Yakuza Kiwami 3 and Dark Ties have sparked an intense anticipation and excitement from fans worldwide with their announcement at the RGG Summit and RGG Direct, to which both will be released as a package on February 12, 2026. We have managed to play both game demos during Tokyo Game Show 2025, and we are pleased to share our glowing first impressions.
Yakuza Kiwami 3 is the remake of the original 2009 Yakuza 3 with better, smoother gameplay and graphics powered by the Dragon Engine. Producer and Director Ryosuke Horii has described Yakuza Kiwami 3’s concept as “legend reborn and a new legacy begins”. They have developed the game from the ground up, containing new character casting, substories, cutscenes, mini-games, bigger maps, and even made drastic scene changes and outcomes.
The new character casting for Kiwami 3 may take some getting used to, especially for long-time fans of the series. It may be jarring to see a new face for such an iconic character, like Rikiya; however, there is much more to discover once the game fully releases.
Dark Ties, on the other hand, is a ‘gaiden’ focused on Yoshitaka Mine, the primary antagonist in the original Yakuza 3. The gaiden can be played on its own since it is not wholly dependent on the mainline Kiwami 3 story and will tackle Mine’s beginnings and sordid past.
Mine has been a popular character in the series, and creating a ‘gaiden’ game that explores his own backstory has been a long time coming. Though we had expected that perhaps Taiga Saejima or Shun Akiyama would get the honor first, since they, too, have been very famous characters beloved by the fans. The announcements have been a pleasant surprise, and we are excited to dive deeper into Mine’s spinoff.
Striking Visuals, Delightful Sounds
Powered by the Dragon Engine, the new visuals and cutscenes for Kiwami 3 and Dark Ties are splendid to look at. Coupled with the new and bigger map of downtown Ryukyu, Okinawa, it is quite similar to the ambience and feel of the recent Like A Dragon titles, like Infinite Wealth and Pirates Yakuza in Hawaii.
The graphics are pristine, the visual effects are stellar, and even the English voice acting for Yoshitaka Mine is surprisingly suave and invigorating. While we are happy that his original voice actor, Shidou Nakamura, has reprised his role after so many years, you would be surprised how smooth and pleasant his English voice can be as well. We recommend playing in various audio languages to appreciate the different iterations, especially when playing the karaoke minigame.
Yoshitaka Mine’s singing is a must-see, must-experience in Dark Ties. Because this is one of the few moments you will get to see the cool, dark, and brooding chairman of the Hakuho clan spill his heart out in karaoke–and with all other minigames that will be in the game.
Yoshitaka Mine’s look has undergone quite a few noticeable tweaks if we were to compare it to his recent design in Like A Dragon: Ishin! Even if both were made with different engines, there is no downgrade in the design whatsoever in Yakuza Kiwami 3 and Dark Ties. The overall physical qualities and design still fit the cool, unflappable Yoshitaka Mine.
While we are able to see what Mine looks like as his younger pre-Tojo clan self, we are looking forward to how his custom wardrobe and cosmetics could look like. We are highly anticipating all the potential that Yoshitaka Mine can showcase in Dark Ties.
The same positive impression goes with Kiryu Kazuma in this iteration. We are pleased that his looks have become more refined and his Yakuza 3 wardrobe has undergone some rehaul. The developers included the fun outfit customisations, but instead of a preview runway, this time they made it into a fashion photoshoot instead, which we think is totally slaying. We are so happy to see Kiryu Kazuma enjoying himself in these moments, especially since this game is centered around him being a passionate and protective father to his orphans.
Action-packed, Seamless Gameplay
Yakuza Kiwami 3 and Dark Ties game demos both feature seamless and buttery-smooth gameplay that definitely made us wish the game would come out real soon. While a lot of the gameplay details have been explained during the recent RGG Direct, it is still different experiencing it altogether. And by different, we meant better and highly enjoyable.
The gameplay for both Yakuza Kiwami 3 and Dark Ties is buttery-smooth, and executing combos is seamless. We played in Normal Mode during the demo (there was an Assisted Mode as well). Parrying attacks and perfectly guarding against enemies have never felt so satisfying, and coupled with Kiryu’s new fighting style in Yakuza Kiwami 3, the experience peaked even further.
Kiryu Kazuma will be having two fighting styles: Dragon of Dojima: Kiwami and Ryukyu Style. The first uses Kiryu’s signature moves from the ‘Dragon of Dojima’ style in the series. The Ryukyu Style is a weapons-heavy style that uses generational Okinawan martial arts with the developers’ own interpretation and flair. The style uses eight different Ryukyu weapons, like nunchucks, kobudo, and more.
On top of these styles, Kiryu can activate a power-up mode called “Dragon Boost,” which can unleash flashier, more powerful moves. Flames erupt around the screen, which differ in color depending on the fighting style equipped by Kiryu: orange flames for Dragon of Dojima: Kiwami and blue flames for Ryukyu Style. Swapping these styles in between combos is easy and it’s exciting to see how Kiryu can juggle new, different weapons and execute new, intense Heat Actions in this remake.
For Dark Ties, Yoshitaka Mine uses a refined and cool style centered around boxing, which is in contrast to Kiryu’s bold and brawlish one. Mine’s style also includes a special action button that enables him to step on enemies and unleash aerial attacks with acrobatic flair.
Like Kiryu’s Dragon Boost, Mine also possesses its own called “Dark Awakening”. In this mode, Mine unleashes the ‘darkness he carries in his heart and the madness he hides behind his eyes’, as Director Horii describes in RGG Direct. This is the moment where Mine lets go and becomes more aggressive and feral in his movements and attacks. The Dark Awakening is indicated by the ‘sealed hearts’ below his lifebar, which you have to fill up to activate.
Filled to the Brim with Fun
Despite the limited minigame and features in the demos, we could still trigger substories and conversations throughout the map with what little time we had. Some of the noteworthy features we managed to do were the Cell Phone customizations, Search Mode, Street Surfer Mk 0, and Print Club.
The Cell Phone customisations can be considered as the ‘equipment’ category in this remake because customising the phone adds status changes and benefits. From toggling the phone’s antenna, wallpaper, and even keychains, you can increase Kiryu’s different status/abilities depending on your needs.
Certain people and elements will light up in Search Mode. Using this enabled us to look for people Kiryu can be friends with via his flip phone and also to catch bugs in the area. And since this remake contains a bigger map, navigating around has become faster by using the Street Surfer Mk 0!
We especially had fun with Yoshitaka Mine’s Print Club experience because it is truly refreshing seeing the calm and collected Mine try his best to pull off well-timed photos! This is but a peek at how Mine’s character could be, and we can’t wait to discover more about him in Dark Ties.
The demo also made it easier for us to switch from Yakuza Kiwami 3 and Dark Ties from the menu screen. We are not certain if this will be the same once the game officially releases, but we are pleased to report that the transition has been smooth and fast.
Yakuza Kiwami 3 and Dark Ties – Initial Verdict
Playing the demos only further fanned the flames of our excitement about what the games will offer in their full glory. There are a lot of new features for Yakuza Kiwami 3 and Dark Ties, which will offer peak entertainment and gaming experience for new and old fans alike.
Yakuza Kiwami 3 and Dark Ties are definitely among our most anticipated games of 2026. RGG Studio always finds new, innovative ways to make every player’s experience fun and worthwhile without cutting corners and sacrificing quality and storytelling.
Both games will be released on the PS5, PS4, Nintendo Switch 2, Xbox Series X|S, and Steam.