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Yakuza: Like a Dragon's next-gen ports have been put to the test, and there's not much separating the two leading consoles.
Below, you can see an excellent deep dive from Digital Foundry on Yakuza: Like a Dragon's PS5, Xbox Series X, and Xbox Series S versions. The outlet analyzes all three console versions in great detail, but with the PS5 and Xbox Series X in particular, there's really very little separating the two in terms of visuals and performance.
On both consoles, Yakuza: Like a Dragon features two modes: Normal Mode, which supports a 1440p resolution at 60 frames per second, and a High Resolution Mode, which boasts 4K visuals at a reduced 30FPS. Digital Foundry stresses that both versions operate sublimely on either console, supporting excellent 4K visuals with smooth 60FPS boosts.
The only time the frame rate ever dips on the Normal Mode for Yakuza: Like a Dragon is in battles. Digital Foundry finds that when initiating combat or pulling off flashy finisher moves, the frame rate on both consoles can dip to as low as 50FPS. That's really the only drawback experienced after over five hours of varied play, however.
As for the Xbox Series S, it's a slightly different story. Xbox's less powerful console drops the resolution for the Normal Mode down to 900p to maintain 60FPS, and the High Resolution mode supports 1440p visuals at 30FPS. The Series S suffers from frame rate dips in combat just like the PS5 and Series X, though they're a little more pronounced here, showing that the Series S is struggling to keep up somewhat.
In all, we'd absolutely recommend watching the full video from Digital Foundry for a great in-depth dive on the latest Yakuza game. The video begins by contrasting the two gameplay styles of Yakuza 6: The Song of life and Yakuza: Like a Dragon, a nice reminder of how developer Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio managed to overhaul the series' combat from action to turn based in just a few short years.
If you're unfamiliar with Yakuza: Like a Dragon, or you're slightly daunted by the vast series, Like a Dragon stars newcomer Ichiban Kasuga, trading out long-standing protagonist Kiryu Kazuma for a new adventure with all-new characters and a new combat system to match. For our thoughts on the latest game in the long-running series, head over to our Yakuza: Like a Dragon review for more.
If you're still venturing through Ichiban's debut adventure, head over to our Yakuza: Like a Dragon exam answers guide for key information in maxing out Kasuga's personality traits.
