The success of Yakuza Kiwami on Nintendo Switch in 2024 opened the floodgates for the franchise’s future on Nintendo platforms, and at the time, Switch players were beginning to look forward to the Switch’s successor. Flash forward to June 5, 2025, and Yakuza 0 Director’s Cut arrived as a major launch title for Nintendo Switch 2 alongside Mario Kart World, Cyberpunk 2077, and other great games. Yakuza 0 Director’s Cut is among one of the most interesting games in that lineup, as it adds more content and features to one of the most celebrated games in the entire Yakuza / Like a Dragon franchise.
Originally released for the PlayStation 4 in March 2015 in Japan and January 2017 worldwide, Yakuza 0 is the first game chronologically in the Yakuza series. Set in 1988’s Tokyo and Osaka, players will discover the prequel story of Kazuma Kiryu and Goro Majima, along with the trials and tribulations that paved their way to becoming Tojo Clan legends. The story begins from the perspective of Kazuma Kiryu, who gets caught up in a conspiracy after a debt collection goes wrong. Kiryu’s debt collection mark was mysteriously murdered at the Empty Lot, a hotly contested piece of land that shapes the future of Kamurocho—Tokyo’s busiest district. After completing Kiryu’s first chapter, players then step into the shoes of Goro Majima—the proprietor of Sotenbori’s Grand cabaret club—a man with quite a troubled past in the Tojo Clan’s Shimano family.
Yakuza 0 Director’s Cut Enhances the Franchise’s Origin Story on Nintendo Switch 2
Yakuza 0 Director’s Cut is effectively the most complete and fully realized version of the game, by definition’s sake. Everything from the original release of Yakuza 0 is here, including previously released DLC cosmetics and the opening theme song from the Japanese release, “Bubble” by Shōnan no Kaze. The Director’s Cut version adds an English dub starring Yong Yea as Kazuma Kiryu and Matt Mercer as Goro Majima, a new “Red Light Raid” multiplayer mode featuring several playable characters, and roughly 26 minutes of new cutscenes.
This is all on top of the amazing Yakuza 0 game many of us have played and enjoyed, which is playable at a locked 60 FPS in handheld and docked mode. The visuals are a crisp 1080p resolution in handheld mode, and docked mode doesn’t skip a beat at its 4K resolution. I seriously enjoyed playing Yakuza 0 Director’s Cut in handheld mode, as Switch 2’s 3D audio makes the English and Japanese voice-overs, and the game’s great soundtrack, sound incredibly clear. Of course, playing Yakuza 0 Director’s Cut at 60 FPS, no matter the scene or mode you play the game in on Switch 2, is brilliant. It makes revisiting and exploring Kamurocho and Sotenbori feel familiar but new again, considering I played the PlayStation 4 version nearly eight years ago.
You’re still getting the fun gameplay systems Yakuza 0 is known for, including Heat Actions, three switchable fighting styles for each protagonist with upgradeable skill trees, and a wealth of side content and mini-games, which is all contained in two explorable districts set in Shōwa-era Japan. It’s all here in one convenient package, making it the perfect entry point into the series for Nintendo fans. Yakuza 0 is the peak of Yakuza’s combat system before the switch to the Dragon Engine with Yakuza 6: The Song of Life, so you’re getting the best and most refined Yakuza experience of that era.
Under the Red Lights
That being said, Red Light Raid is among the most notable new features for the game. Red Light Raid is an optional mode that can be played right from the very start, allowing you to play through challenges and fight through hordes of enemies in single-player or multiplayer. You get one million yen to start off with, allowing you to unlock Kazuma Kiryu, Goro Majima, and other characters you’ve met in the story up to that point. From there, you’ll progress through a series of battles leading up to a final boss, very similarly to the Coliseum from Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name.
The fact that Nishitani, Kuze, Oda, and other characters are all playable here makes me reminisce on that game’s Coliseum, and I think RGG Studio wanted to bring a similar experience that fits well within the setting of Yakuza 0. In fact, there are 60 unlockable characters in total—a whopping 58 more characters than the original game. While playing, you can activate a temporary boost for your character, which reminds me of Extreme Heat but with a slightly shorter duration. It’s an extremely chaotic mode, and it’s certainly worth playing if you still have that itch for more Yakuza after completing the main story.
The Full-Length Cut
As I touched on briefly, Yakuza 0 Director’s Cut includes new cutscenes that are sprinkled into the story, many Yakuza fans are already familiar with. In most instances, it feels like we got the “deleted scenes” of what we should have gotten in the original Yakuza 0, filling in some of the gaps for characters and plot points that weren’t entirely resolved. These cutscenes are all fully voiced in English and Japanese, so they fit right into the narrative without feeling out of place.
Without spoiling anything, it’s safe to say that Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio wanted to be bold with some of the new cutscenes, and it can be hit or miss. It’s not to say that it’s bad or negatively impacts the story in my eyes, but it can raise some eyebrows since the cutscenes do alter the context behind certain scenes from the original game. I still think the cutscenes add value to the overall Yakuza 0 experience, but that’s a matter that comes down to your interpretation of the game’s narrative. At the end of the day, Yakuza 0’s story is still brilliant with many twists and turns.
In addition, Yakuza 0 Director’s Cut offers Chinese voice-overs with French, Italian, German, Spanish, and Simplified Chinese subtitles. This is on top of the aforementioned English and Japanese voice-overs, so more players than ever can experience this game in their native languages. This expanded support has become the standard for Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio’s releases in recent years, including Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, so I’m glad to see this also be the case for Yakuza 0 Director’s Cut.
Yakuza 0 Director’s Cut Packs the Heat on Nintendo Switch 2
In totality, Yakuza 0 Director’s Cut is the definitive edition of Yakuza 0, and it feels right at home on Nintendo Switch 2. It’s the best version of the game on consoles, considering everything it offers, including added replayability via Red Light Mode. Sure, some of the cutscenes are hit or miss, but you’re still getting the core Yakuza 0 experience that has been critically acclaimed and enjoyed for years. That includes the main story, the many hours that could be spent in mini-games like Pocket Circuit and Cabaret Club, and the plethora of side quests that were already available in the base game. With the 60 FPS cap being flawless on Nintendo Switch 2, you can rest assured that all the action you can expect from Yakuza is maintained.
Praise aside, if you already have Yakuza 0, it may be worth waiting for a sale first before diving into the Nintendo Switch 2 version. It’s unclear if an upgrade is coming to the existing version of Yakuza 0, but if there is, it could be the most cost-effective way to get even more out of your copy. However, for $49.99, hardcore Yakuza fans and those new to the series now have another reason to replay or start this gem from the PlayStation 4 era. Now, Ryu Ga Gotoku’s next step should be giving fans a 60 FPS patch for Yakuza Kiwami on Switch 2, and I think the sky is the limit for what the franchise can achieve on the platform, thanks to the health boost in overall specs and capabilities.
Disclaimer: SEGA and Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio provided a Nintendo Switch 2 copy of Yakuza 0 Director’s Cut for review purposes.
