Like a Dragon has usually dominated the RGG Summit, with Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii announced last year. Things could be different this year, especially with the studio working on a new IP, Stranger Than Heaven, and the next Virtua Fighter.

Neither title has a release date, much less a release window, but Sega did note that Stranger Than Heaven is planned to launch sometime between April 1st, 2026, and March 31st, 2027. The next Virtua Fighter received a new trailer earlier this month, showcasing the combat and minimalist interface.

Producer Riichiro Yamada has spoken about retaining the series’ three-button set-up to make a game that “anyone can play.” Head here for more details and stay tuned for further updates.

That’s not all, as Patch 1.10 also adds English and Chinese dubbing. Other changes include improvements to the general stability, game balance adjustments, and bug fixes, which haven’t been detailed. Nevertheless, being able to customize the voice acting and access NG+ out of the box is pretty great.

Check out our review for more details on Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii. We gave it an eight out of ten, praising the combat, mini-games, customization and pirate-focused gameplay (though the story isn’t all that important). It retails for $59.99, which is costlier than Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name but offers more content, including the entirety of Honolulu from Infinite Wealth.

Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii Patch 1.10 Launch Update🏴‍☠
➕New Game+ added
🗣️English and Chinese dub added
💪General stability improvements
⚖️Game balance adjustments
🛠️Other bug fixes pic.twitter.com/xN0bgHiLeb

— RGG Studio | Like a Dragon & Yakuza Series (@RGGStudio) February 20, 2025

Majima wields two Styles, Mad Dog and Sea Dog, the latter employing dual cutlasses and pistols. Players can jump for the first time in the franchise, launching enemies and diving into them from above. You can switch between both Styles seamlessly and even harness Dark Instruments for powerful summons.

Then there’s naval combat, where players can recruit and assign over 100 crew members to their ship to battle hostile vessels. Bonding with them will improve their stats while equipping different weapons, from flamethrowers to lasers, is key to survival (and you can even man certain weapons). The sea also hosts dangerous monsters that have yet to be fully revealed.

If all this wasn’t enough, there’s Madlantis, where the Pirate Coliseum awaits. The Direct confirms that four battle types await, including naval combat, for rewards.

Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii launches on February 21st for Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5, and PC. Unlike Infinite Wealth, it will add New Game Plus for free post-launch.

During a recently premiered gameplay deep dive, developer Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio confirmed that Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii will add a New Game Plus mode as free post-launch DLC. There’s no word yet on exactly how long players will have to wait after the game’s release. However, it’s certainly encouraging to see Sega responding to the criticism surrounding Infinite Wealth’s New Game Plus mode. 

Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii is due out for PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, Xbox One, and PC on February 21. Check out some recent naval combat gameplay here.

Starring Majima Goro, Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii sees him waking up on Rich Island with no memories. Shortly thereafter, Majima commands his own pirate crew and vessel, venturing to Nele Island and even Honolulu from Infinite Wealth. Players can engage in naval combat and board opposing ships, taking down enemies with the new Sea Dog Style with its cutlasses and firearms.

Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii launches on February 21st for Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5, and PC. While it’s a spin-off from the mainline series similar to Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name, it’s 30 percent longer. Check out some gameplay of the various play spots and the English voice cast.

LIKE A DRAGON DIRECT be comin’ Thursday, Jan 9th at 9am PST | 6pm CET🏴‍☠

Join us for first looks and a deeper dive into Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii gameplay👀 N’ don’t ye worry matey, we ain’t gonna spoil the story🤝

📺 YouTube (SEGA_West) & Twitch (SEGA)
🎥… pic.twitter.com/cgvaHHcLUm

— RGG Studio | Like a Dragon & Yakuza Series (@RGGStudio) January 7, 2025

Speaking in an interview with Automaton Media, RGG Studio’s director Masayoshi Yokoyama revealed that Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii is going to be about 30 percent longer than Like a Dragon Gaiden, echoing similar previous statements. According to Yokoyama, the development team didn’t necessarily set out to make a bigger game than Gaiden, with the runtime instead being a byproduct of the story and its demands. “It’s more like the volume ‘ended up’ increasing due to the story,” he said.

“The map is huge, there’s a bunch of places to visit, and there are still features we haven’t announced yet. The volume increased by itself,” Yokoyama added, before stating that the longer runtime will be reflective of the game’s price, which is $10 higher than Like a Dragon Gaiden’s launch price.

As per How Long To Beat, Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name’s main story is about 12-13 hours long, though the game can be closer to 20 hours with a good number of side quests added in, so Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii should presumably be a 15-25 hour-long game, based on what Yokoyama says.

Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii is due out on February 21 for PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, Xbox One, and PC.

Specifically, the trailer reveals the cast of actors who’ll be portraying some of the game’s main players in English. Matthew Mercer will return as Goro Majima, while wrestler Samoa Joe is also set to star in the game, as previously confirmed. The game’s English voice cast will also include the likes of Debra Wilson (and Queen Michele), Jeremy Brandt (as Jason Rich), and James Kirkland (as Taiga Saejima). You can view the trailer below for more details.

Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii is due out on February 21, 2025 for PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, Xbox One, and PC. Developer Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio is currently also busy with multiple non-Yakuza projects, with a new Virtua Fighter and Project Century both having been unveiled at The Game Awards last week. 

Now, in a separate video, RGG Studio head Masayoshi Yokoyama has elaborated on the reasons behind the game releasing a week ahead of time, explaining that development is actually going better than the studio had planned. 

Interestingly enough, however, Yokoyama also seems to suggest that the game’s release date would change so that it would no longer clash with Monster Hunter Wilds, which releases on February 28, the day that Like a Dragon was previously set to come out. Of course, he did not specifically name the Capcom action RPG, but stated that RGG Studio and Sega wants players to be able to play “the game that comes after it, with peace of mind.”

“We have decided to bring forward the release date by a week to February 21, 2025,” Yokoyama said. “Of course, this is partly because development is progressing more smoothly than expected, but we also wanted to deliver the game to players around the world as soon as possible. We wanted you to be able to play the game that comes after it, with peace of mind. With the support of everyone involved at Sega, both internal and external, we have been able to make this a reality.”

Upon its release in February, Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii will be available on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, Xbox One, and PC. 

The newest trailer for Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii continues to offer more glimpses of hijinks that protagonist Goro Majima will be getting involved in as he makes land in Hawaii. A number of different characters are glimpsed, but the primary focus of the trailer is very much on naval combat and gameplay, which is certainly looking like it’ll bring an entirely new flavour to the Yakuza / Like a Dragon series. Check out the trailer below. 

Interestingly enough, the game’s release date has also been brought forward by a week. Previously set to launch on February 28 next year, Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii is now due out on February 21 for PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, Xbox One, and PC. 

With over a dozen minutes of new gameplay footage uploaded recently by IGN, Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii has showcased some of its minigame offerings, and both of the ones seen in the video will be familiar to series fans.

There’s the kart racing minigame Dragon Kart in all its Mario Kart inspired glory, and, of course, karaoke, which no Yakuza game is ever going to be complete without. Meanwhile, amidst all of that, the video also offers glimpses of the game’s cosmetic customization options. Check it out below.

Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii is due out on February 28 next year for PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, Xbox One, and PC. It will retail for $60.