New to the series, should I start with Yakuza: Like a Dragon?

[Sturm]

If I wanted to jump into the series as a newbie which is the best? The reviews on Yakuza: Like a Dragon seem great. What are your guy's thoughts?

[Artur]

You'd appreciate the game more if you started with 0 and worked your way up to 7, though it might take some time.

[jonaS]

You'll have a good time without playing any of them. Yakuza 0 is a great game though and it grounds the lore, but you wont get much more than "♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ its that guy" out of it.

[Gon]

I'd say either Yakuza 0 or this. 0 is a prequel to the first game and if you play the series in order you see the game universe evolve over the years, gaining an appreciation for all the references. This is a partial reset of the series (nothing is actually reset, but the protagonist and main region it's set has changed).

[HeavyEyes]

I'm just getting in to this game as a Yakuza newbie, and none of the map references mean anything to me. Would it be better if it knew the map and the backstory? Yes. Is it still a good game without knowing the backstory? Also yes.

[Rubyeyed]

If you want to start then absolutely not with this game. This entry is the actual "game changer". Start with 0 which is representative of the actual series.

Like a Dragon is a bit overhyped tbh. I would only consider starting with this title if you prefer turn based combat way more than real time action. + don't worry about not getting the references because most of it is like spotting a celebrity. You won't miss anything important if you don't know all established characters.

[Bankai9212]

If infinite wealth didn't bend backwards to include characters from the original series I would say you can. The narrative here is well self contained and can be played with zero context of the other games. Infinite wealth coming out pretty hard to sell that anymore.

[Penguin Lord]

Like RPGs: start with LAD (Yakuza 7)
Like Brawlers: start with Yakuza 0
No preference: start with Yakuza 0

You won’t lose too much by starting with this game. Sure, some revelations are more “epic” but it doesn’t ruin the game in any way.

My suggestion is to start with the game that suits your style the most then decide whether you want to delve deeper into the series.

[ImperialKhador]

Good entry points:

Like a Dragon - New main character, JRPG turn-based mechanics
Yakuza 0 - Origin of the original main character, highly polished. Slightly dates these days.
Yakuza Kiwami - Remake of the first game. Shorter than many others.
Judgment - Different main character, highly polished.