Operation Backlog Completion 2026

Yakuza Kiwami 3 Will Get a Demo, Remaster Delisting Concerns

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Jan 162026
 

A new wave of Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties previews have gone out, and in addition to providing more details about the combat, side activities, etc., the PlayStation Blog preview also mentions there will be a demo available.

No detail about the demo have been released yet.

I’m torn on whether or not I’ll try the demo. If progress carries to the main game, I’ll be tempted, but it might be one of those standalone demos that just provides a slice of what the game is like.

Meanwhile, RGG Studio stated on Twitter that the original Yakuza 3 remaster will still be available for those who want to play it… as part of the “Yakuza Complete Series” bundle.

At first I took their statement to mean the Yakuza 3 remaster won’t be delisted (a concern after Yakuza 0 was delisted in favor of the Director’s Cut), but after reading it again, it sounds like it might only be available as part of the bundle (and not even the remaster bundle, but the 7-game bundle of Yakuza 0-6). If that’s how they’re handling it, that’s better than delisting it completely, but still unfortunate.

For now, Yakuza 3 Remastered is still available separately.

(Meanwhile, you might be wondering why we’re not talking about the Resident Evil showcase from yesterday, and that’s because they didn’t announce anything new, just gave a few more details about Requiem. I still have mixed feelings on it since Leon’s campaign looks like it’s going all-in on action, but I did like learning Grace’s campaign has a mode that uses ink ribbons for saving.

You might also be wondering why we’re not talking about the Hundred Line news, but that isn’t news, even if you’ve seen new artwork floating around. They didn’t announce a sequel or DLC or anything like that.)

Anyway, are you planning to play the Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties demo? What do you think will happen with the remaster?

Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties Direct Announced for December 22

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Dec 172025
 

RGG Studio has announced a showcase for next week to provide a closer look at the upcoming Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties.

The Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties Direct will be on December 22 at 5 PM PT / 8 PM ET.

In case you’ve missed the announcement, this is a full remake of Yakuza 3, bundled together with a new Gaiden-style prequel game starring Mine.

As a Mine enthusiast, I went from “Yakuza 3 is fine and doesn’t need a remake” to “Wait, this is amazing!” when Dark Ties was revealed. The new content being added to Kiwami 3 also got my attention, because more slice-of-life content with the kids is exactly what I wanted. The one thing I was worried about was that they might make too many story changes, although they’ve said Kiwami 3 is meant to exist alongside Yakuza 3 rather than replace it.

…That statement is a little harder to believe after recent developments, as they’ve delisted the original Yakuza 0 to replace it with the Director’s Cut, despite the story additions in the Director’s Cut being controversial at best.

A shadow also fell over Kiwami 3 because one of the new actors added for the remake was accused of sexual assault, and RGG Studio hasn’t even acknowledged the backlash against hiring him. (The recasting decisions were already controversial even without that, so it’s been a firestorm out there now.) So I have to admit, my enthusiasm for Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties was dampened somewhat by everything that happened since its announcement.

That aside, I don’t know if I’d want to watch the Direct anyway, just because I don’t want too much of the game spoiled for me. They already showed combat and mini-games when the game was announced.

How do you feel about the Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties situation? Are you going to watch the Direct?

More Details on Yakuza Kiwami 3 + Dark Ties

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Sep 292025
 

For me, the best announcement from TGS was Yakuza Kiwami 3 and its unexpected companion game Dark Ties, starring Yoshitaka Mine.

A few more details have surfaced since then, mostly through a Famitsu interview with director Ryosuke Horii.

(I’m relying on Google Translate here, just so you know.)

They’d originally intended to make Mine’s story something that could be watched as a video (maybe it as originally planned to be new cutscenes added to Kiwami 3, like the added Nishiki scenes in the first Kiwami?), but then they decided it would be better if he was playable. It seems this decision was at least partly made because of how popular Mine is.

When they announced Dark Ties, they described Mine as having an antihero approach in his substories, and Horii touches on that in the interview, saying that Mine doesn’t approach substories with the “defeating evil and protecting the weak” attitude that the other games’ protagonists have.

Overall, it sounds like they intend Dark Ties to be a darker story, which sounds pretty interesting.

The interview also describes the nature of Kiwami 3 as a remake, and how they felt if they kept it too close to the original Yakuza 3, it would feel boring/pointless since Yakuza 3’s remaster is readily available. Therefore, they approached it differently than the previous Kiwami games and treated it like a new work, and they don’t intend for it to replace Yakuza 3.

Another interview emphasized that as well, with Kiwami 3 involving bigger changes than Kiwami and Kiwami 2 had. Sadly, it also confirms the removal of the Revelation system.

(I’ve been hoping Revelations would come back to the series and appear in newer games, so I’m especially disappointed that they won’t even be in Kiwami 3.)

Moving on from the interviews, there’s also one big piece of information that has surfaced from TGS – the length of Dark Ties. Since it’s packaged with Kiwami 3, I thought it might be significantly shorter than the previous Gaiden games. I was hoping it would at least be the length of the Kaito Files, not as short as Kiwami 2’s Majima Saga. However, some previews mentioned being told it will be similar in length to Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name.

If it really ends up being that long, that’s incredible. I’m really looking forward to it.

What are your thoughts on the latest details about Dark Ties? How do you feel about their approach to Kiwami 3 as a remake?

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