Yakuza 1, 2, 3 and 4 Received Limited Reprint in North America

In early 2017, Sega initiated a limited reprint of the first four mainline Yakuza games for the North American market. New physical copies of Yakuza and Yakuza 2 for PlayStation 2, along with Yakuza 3 and Yakuza 4 for PlayStation 3, appeared at retailers including Amazon and Video Games Plus. The release provided a new opportunity for players to acquire titles that had become difficult to find as new products.

These were not remasters or special editions, but fresh pressings of the original games in their standard packaging. This move was a direct response to a surge of new interest in the franchise, largely driven by the successful Western launch of Yakuza 0 in January 2017.

Context for the Reprint

Historically, the Yakuza series had a dedicated but niche following in North America. Its sales did not always match its critical reception, leading to uncertainty among fans about whether future installments would be localized. The original print runs for the PS2 and PS3 titles were modest, causing physical copies to become increasingly scarce and expensive on the secondary market over time. Many fans who wanted to play the older games had to rely on finding used copies.

The critical and commercial success of Yakuza 0 demonstrated to Sega that a larger, more receptive audience now existed in the West. This justified not only continued support for new titles but also a reissue of the series’ foundational entries. At the time of the reprint, the company had already confirmed that more games were on the way. The full remake of the first game, Yakuza Kiwami, was scheduled for a Summer 2017 release, and Yakuza 6: The Song of Life was planned for early 2018.

A Look Back at the Original Releases

This reprint catered to both new fans and collectors looking to complete their physical sets. The four games span two console generations and represent the core narrative of Kazuma Kiryu’s story before the events of the then-digital-only Yakuza 5.

The original Yakuza was released for the PlayStation 2 in North America in 2006, establishing the series’ blend of dramatic storytelling, brawler combat, and the detailed world of Kamurocho. Its sequel, Yakuza 2, followed on the same console in 2008, refining the gameplay and expanding the story’s scale.

The series made its debut on the PlayStation 3 with Yakuza 3 in 2010, which brought a significant graphical upgrade and a new setting in Okinawa. Yakuza 4 followed in 2011, evolving the structure by featuring four different protagonists, each with a unique fighting style. The fifth installment, Yakuza 5, was released in the West in late 2015 but was a digital-only exclusive on the PlayStation Store for the PS3, explaining its absence from this physical reprint initiative.