Game intel
Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Tides
RGG Studio has finally pulled the curtain on Yakuza Kiwami 3, a full remake of Yakuza 3, launching February 12, 2026 – and they’re pairing it with Dark Tides, a separate campaign centered on Yoshitaka Mine. As someone who finished Yakuza 3 on PS3 and revisited the remaster, this caught my attention because Y3 is the most “of-its-era” entry: heartfelt, yes, but clunky combat, pacing hiccups, and some rough edges. A proper Kiwami remake has a real chance to fix that – if RGG does more than just slap on shinier textures.
At the RGG Summit, the studio confirmed Yakuza Kiwami 3 as a ground-up rework of the 2009 chapter that moved the series to Okinawa and set Kiryu up as guardian of the Morning Glory orphanage. Expect re-shot or expanded cutscenes, additional side content, and refinements that bring the game in line with modern Like a Dragon sensibilities. The big extra is Dark Tides: a separate, Mine-focused storyline that digs into one of Y3’s most compelling antagonists.
The release is cross-gen and cross-ecosystem: Steam, PS4/PS5, Xbox Series, and Switch 2. Standard edition sits at €59.99, Deluxe at €74.99. RGG is promising fresh activities alongside the usual Kamurocho-and-beyond time sinks — think karaoke, darts, golf, and the kind of oddball substories the series does best — plus combat updates that should make street brawls feel less PS3-era.
Yakuza 3 is beloved for its heart but infamous for its whiplash pacing: one minute you’re dealing with serious clan politics, the next you’re herding kids around Okinawa. Kiwami 1 and 2 showed RGG can preserve a story’s soul while modernizing combat, cameras, QoL, and substories. If Kiwami 3 brings Y7/Y8-level responsiveness, smarter enemy AI, and better Heat/finisher flow, that alone would be transformative.
The potential tripwire is scope. A true remake needs more than a visual pass; it needs structural fixes. Tighter chapter flow, less backtracking in late-game Kamurocho runs, and meaningful expansions in Okinawa would go a long way. The original’s best beats — Kiryu’s quiet moments with the kids, the rising tension with rival factions, Mine’s arc — deserve modern staging and more connective tissue.
Putting Yoshitaka Mine front and center is the smartest swing here. He’s one of the series’ most layered antagonists — principled, ruthless, and tragically human. A dedicated campaign can reframe Y3’s events from the other side of the board, and a distinct combat style for Mine should mix up the rhythm versus Kiryu’s “Dragon” swagger. The big questions: is Dark Tides a chunky, Gaiden-sized story with new locales and bosses, or a short side episode? And does it do more than remix existing assets?
If RGG nails the tone — sleek, cold, and calculated, fitting Mine — this could become the definitive way to experience the Y3 era. If it’s just challenge arenas and recycled fights, fans will feel it immediately. The studio’s recent output (Gaiden, Infinite Wealth) suggests they understand how to spin off protagonists effectively, but expectations are high.
Support for PS4 in 2026 is a double-edged katana. It keeps the audience huge, but it can cap ambition unless the team builds with scalable tech in mind. Switch 2 support is great for on-the-go grinding, yet we’ll need clarity on frame rate modes, resolution targets, and content parity across platforms. PC players will expect the usual graphics toggles and stable performance at launch — RGG’s PC ports have improved, but the community will watch closely for Denuvo and day-one patch drama.
Kiwami 1 and 2 launched at budget-ish prices years ago, but the market’s changed. €59.99 for a full remake plus a separate Mine campaign sounds reasonable — if both parts are substantial. The €74.99 Deluxe will tempt diehards, but unless it adds mission content or meaningful gameplay extras, cosmetics and early unlocks aren’t worth it for most players. Also: skip pre-orders until we see how much “new” is truly new. RGG loves flashy trailers; we need footage that shows reworked systems, not just dramatic monologues.
Yakuza Kiwami 3 is the remake this series actually needed, and Dark Tides could elevate Y3’s best villain into a fan-favorite lead. The price looks fine on paper, but the value hinges on how substantial the Mine campaign is and how deep the combat and QoL overhauls go. Keep your wallet holstered until we see real gameplay and runtime details.
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