Yakuza 0 Director's Cut

Yakuza 0 Director's Cut brought one of the highest-rated entries in the entire series to Nintendo Switch 2, in an expanded form with new scenes and added dubbing. The story is set at the end of the 1980s, during Japan's economic bubble, and follows two characters: young Kazuma Kiryu, accused of a murder he didn't commit, and Goro Majima, who runs a luxury cabaret while trying to atone for his past. Both storylines revolve around a single empty lot in Kamurocho that holds inestimable value for the warring clans, and they gradually weave together into a plot about betrayal, money, and power.

The gameplay rests on two pillars. The first is street brawling, where you switch between fighting styles with different pacing and reach, and where fights break out right among the bystanders getting in your way. The second is the city itself: a small but incredibly dense and detailed district full of arcades, karaoke bars, pubs, old Sega arcade machines, and dozens of side stories that swing between absurd humor and surprisingly touching endings. That contrast between hard-boiled gangster drama and bizarre street anecdotes is the series' signature trait and the reason it built such a devoted audience.

The Switch 2 version benefits from running smoothly even in handheld mode, which suits the side activities and short episodes remarkably well; you can easily settle in for one cabaret evening, a round of mahjong, or one bout in the arena and then close the console again. Both story lines also come with extensive management minigames, in which Kiryu manages real estate and Majima runs a business, and either one could stand on its own as a separate game. The 1980s atmosphere is carried by neon storefronts, period fashion, and a soundtrack mixing funk, rock, and disco. Thanks to its place at the start of the timeline, Yakuza 0 has long been recommended as the best entry point into the series, and that reputation holds to this day. On Switch 2, it stands as one of the most extensive and most characterful titles the console offered in its first year.