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Stranger Than Heaven is a new action-adventure on the way that will take you through five different eras in time in five different cities.
Coming from Yakuza developer Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio, the new game was initially revealed as Project Century. While there had been hints as to why that name was chosen initially, the recent Xbox Preview confirmed that sections of the story will set across different time periods, with a new trailer dropping to showcase the era's we'll be venturing through.
Is there a Stranger Than Heaven release date?
Stranger Than Heaven releases in Winter 2026.
Last year, We also got a glimpse at the behind-the-scenes of making the game during the 2025 Tokyo Game Show, where progress was said to be going well. Then, during the Xbox Partner Preview May event, the launch window was confirmed for the end of the year, so there's not long to wait.
Have the Stranger Than Heaven platforms been confirmed?
Sega and RGG Studio have confirmed that Stranger Than Heaven will be arriving on the usual platforms: PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.
Stranger Than Heaven will be part of Xbox Play Anywhere and Xbox Game Pass, as well, so subscribers there are in for a treat. There are no expectations for a Nintendo Switch 2 release at this point, especially given the graphical heft seen in the teaser trailer. But, RGG Studio's Yakuza games are no strangers themselves to heading to Nintendo platforms with later ports, so who knows what the future may hold.
What do the Stranger Than Heaven trailers show us?
The first look at Project Century, as it was dubbed at the time, was part of The Game Awards 2024 and was comprised of pre-alpha footage; meaning the game was in very early stages of development.
Nonetheless, the rain-soaked visage of 1915 Japan in the premiere trailer had a great hook. And with this being the only trailer that takes place in the 1910s, it's fair to say 'Project Century' was a nod at the amount of time the game will cover.
The Summer Games Fest 2025 trailer was much more in-depth, though still holding cards to its chest. This title announcement footage showed more melee combat on bustling streets, a different decade for the setting, and hinted at the game's protagonist. The PEGI-18 warning at the beginning also lets us know that the graphic combat and grit of Yakuza are not missing from Stranger Than Heaven.
Revealed as part of the Xbox Partner Direct, the Cast & Story Reveal trailer delves a lot more into the game's premise and its large cast of characters, who will be evolving throughout 50 years and five time periods in-game. A longer, behind-the-scenes look as part of the showcase also introduced us to RGG Studio's new combat system for the first time.
What is the Stranger Than Heaven story and setting?
Stranger Than Heaven will be set across five different eras and cities in Japan.
During the Xbox Partner Preview March 2026 stream, a Five Eras reveal trailer (which you can watch above) officially confirmed we'll be stepping into different time periods throughout the story. An Xbox Wire post, which featured an interview with RGG studio representative and executive producer Masayoshi Yokoyama, then explained that sections of the game will take place across these eras, with the years being 1915, 1929, 1943, 1951, and 1965.
"As you can imagine, 5 cities and 5 eras is a massive undertaking," Yokoyama-san tells Xbox Wire. "We're putting a tremendous amount of care into bringing to life these times and places we feel are rarely explored in games. It's truly a unique experience you can't get anywhere else."
The settings include Fukuoka, Hiroshima, Osaka, Shizuoka, and Tokyo, and it seems the game will shift location as the time periods progress in the story. Makoto and Yu arrive on the shore of Japan in Kokura, Fukuoka, for instance, where their lives begin to diverge, and the final time period in the game is Kamurocho, Tokyo in the '60s. That's important, as it's the fictional city district where the Yakuza games are set (inspired closely by Kabukicho). With the Tojo clan also being mentioned, the two series seem to be connected. But, like the Judgement spin-off series, Stranger Than Heaven appears relatively standalone.
The story kicks off with Makoto Daito fleeing America. As a half-Japanese and half-American young man, he's faced prejudice, so wants to return to the place he sees as his origin. There, he meets fellow stowaway Yu, and they're captured by smuggler Orpheus (Snoop Dogg). Yet, seeing something in the boys, Orpheus decides to grant their wish and take them to Japan, where he himself is eager to strike up new criminal enterprises.
Arriving, Makoto and Yu go their separate ways. Eventually, Makoto teams back up with Orpheus, then meets up with Yu again to discover he's made a comfortable, money-flush life for himself. Over Stranger Than Heaven's decades-spanning story, Makoto and Yu are the main characters, and through Makoto's own enterprises both criminal and musical (he becomes a showman, putting together live concerts), they'll end up working together once again.
In the Eras trailer, we see Makoto across the different time periods, interacting with various characters and what seemingly appears to be gangs in the cities. The most recent trailer appears to open with Makoto himself setting up the idea of the Tojo Clan we'll come to know in Yakuza, during one of the game's later time periods. The whole game may be a framing device that follows how Makoto came to arrive at this moment, and what exactly it means for him.
What do we know about Stranger Than Heaven's gameplay?
Stranger Than Heaven is a third-person action game where the player explores sketchy allies and crowded city streets, running into fists around every corner. The gameplay seen in the title reveal footage showed weighty, grounded combat with interactive environments.
It's not just fist-fighting, either. Molotov cocktails, guns, and in-world advantages are all at the characters' disposal. Want to throw a guy off a ledge? You're in luck! There's a real emphasis on good old boxing here, so if you enjoy minimal weapons in combat, this will be a lot of fun.
Sporting a brand new combat system for RGG Studio, Stranger Than Heaven is a departure from the arcadey combat throughout Yakuza. Here, you control each of Makoto's arms and legs independently, which means each blow is directed by the player and combos are quite literally in your hands. You'll hold both triggers to grab enemies, alternate them for the old one-two, and more. It gives brawls a real weighty, and grounded feel, which fits with the tone of the rest of the game.
There's a moment in gameplay we've seen where the player-character holds a threatening fist in the air as he stands above a masked opponent. Two options appear on the screen in this brief reprieve: "Show him mercy," or "Show him no mercy." Now, that's something Yakuza games never had. So, it looks like some morality-testing choices will be sprinkled in with the heavy volume of fighting.
There are also some survival game and simulation elements, such as hunger and thirst meters. The Five Eras trailer also showed off some activities like arm wrestling, and not unlike Yakuza games past, it looks like Makoto can enjoy a nice meal in the city which will likely tie into the aforementioned hunger meter. And, he can also take part in a card-based mini-game.
On top of that, music itself is a factor in gameplay. As a music producer and lover, Makoto can track down sounds to inspire new tracks throughout the environment, from dog barks to actual enemies in combat. Then, for the live shows, Makoto can rehearse and place each of the talent he's scouted with on stage, eventually seeing them perform live. It's like an evolution on side activities you'd find in the Yakuza series, yet here it's a huge part of Makoto and the lives of his friends.
Can I pre-order Stranger Than Heaven?
You can't pre-order Stranger Than Heaven. But you can wishlist it across multiple platforms. Expect pre-orders and more information on various editions to go live closer to the Winter 2026 release window.
On the upside, that means there is plenty of time to catch up on your backlog. Why not check out the best open-world games or the best Yakuza games to fill the time? Otherwise, patience is key while we wait to find out exactly what mystery we're going to be chasing in Stranger Than Heaven.
For more exciting releases, be sure to check in with our pages on all the upcoming PS5 games and upcoming Switch 2 games still on the way.
