The remastered versions of Yakuza 3, 4 and 5 hit Xbox Game Pass on January 28.
Xbox announced today that all three will be available on console, PC and via the cloud. With Kiryu’s PS3-era adventures on the service, fans will be able to play through the entirety of the Dragon of Dojima’s story. Almost. Hopefully, this announcement signals that the hero’s swansong, Yakuza 6: The Song of Life is on the way.
This turn of events is unsurprising if you’ve been following the burgeoning partnership between Microsoft and Yakuza developer, Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio. Outside of Japan-only Wii U ports of the first two entries, the Yakuza series has been exclusive to Sony platforms from the beginning.
But, that began to change in 2018, when PS4 exclusive Yakuza 0 migrated to PC. In the time since, remakes Yakuza Kiwami and Yakuza Kiwami 2 also launched on Windows. In 2020, all three released on Xbox One and Game Pass. The balance has shifted substantially enough that Yakuza: Like A Dragon is currently a next-gen exclusive on Xbox Series X|S.
But, if you’re not interested in Yakuza, Game Pass has plenty more to offer. Two new games, Bloober Team’s The Medium and the Yacht Club Games-published Cyber Shadow will be available at launch. The Medium is a rare Xbox Series X|S console exclusive. Given the impressive work that Bloober did last year updating 2017’s Observer for next-gen, I’m excited to see how The Medium looks on new machines on January 28. Cyber Shadow arrives on January 26.
Additionally, recent indie darlings Desperados 3 and Donut County arrive on January 21 across console, PC and cloud. That same day, Outer Wilds, now available on PC and console, will expand to include cloud access. And Control – currently available on console – moves to PC on the 21st, as well.
Unfortunately, few games last forever on Game Pass. That’s true this month as Death Squared, Death’s Gambit, Final Fantasy XV, Fishing Sim World: Pro Tour, Gris, Indivisible, Reigns: Game of Thrones and Sea Salt will leave the service at the end of the month.
But, with so much Yakuza, will you even notice?
Xbox Game Pass – January additions
- Control (PC) – January 21
- Desperados III (Android, Console, and PC) – January 21
- Donut County (Android, Console, and PC) ID@Xbox – January 21
- Outer Wilds (Android) ID@Xbox – January 21
- Cyber Shadow (Android, Console, and PC) ID@Xbox – January 26
- The Medium (Xbox Series X|S and PC) ID@Xbox – January 28
- Yakuza 3 Remastered (Android, Console, and PC) – January 28
- Yakuza 4 Remastered (Android, Console, and PC) – January 28
- Yakuza 5 Remastered (Android, Console, and PC) – January 28
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