Highlights

• Some Yakuza games, like the first one, are relatively easy to 100 percent completion in around 30.5 hours.
• Yakuza Kiwami 2 introduces more content, requiring about 77.5 hours for a completionist run.
• Yakuza 5 is the longest game in terms of completion time, with around 150 hours needed to fully complete it.

The Yakuza games have gained quite a foothold here in the West. With many wanting to experience the games from the beginning, there’s a lot to love and hate for completionist runs. Some completionist runs are absurdly easy to obtain, while others require you to sink so much time into them that you forget that other games exist.

Although obtaining every achievement in the game may mean you haven't seen everything or heard every dialogue line, all you really need is that sweet completionist trophy, right? Besides that, there are so many games in the series that you're probably best off moving on.

Updated February 13, 2024 by Tallis Spalding: With new games coming into the series, it's only fair to ask how long each Yakuza installment is, let alone how long it would take to 100 percent every Yakuza game. Completionist runs are never easy, but some Yakuza games are shorter than others. Still, if you're just getting into the series, prepare yourself because you're in it for a long time. The length of each Yakuza game is nothing to scoff at, and it might just end up being the only series you play for the entire year. Still, completionist runs are fun and can bring a strong sense of accomplishment afterward, assuming that you're successful.

12 Yakuza

About 30.5 hours for a completionist run.

The first Yakuza game, incidentally, does not take very long to 100 percent. On howlongtobeat, the measure of completion is side missions, lockers, and obtaining all the moves. In all, there are 78 side missions, ten tournaments, 50 lockers, and eight hidden moves, along with quite a few moves you can gain through experience.

There are also a few extra things the player can do after you complete the main story: a secret boss (to which you’ll get a lot of money), raise Haruka’s trust to “SSS,” and complete all the challenges under “Battle Review.” And “Battle Review” is not easy, so be prepared.

11 Like A Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name

About 30-35 hours for a completionist run.

Like A Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name doesn't take too long to beat. It sits on the lower end of the spectrum, taking about 30-35 hours to see every aspect of the game in a completionist run.

Given that there are only five chapters, this isn't particularly surprising, though that doesn't mean it will be incredibly easy. Should you opt for the help of a guide, you can probably finish this Yakuza installment quicker than you'd think.

10 Yakuza 2

About 41 hours for a completionist run.

As with Yakuza, there’s a lot of the same you can do in Yakuza 2. The main story is a tad bit longer, but not by much. There are still plenty of side missions (around 80 of them, if you want to be specific), locker locations, and hidden moves for you to discover.

No Haruka business in the second game, but the Cabaret Club Girls’ missions are required for platinum in the PS3 HD edition. The Cabaret club Girls' side missions can be made easier with a guide, at least.

9 Yakuza 6: The Song Of Life

About 53.5 hours for a completionist run.

Yakuza 6 is relatively tame compared to some of the other games in the series, but you'll be dealing with a lot more grinding to finish. The Kiryu Clan will take a substantial amount of time to get through, and given that you're going to have to grind to finish it, you may or may not be rethinking your decision to 100 percent Yakuza 6.

It's not a difficult game to complete, and given that you really only need to get the platinum trophy, you're going to be spending as much time in the game as you can.

8 Yakuza Kiwami 2

About 77.5 hours for a completionist run.

Yakuza Kiwami 2 can be a remake of the original Yakuza 2, but it introduces a lot more content, and in turn, that's going to take you even more time to see yourself through. It probably won't take as long to complete it as Yakuza Kiwami, but you should still be prepared to commit a lot of time.

77.5 hours is nothing to joke around about, so you better be as serious as Kiryu if you want to get a platinum trophy. But if you're willing to follow a guide, especially around the Cabaret Club, you might be able to cut down on that time commitment.

7 Yakuza Kiwami

About 80 hours for a completionist run.

Just like the original 2005 Yakuza, you need to max out Haruka’s rank, this time to the EX rank, instead of stopping at SSS. There is a particularly strange trophy in which you’ll have to walk 1km around town while holding Haruka’s hand, and that's probably just the cherry on top for grinding in this game.

There is one mission that seems to be unanimously hated, and that is doing the car chase on Legend mode. In general, the Yakuza Legend and Hard modes are a lot of trial and error, but it’s pretty disheartening to get stuck on one section, so expect about 80 hours for a completionist run.

6 Yakuza: Like A Dragon

About 97.5 hours for a completionist run.

Thankfully, you shouldn't need to play through Yakuza: Like A Dragon multiple times over to get a platinum trophy in the game. Individual bond levels with other characters are something that takes a bit to fulfill but is nothing complicated; you'll just need to mentally prepare yourself for some grinding.

Part of the time spent completing Yakuza: Like A Dragon, however, comes from the longer mainline story, so with some luck and help from some guides, you should get through Ichiban's story with relative ease in about 97.5 hours.

5 Yakuza 4

About 80-100 hours for a completionist run.

There isn’t too much to say about Yakuza 4. The game’s main story is quite short, and nothing pops out as being annoying. There is an easily missed trophy (Fashionista), in which you need to gather at least one of each dress type in Hostess Maker, and one of the costumes you need isn't even available until you have at least two hostesses.

Thankfully, this isn't the only thing in the game that pushes Yakuza 4 up to 100 hours for a completionist run, and the game should still be very hearty.

4 Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth

About 100+ hours for a completionist run.

Prepare to sink a lot of time into Ichiban's life because Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth will take you up to and possibly even beyond 100 hours to 100 percent. The story will probably only take about 55 hours to get through all 14 chapters, so you're in for a treat if you plan to be a completionist.

Thankfully, it shouldn't be too boring, if not a bit of a grind, to get through everything that Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth has to offer.

3 Yakuza 3

About 107 hours for a completionist run.

While the average completionist run is around 100 hours, this doesn’t account for the more specific requirements that this game lobs at the player. Certain scores must be met with mini-games and completed on the highest difficulty. There are 101 substories to complete. And, of course, how could you be a true Yakuza if you didn’t accumulate 10,000,000 yen.

One thing this game is devilish about is its checkpoints. That’s why it’s almost essential to get the Golden Pistol. Unlike Goldeneye, it isn’t a one-shot kill, but it sure is powerful.

2 Yakuza 0

About 140+ hours for a completionist run.

Yakuza 0 has more of the same: grind for money, complete on the hardest difficulty, a couple of missables, and a healthy dose of RNG. There are no cheat items to cheese the Mahjong mini-game, and the game takes at least double the time to complete compared to Kiwami.

Thankfully, Yakuza 0 is still a really fun game, which makes powering through the grind pretty easy compared to the other installments. You may need to complete the game in multiple runs but hey, at least you'll have fun while you're doing it.

1 Yakuza 5

About 150 hours for a completionist run.

Yakuza 5's biggest hurdle is probably its length, and most of it will probably be spent trying to get every playstyle, which helps to easily settle it at the top of the list. The grindiest trophies in this game are relatively arbitrary—talk to townspeople a certain amount of times, use special moves a certain amount of time, etc.

If you follow a guide, it can help you to cut down on your time spent in-game and you might actually be able to finish Yakuza 5 under 150 hours.