Should you play Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth before Like A Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii?

Like A Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii is here, but should you play Infinite Wealth first? That’s an important question. It’s already well documented that Pirate Yakuza takes place six months after the ending of Infinite Wealth. That means its also after Like A Dragon Gaiden. This game is also a Gaiden, even if it’s not in the title of the American release. Fun fact, the Japanese name of the game is Ryu Ga Gotoku 8 Gaiden: Pirates in Hawaii.

So the real question is, do you really need to play Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth before you dive into Like A Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii? The answer is a confusing Technically yes, but also no. The latest mainline entry is important, but not doing so won’t be a game-ender.

Note: This article contains spoilers for Infinite Wealth, and very minor spoilers for Like A Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii.

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It’s not necessary to play “Infinite Wealth” first, but it would help for Like A Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii

Like A Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii takes place six months after the events of Infinite Wealth, so in that way, I think it’s very important you play Infinite Wealth first. I’ll go over this in two parts: why you should, and why maybe it’s not that necessary. You should play Infinite Wealth first, partly because it’s an incredible game. That doesn’t connect either of the stories together, but it’s just an excellent title.

Playing Infinite Wealth first gives you a lot of context about events that happen in Hawaii during that game and after. There are characters mentioned that the player may have zero context about, or even events that take place, that could be pretty confusing. There are side quests that feature characters that were in Infinite Wealth, or highlight they were influenced/helped by Ichiban Kasuga.

Sure, you could read an ending writeup for Infinite Wealth or Gaiden, but experiencing them brings further context and emotional gravitas that I think are important for games like these. While Like A Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii is a chaotic, silly time with an amnesiac Majima, trust me when I say, there’s going to be an emotional rollercoaster — this is still a Yakuza game.

Playing those games gives you a deeper emotional attachment to this game, and will hook you all the way through. I won’t spoil anything major, but I can assure you that having the knowledge from those two games will certainly help.

There are moments both serious and comical in Infinite Wealth that should be seen (Image via SEGA)

However, it’s also not necessary to play Infinite Wealth first. It’s an incredibly long game, and while it does inform you of events that take place before Like A Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii, the game does a decent job of also explaining some of the things that occurred before it took place.

You just might have to do a little more looking around in game. I do think in a way, it might be interesting to go through this game without playing Infinite Wealth. Considering Majima has amnesia, not knowing about events he wasn't really a part of, that could be a fun way to go into this latest entry.

Do I recommend you play Infinite Wealth first? I absolutely do. If you already have, you’re ready to go sailing! If not, I do think it would be a good idea, to know, or at least understand the main plot points and ending of the current mainline entry in the series before diving into this pirate adventure.

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