I played Yakuza Kiwami on Nintendo Switch 2, and the Dragon of Dojima’s debut feels as good as ever

24 Dec 2025, 11:00 · TechRadar

TechRadar Verdict

Yakuza Kiwami feels great on Nintendo Switch 2, and performs at a smooth 60fps, displaying at 1080p. Loading times are kept snappy, and with a rare exception, cutscenes look as good as you’d hope. Kiwami itself is an excellent remake of the first game in a legendary series, and its simplistic yet addictive combat, engaging story, and surreal substories mean it's still a smash hit.

Pros

+Steady 60fps and clean visuals on Switch 2
+Addictive high-octane combat
+Very strong main and side stories overall…

Cons

-…though there are a couple of pacing issues
-Majima Everywhere system grows tedious
-One cutscene appeared to be low-res

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The Dragon of Dojima has smashed his way onto the Nintendo Switch 2 once again – this time with a port of Yakuza Kiwami – a remake of the first game released in Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio’s iconic series. This excellent action role-playing game (RPG) has landed on Nintendo’s latest console almost ten years after its initial release on PS3 and PS4, so does it hold up?

Review info

Platform reviewed: Nintendo Switch 2
Available on: Nintendo Switch 2, Nintendo Switch, PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PC
Release date: November 13, 2025 (Switch 2 version)

Well, before I answer that and get into the nitty-gritty, allow me to set the scene.

Yakuza Kiwami follows the story of Kazuma Kiryu – a yakuza who is expelled from the Tojo Clan after being accused of murdering his patriarch, Sohei Dojima. After spending ten years in prison, Kiryu is forced to find his feet in truly chaotic circumstances. His childhood friend, Yumi, has gone missing. His sworn brother Nishiki is spiralling after being appointed as a yakuza boss. And the Tojo Clan is frantically searching for 10 billion yen, which has seemingly been stolen. The story is compelling as ever, and kept me engaged from start to finish.

I’ve spent more than 15 hours playing through the main and side stories in Yakuza Kiwami for Nintendo Switch 2. And as someone who played – and thoroughly enjoyed – the PS4 version of this remake, my hopes were pretty high. Here’s how it stacked up against my expectations.

Making the Switch 2 a new console

(Image credit: Sega)

Good news, Yakuza fans, this is a very strong port of Kiwami. First of all, the game runs at an impressive 60fps, which is the same as the PS4 version. I was glad to see that the framerate rarely ever dropped with my Switch 2 docked or in handheld mode, keeping the action flowing when it mattered most.

There was the very occasional drop during heat actions, but this was minor and had no impact on gameplay whatsoever. The title also displays at 1080p, meaning you get very solid performance, all things considered. Of course, as a port of a decade-old game, the visuals aren’t the flashiest, but Kiwami certainly looks as good as you’d hope on Switch 2.

Other than one cutscene in Chapter 1, which appeared to be a little low-res, in-game movies also looked as good as they did on PS4. The murkiness of 2005 Kamurocho, the vibrancy of yakuza fashion, and the character animations all look as character-filled as I’d hoped.

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