Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii Demo Available Today

Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio is releasing a free demo for Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii today on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and S, and PC via Steam.

The studio announced the demo on X/Twitter, saying it will be available to download at 7am Pacific / 10am Eastern / 3pm UK. The full game will be available February 21 also on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, but these platforms will not get the free demo.

RGG Studio didn’t say explicitly if progress from the demo will carry on to the full Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii but, based on its contents, that doesn’t appear to be the case. The demo appears to let players essentially skip forward to certain freeroam and battle areas and therefore doesn’t follow the natural story.

Players can “freely explore part of the Honolulu and Madlantis locations,” neither of which appear to be available at the beginning of the full game.

They can also switch between the Mad Dog and Sea Dog fighting styles, fight against “powerful bounty enemies,” challenge four ship and deck battles in the Pirates’ Coliseum, play with new customization features, and “enjoy side experiences like karaoke with a selection of three songs.”

Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii is a spin-off sequel to Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, the eighth mainline entry in the Yakuza / Like a Dragon series (or ninth including Yakuza 0). It follows Goro Majima as he wakes up with amnesia and becomes a pirate, exploring the likes of Hawaii along the way.

A trailer released at the October Xbox Partner Showcase revealed a proper first look at ship combat akin to Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag and the return of the beloved character Taiga Saejima, perhaps teasing more ties to the main series than previously thought.

It will also be a decent bit longer than previous Yakuza spin-off Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name, with its story taking around 15 to 18 hours to complete. Fans can also dress up Majima as longtime series protagonist Kiryu Kazuma, but only if they sign up for email notifications or a Sega reward system.

Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelance reporter. He’ll talk about The Witcher all day.