10 Best Minigames In the Like a Dragon Yakuza Games

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The Yakuza series is a long-running and consistently high-quality video game franchise. Fans love it for its compelling blend of serious crime stories and surprisingly silly side quests, plus its incredibly fun and diverse minigames.

From the start, the Yakuza series has included a lot of fun minigames. These range from simple diversions that break up the fighting, to more complex activities with surprisingly engaging stories. They really help bring the game’s world to life.

Company Management Offers Incredible Rewards While Being Entertaining

The Yakuza (now Like A Dragon) series is known for its many minigames, but the Company Management game in Like A Dragon is particularly rewarding. While exploring Ijincho, Kasuga Ichiban teams up with Eri Kamataki and her grandmother, Tome, to help their struggling Ichiban Confections. Eventually, they decide Ichiban should take over as the company’s president as part of a side quest.

This game has a bit of a learning curve, but it’s incredibly engaging once you start playing. You’ll manage and improve multiple businesses throughout Ijincho, earning money to become a top entrepreneur. But there’s more to it than just business – you can unlock a secret character, Eri, relatively early in the game. As you progress, Ichiban will have plenty of opportunities to earn money, which is useful for upgrading weapons. Reaching the top of the leaderboards unlocks an over-the-top reward – a giant laser cannon you can summon, perfectly showcasing the fun and absurdity of the Yakuza series.

Dondoko Island Satisfies A Yakuza Fan’s Animal Crossing Itch

Around the halfway point of Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth, the story takes Ichiban to Dondoko Island, a once-popular resort that’s now seen better days. He takes on the challenge of restoring it to its former glory as a top-rated destination. However, he’ll need to confront the Washbucklers, a pirate crew who are using the island as a base, if he wants to succeed.

Dondoko Island is so detailed and engaging, it feels like a complete game on its own. You can easily lose hours tidying up, looking after visitors, and battling pirates. What’s really amazing is how much you can customize it – you can build a resort that feels like the glamorous parts of Kamurocho, or a relaxing, family-friendly getaway. It’s another reason why Infinite Wealth is so great.

Clan Creator Lets Kiryu Fight With Some Pro Wrestling Legends

Okay, so how much I enjoy the Clan Creator really depends on how into wrestling I am. It’s a side game in Yakuza 6 where you build your own wrestling crew and fight other groups. Honestly, things can get crazy fast! The game throws a ton of enemies at you during battles, it’s a bit much sometimes, but it’s fun!

Even so, the gameplay feels like typical brawler combat – unless you’re a fan of New Japan Pro Wrestling. The game features a partnership with the famous Japanese wrestling organization, allowing players to add legendary wrestlers to their team. For those fans, being able to fight alongside stars like Hiroshi Tanahashi, Kazuchika Okada, and Tetsuya Naito will be an incredible experience.

Sujimon League Brings Pokémon To Yakuza

Continuing a unique feature from the previous game, Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth expands on the idea of collecting information about enemies. The original game, Like A Dragon, started this with a bestiary called the Sujidex, where players learned about foes as they defeated them. Now, in Infinite Wealth, this has become a full-fledged monster-battling system. Ichiban can not only catalog these creatures, but also recruit them to fight alongside him in three-versus-three battles.

The Sujimon League is a surprisingly deep minigame, featuring elements like type matchups, leveling up your Sujimon, training, and even evolving them. There’s also a compelling storyline where your trainer asks you to battle and defeat the Discreet Four. Similar to the Dondoko Island activity, you can easily spend hours getting lost in this fun diversion.

Real Estate Royale Fits The Theme Of Yakuza 0

Set during the extravagant bubble economy, Yakuza 0 lets you build a real estate empire – a fitting minigame for the story. It’s actually a precursor to the company management system in Yakuza: Like A Dragon. You start by helping a small business, but as with any Yakuza game, things quickly escalate beyond what’s sensible.

As Kiryu expands his business, he clashes with five powerful and corrupt billionaires who control Kamurocho’s property. They repeatedly confront him directly, leading to exciting boss fights. There’s a unique satisfaction in defeating these wealthy criminals, and Kiryu makes a statement by flaunting his dominance – sometimes even using stacks of cash as a fan!

Cabaret Club Helps Majima Expand His Lord of the Night Persona

While the real estate side game in Yakuza 0 was enjoyable, the cabaret club was where the game really shined. New players discover a struggling club in Sotenbori and are tasked with making it successful. This involves a detailed minigame focused on turning a profit and building the club up.

In addition to recruiting women for his club as Majima, players need to help each woman showcase her unique personality. This involves customizing everything from their makeup to their outfits and accessories. Similar to a competition like Real Estate Royale, Majima and his team at Sunshine compete against other cabaret clubs to become the most popular in Sotenbori’s entertainment district.

Dragon Kart Puts A Yakuza Twist On Mario Kart

After loving the mini-game in Yakuza 0, I was so excited to see what Yakuza: Like A Dragon would bring. And wow, Dragon Kart is amazing! It’s basically a *Mario Kartstyle racing mode right inside the game. You play as Ichiban and work your way up through the ranks of kart racing – it’s a ton of fun!

Dragon Kart, like many of the fun side activities in Yakuza games, has its own little story. You can build relationships with characters who become racing rivals, and thankfully, the kart controls are easy to pick up. There’s even more to explore – you can switch between different karts and unlock new ones, each with unique stats. This minigame returns in both Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth and Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii.

Sega Arcade Features Plenty Of Iconic Games

It might seem strange, but some of the best parts of any Yakuza game are the playable video games within the game. Every major Yakuza title lets you visit arcades where RGG Studio includes fully functioning games from different time periods.

Every arcade in the game features authentic, era-appropriate games. Classics like Virtua Fighter, Fighting Vipers, and Out Run are all playable within the SEGA Arcades. As the game progresses, players can unlock a hideout where they can play dozens of games on a console. Collecting all the game cartridges enhances this experience. It’s a really enjoyable way to revisit classic SEGA arcade titles, and it’s easy to get lost in playing these mini-games for hours, even without focusing on the main story.

Lost Judgment’s Boxing Club Sees Yagami Teaching Players The Sweet Science

While not a traditional Yakuza title, Lost Judgment is a spin-off game set in the same universe. The story focuses on an undercover investigation within a high school, which allowed the developers to include a lot of fun side activities. As detective Takayuki Yagami, you’ll work with various school clubs to solve their issues – think of it as a similar experience to a school simulator, but without the actual homework!

The boxing club minigame was a standout among all the school clubs. The fighting itself is really enjoyable – you can unlock new moves for Yagami and even perform some impressive heat actions. But what makes it truly special is the engaging story that keeps you hooked from beginning to end.

Madlantis’s Pirates Coliseum Is Full of Exciting Ship Battles

The name might be silly, but this game is surprisingly amazing and incredibly addictive. Players will especially love customizing and battling with the Goromaru – the pirate ship Majima acquires – in a massive pirate arena.

Even though the game is set in modern times, RGG Studios fully embraced the pirate theme in this minigame. Players can fight as many naval battles as they like. It’s more than just shooting cannons and avoiding enemy fire, though. You can also board and loot defeated ships with Majima and his crew, fighting other pirates directly on their decks. It’s incredibly addictive and hard to stop playing!

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2026-05-09 20:44