game, and the intro for the game is wild... watching it for the first time was really something else. It got me more hyped to play the game than anything I could have imagined. Plus, the setting is unreal: it really feels like a movie at times. The whole this is super, super cool. I'd buy it as soon as you can, even if (like me) you don't normally like fighting games. This one is different.

    The only hitch is that sometimes the main story is a little drawn out. But that's offset by some really off-the-wall twists and turns that truly come out of left field. All in all, the story is one of the best in all of gaming.
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  19. May 20, 2023
    9
    A perfect depiction of Japan's dark underworld.
    The story is amazing full of plot twists and crazy moments, incredible writing and great characters.
    The gameplay though, it's enjoyable and overall decent but it gets repetitive, you don't really unlock any new moves after the first few hours in the game. The side content is more than enough, there is a lot you can do such as play
    A perfect depiction of Japan's dark underworld.
    The story is amazing full of plot twists and crazy moments, incredible writing and great characters.

    The gameplay though, it's enjoyable and overall decent but it gets repetitive, you don't really unlock any new moves after the first few hours in the game.

    The side content is more than enough, there is a lot you can do such as play arcade games, sing in the karaoke, dance in the disco club and many more, and there are also some interesting side stories.

    I got to say, I'm very happy I finally played this game, it was a pleasant experience.

    Final Rating: "Amazing ~ 9/10.
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  20. Feb 21, 2022
    9
    this is my fav yakuza game of all time. best storyline plus the side quest are very enjoyable. nice job ryu ga!
  21. Mar 19, 2022
    9
    This was my first ever Yakuza game and i'd say its worth it. Beginning may be slow but you will not get easily bored if you endure it.
  22. May 6, 2022
    9
    Yakuza 0 is a flawed masterpiece. The side content is some of the most engaging and fun stuff ever made in a video game. Combat is flashy and exciting. Music is also fantastic. The main story is excellent however the pacing is the main issue as it takes a while for the game to build up to the huge moments. But when the story hits IT HITS.
  23. May 23, 2022
    9
    Game is great, imo the first few chapters is kinda slow? but i still enjoyed it, specially the minigames.
  24. Aug 25, 2022
    9
    One of my most favorite games ever played. The only reason I'm not giving it a 10 is because I've played video games for 20+ years and it's hard for me to give a game a perfect 10. But otherwise amazing and worth reading the subtitles.
  25. Sep 12, 2022
    9
    This game is not for the impatient gamer, but give it your pinky finger, and the reward'll be something else! It's not just a video game, it's an unforgettable journey.
  26. Dec 25, 2022
    9
    Yakuza 0 consists of great combat (Especially with Majima) and a grabbing story. As well as amazing minigames. Yakuza 0 is just an ultimate experience
  27. Feb 1, 2023
    9
    I give this and Kiwami the same score because the combat is similar, though Kiwami is better. But I say this story is better. Playing as Majima was such a great idea and seeing how he became the character he is later on is great. Great story, probably the best in the series (at least from the ones I have played).
  28. May 4, 2023
    9
    The battles are never boring and the story is interesting. The most important reason for playing Yakuza 0 is its gameplay for me..
  29. Jul 28, 2023
    9
    A Fantastic Open world game about an amazing franchise with a fantastic story,the gameplay is amazing with his various combat system style and the main character are very charismatic...the song in this are another gem of this beatiful game and the boss fight are very amazing and funny a must to play to start with this amazing franchise
  30. Feb 19, 2017
    8
    Great characters, excellent side missions, decent story however due to the tone of other parts of the game it does feel out of place at times. There is a lot of story to it so don't expect a "GTA in japan" experience. Think more Shenmue with more street fights.
Metascore
85

Generally favorable reviews - based on 87 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 77 out of 87
  2. Negative: 0 out of 87
  1. Aug 8, 2018
    85
    Yakuza 0 is a lot of Yakuza, showing a great deal of excess, brilliance and occasional frustration in equal fashion. There's lots and lots to do, a great story to breathe in, and wonderful characters who play well off each other. At the same time, 0 lacks some of the innovations and gameplay conceits that came with later titles, and it's also just as frustrating in places as some of the franchise's more egregious offenders.
  2. Oct 12, 2017
    90
    Yakuza Zero is a fantastic game. Spectacular main story combined with great diversity of sub-stories and solid gameplay create a rather unique game.
  3. Games Master UK
    Apr 2, 2017
    90
    A fantastically bonkers open-world gem that finally opens up the magic of the series to everyone. [March 2017, p.64]