Yakuza Kiwami 3's blunders have made it the worst-reviewed game in the series on Steam: 'Creatively bankrupt doesn't even begin to describe the current state of RGG'

Kiryu in a Hawaiian shirt. — (Image credit: Sega)

Yakuza Kiwami 3—seemingly the last in RGG Studio's series of Kiwami remakes—released last week, though not without controversy. Between some baffling cuts, strange retcons, and the casting of an actor, Teruyuki Kagawa, who confessed to sexual harassment in 2022, even stalwart series fans weren't predisposed to love Kiwami 3.

So it's no surprise they don't. In fact, at the time of writing, Kiwami 3 is the worst-rated game—by the metric of user reviews—of the entire series on Steam. Make no mistake, it's not been review-bombed and it's not universally loathed; Yakuza Kiwami 3 doesn't occupy the doldrums of an Overwhelmingly Negative user rating. Nevertheless, it's currently at a 63% 'Mixed' review score, putting it squarely bottom of the leaderboard relative to the rest of the games.

It's hard to find a negative review that doesn't lament Kagawa's casting, the retcons, and the cut content. "Even ignoring the casting of someone who sexually assaulted others on camera, this is an inferior remake," says BravestAsh8434. "[Sexual assault] allegations from one of the cast members. Changing too much stuff from the original and leaving too much out. Rushed and unpolished, frequent crashes on my system," writes jack.

Yoshitaka Mine glows red and slams a goon's head into the ground. — (Image credit: Sega)

And so on and so forth in that vein. At 63% positive, it's not hard to find positive reviews, but it's quite a diminished result for a game in a series as beloved as Yakuza, and whose weakest entries even usually have their fanatical admirers. It's worth noting that the only other two Yakuza games with Mixed reviews on Steam are the recent relistings of Yakuza 0 and Kiwami 1. RGG, it seems, is on a downward trajectory in fan estimations of late.

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One of Josh's first memories is of playing Quake 2 on the family computer when he was much too young to be doing that, and he's been irreparably game-brained ever since. His writing has been featured in Vice, Fanbyte, and the Financial Times. He'll play pretty much anything, and has written far too much on everything from visual novels to Assassin's Creed. His most profound loves are for CRPGs, immersive sims, and any game whose ambition outstrips its budget. He thinks you're all far too mean about Deus Ex: Invisible War.

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