Stranger Than Heaven: An Epic 50-Year Yakuza Origin Story is Coming from Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio

The legendary Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio (RGG Studio), known for the Yakuza and Like a Dragon series, has shared exciting details about their new project, Stranger Than Heaven. Announced during a special presentation in partnership with Xbox, the game invites players deep into 20th-century Japan, into a massive 50-year story of crime and the search for identity. This production, previously known by the codename "Project Century," will be released in winter 2026 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC platforms; it will also be added to the Xbox Game Pass library from day one.

The game's story revolves around Makoto Daito (portrayed by Yu Shirota), a Japanese-American orphan who flees from San Francisco to Japan in 1915. This epic journey, spanning from 1915 to 1965, takes place across five different cities and five different eras: Kokura, Kure, Osaka, Atami, and Shinjuku. The most striking detail for fans is that they will personally experience Makoto Daito's transformation into Makoto Tojo, the founder of the Tojo Clan, which is central to the Yakuza series. RGG Studio President Masayoshi Yokoyama states that this story focuses not only on the criminal underworld but also on the struggle for belonging and identity.

Stranger Than Heaven also radically departs from the series' usual mechanics in terms of gameplay. In the new combat system introduced in the game, players will be able to independently control Makoto's right and left limbs (LB/LT for the left side, RB/RT for the right side). This system allows you to hold an enemy with one arm while punching with the other, or both