Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth’s Map Size Is 3 Times Bigger Than Yakuza 7

As the world prepares for another major iteration in the long-running Yakuza series of RPGs, we now have official confirmation that Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, or otherwise simply called Yakuza 8, will feature a map size that’s thrice as big as its predecessor, Yakuza: Like a Dragon. For reference, Infinite Wealth is set in both Hawaii and Yokohama, while the prequel only lets players explore the latter.

本日公開！

『龍が如く８』の新舞台「ハワイ・ホノルルシティ」。
伊勢佐木異人町の3倍以上とも言われる、広大な新舞台。
はたして、そこにはどんなエリアがあり、どんな冒険が待っているのか！？

詳細はこちら👇https://t.co/FZjhLm1cPJ#龍が如く pic.twitter.com/10TruA9ek9

— 龍が如くスタジオ 公式 (@ryugagotoku) November 24, 2023

Given how this may be good news on the surface since one would expect more playable areas to get into, hardcore Yakuza fans see this as a double-edged sword. A Redditor commenting on the matter says, “It’s not even an impressive headliner anymore. When I hear the game is significantly bigger, I just assume they added a drivable car/boat and now there will be sections where you drive through large, empty stretches of land/sea.” 

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The Yakuza series has received worldwide praise for featuring maps that pack dense, rich content, and aren’t just there for the sake of filler exploration. “I am a bit worried since some of the areas in Yokohama were clearly less densely packed with stuff in 7. If this is that much more huge, there is some concern with that density, which has always been the hallmark of Yakuza/Like A Dragon games,” says VeiledMalice.

All things considered, this certainly makes Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth’s map size the biggest ever in the history of the series, so here’s hoping that developer Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio has kept that in due consideration with the forthcoming RPG. The title traces its reveal back to June this year at the Xbox Games Showcase, where a new setting for the game was teased.

On a side note, if you’d like to catch up to Ichiban’s story — one of the protagonists — and prepare yourself for Infinite Wealth ahead of time, best check out Yakuza: Like a Dragon, which currently happens to be on sale at Steam for merely $7.99. The seventh mainline rendition in the series sets up Ichiban’s origin story and introduces players to the good-hearted character. 

Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth will be released on January 26, 2024, for the PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and PC. A spin-off game of the Yakuza franchise, titled Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name launched earlier in November to rave reviews, with eXputer rating it 4/5 and calling it a high-class Yakuza game to boot.