Yakuza Kiwami on Switch is happening after Sega said it wouldn't

The start of Kazuma Kiryu’s saga

RGG Studio

Yakuza is coming to Nintendo Switch just in time for Prime Video’s Yakuza series, and yes, Sega said it would never happen. Turns out wanting to expand audiences for all your major franchises outweighs the concern that an “adult” series like Yakuza won’t fit on the Switch, I guess.

Anyway, Sega and Nintendo made the Yakuza Kiwami on Switch announcement during the August 2024 Nintendo Direct, and the port is set to launch on October 24, 2024, the day before Prime Video’s Yakuza series airs. The live-action adaptation is loosely based on Yakuza Kiwami, so if you’re keen on that, want to know the source material, and only have a Switch, you’re in good shape.

Yakuza Kiwami follows series protagonist Kazuma Kiryu after he returns home to the fictional city of Kamurocho, Japan, following a 10-year stint in prison for a murder he didn’t commit. His hometown’s not what it used to be, and Kiryu struggles to find his way in life again – until he comes across a young girl the local criminal gangs are keen to find at any cost.

It sounds serious, and the main plot is serious, but Yakuza is as much about offbeat characters and strange situations as it is a crime melodrama. In between being a noble hero, you’ll fend off a madman from the sewers, race miniature cars, and fend off scouts who very much want you to become an exotic dancer. Most scenarios include at least one over-the-top fight, where Kiryu swaps between heavy, agile, and traditional fighting style as the situation calls for it. And when all else fails, you can always ram someone’s head into the wall. Street fighting’s got no rules.

Yakuza Kiwami will cost $19.99 on the Nintendo eShop, and it looks like Sega has no plans at the moment to release a physical version. Whether other parts of the series, including the prequel Yakuza 0, which we called the best Yakuza game, will eventually land on Switch is still up in the air.