While PlayStation Plus has transitioned into a three-tiered service, Sony continues to offer free monthly games as a part of the Essential tier. PS Plus subscribers received Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time, The Dark Pictures Anthology: Man of Medan, and Arcadegeddon in July, with August’s lineup looking just as exciting.Earlier today, Sony confirmed that Yakuza: Like a Dragon will be added to PS Plus Essential next month. Joining Yakuza are Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1+2 and Little Nightmares, so August looks like one of the best months for PS Plus free games in recent time. Immediately following this announcement, Sony released a new post confirming that more Yakuza games are coming to PS Plus later this year.In addition to Yakuza: Like a Dragon, PlayStation Plus members will get to play the entire Kazuma Kiryu saga in 2022. Sony announces that Yakuza 0, Yakuza Kiwami, and Yakuza Kiwami 2 are coming to PS Plus Extra and Premium next month. It should be noted that Yakuza Kiwami 1 and Yakuza Kiwami 2 are remakes of the first two games, with Yakuza 0 being a prequel to the series. While all of them launched with positive reviews, many consider Yakuza 0 to be one of the best games in the franchise.
The release dates for the remaining games are not finalized, but they are set to come sometime in 2022. The remasters of Yakuza 3, Yakuza 4, and Yakuza 5 will be added to PS Plus Premium, so PS Plus Extra members will have to upgrade to the Premium tier to play them. Unlike the Kiwami games, these are not remakes and will play similarly to the PS3 originals. As a result, users may get taken aback by the difference in visual quality when they play Yakuza 3 Remastered after Yakuza Kiwami 2.
Sony will also add Yakuza 6: The Song of Life to the Extra and Premium tiers later this year. Yakuza 6 is the final game starring Kazuma Kiryu as the series switched to the new protagonist Ichiban Kasuga with the launch of Yakuza: Like a Dragon. Yakuza 8 is already confirmed to be in development and continues Ichiban’s story.
This announcement means that the full mainline Yakuza series will be available to PS Plus members, subject to their membership tier, in 2022. It may also pave the way for Sony to add other Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio games, such as Judgment and Lost Judgment, to PlayStation Plus sometime in the future.