The Yakuza/Like a Dragon games are an annualized series, a new entry appearing every year since 2014, and sometimes two per year—as was the case in 2023, when Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio released both Like a Dragon: Ishin! and Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name. With so many games coming out, making sure they feel at least a little different, with changing protagonists, locations, and time periods, is essential. Changing the combat system was one of the most surprising shifts.
When the turn-based JRPG combat of Yakuza: Like a Dragon was first revealed in a trailer on April 1, 2019, some players assumed it was an April fool's joke and it would stick with the series' brawler-style combat. But RGG was serious, and the mainline series is staying turn-based for next year's Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth.
