PlayStation Plus is adding the Yakuza series. Here are what tiers you’ll need

By George Yang July 27, 2022

PlayStation has revealed it will be adding all eight mainline Yakuza games to PlayStation Plus throughout the rest of the year, starting in August.

Yakuza 0, Yakuza Kiwami, Yakuza Kiwami 2, and Yakuza: Like a Dragon will be added first into the service next month. Later in the year, Yakuza 3 Remastered, Yakuza 4 Remastered, Yakuza 5 Remastered, and Yakuza 6: Song of Life will be included too.

The revamped PlayStation Plus service has three different tiers: Essential, Extra, and Premium. The availability of the Yakuza games is spread among them, so it can be a bit confusing, but here is the list as follows:

Essential: Yakuza: Like a Dragon
Extra: Yakuza 0, Yakuza Kiwami, Yakuza Kiwami 2, Yakuza 6
Premium: Yakuza 3 Remastered, Yakuza 4 Remastered, Yakuza 5 Remastered

PlayStation has also announced the three monthly free games that will be included in the Essential tier for August. The aforementioned Yakuza: Like a Dragon is one of them, along with Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1+2 and Little Nightmares.

It’s finally time that the Yakuza games joined PlayStation’s subscription service, as the series has been on Xbox Game Pass for a good while now. With Yakuza: Like a Dragon joining August 2022’s PlayStation Plus lineup, it’s interesting timing as earlier this month, developer Ryu Ga Gotoku gave us the first glimpse at Yakuza 8.

While Yakuza 8 has been confirmed to be in development, the game hasn’t been officially revealed just yet. There are two upcoming game showcases in the near future, which are Tokyo Game Show and Gamescom. It’s possible we could see Yakuza 8‘s first official trailer at either conference.

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George Yang is a freelance games writer for Digital Trends. He has written for places such as IGN, GameSpot, The Washington…

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Why you shouldn’t expect a PlayStation 5 Pro anytime soon

The Playstation 5 system standing upright.

It seems pretty likely that Sony will eventually release a "PlayStation 5 Pro" somewhere down the line. The company has a history of making mid-generation console updates with things like the PS4 Slim and Pro, as well as the PS3 Slim, and there are current rumors suggesting that a new base model PS5 may be coming soon. All that is to say that there's certainly a precedent for an upgrade coming sooner or later, but Sony has made it clear that if a Pro model is in the works, it'll be leaning toward the "later" side of things.

Sony hasn't officially said anything about a PS5 Pro, mind you. Its focus is directed solely toward supporting its current hardware, but that focus does inform some of the context surrounding any other potential hardware releases. Based on the company's current behavior, it would appear that a major hardware upgrade like that is still years away.
The PS5's relationship to the PS4
In an interview with Axios, PlayStation Studios CEO Hermen Hulst recently said that the company is still planning on supporting the PS4 past 2022 on a "case-by-case basis." Although he didn't specify which games would also be launching on the PS4, several announced upcoming PlayStation Studios titles such as Marvel's Spider-Man 2 come to mind when thinking about the potential of cross-generational releases.

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Everything announced at PlayStation’s September 2022 State of Play

Kratos looks at the Leviathan Axe.

Sony pops up every few months with a new showcase that highlights titles coming to PlayStation platforms. While fans were hoping for a full-fledged PlayStation Showcase this month as State of Play presentations took place in March and June, Sony decided to hold another State of Play on September 13 ahead of Tokyo Game Show to highlight games coming to PS4, PS5, and PlayStation VR2. As the June State of Play featured the likes of Street Fighter 6, Final Fantasy XVI, and Resident Evil 4's remake, this presentation had a lot to live up to.
State of Play | September 13, 2022 | [English]
While it wasn't as impressive, lasting 20 minutes and featuring 10 games, every title shown looked intriguing in its own way. In particular, we got a look at the next Tekken game and an exciting trailer for God of War: Ragnarok ahead of its release in November. This is every announcement that PlayStation made during the September 2022 State of Play.
Tekken 8 announced for PS5
Tekken 8 - State of Play Sep 2022 Announcement Trailer | PS5 Games
The announcement that kicked off the show was Tekken 8. We saw some cutscenes and gameplay featuring Jin Kazama and Kazuya Mishima, and it looks just as impactful and satisfying as ever. In a PlayStation Blog post, Katsuhiro Harada explained that this content was taken straight from the game's story mode, and runs at 50 frames per second. It has no release date but is confirmed for PS5.
Like a Dragon Ishin! is finally coming to the West with a remake
Like a Dragon: Ishin! - State of Play Sep 2022 Announcement Trailer | PS5 & PS4 Games
Rya Ga Gotoku: Ishin is getting a full remake treatment. This game was released for PS3 and PS4 in the early 2010s but never came to North America or Europe as the Yakuza series was not yet popular in the West at the time. It's now titled Like a Dragon: Ishin!, remade with Unreal Engine 4, and will be released for PS4 and PS5 in February 2023.
God of War looks great and is getting a themed DualSense controller
God of War Ragnarök - State of Play Sep 2022 Story Trailer | PS5 & PS4 Games
To wrap up the show, Sony revealed that a limited-edition DualSense wireless controller based on the next God of War game is launching on November 8 before providing a deeper look at God of War: Ragnarok. We saw more interactions between Kratos, Tyr, and Atreus, as well as some new gameplay featuring the awe-inspiring fantasy enemies and set pieces players will encounter during the game. God of War: Ragnarok launches on November 9.
Everything else

Star Wars: Tales from the Galaxy's Edge Enhanced Edition is coming to PlayStation VR2.
Demeo is coming to PlayStation VR2.
Hogwarts Legacy is getting a PlayStation-exclusive quest.
Pacific Drive, the debut game from Ironwood Studio, was announced.
Sony explained how PlayStation Stars works and confirmed that it will start rolling out in various regions later this month.
Bandai Namco announced a new mecha game called Synduality.
PlayStation will publish Stellar Blade, which debuted at last year's PlayStation Showcase as Project EVE, and it will launch in 2023.
Sony Interactive Entertainment is publishing Rise of the Ronin from Koei Tecmo Games' Team Ninja as a PS5 exclusive in 2024.

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State of Play September 2022: how to watch, what to expect

Cloud and Sephiroth looking over a mountain.

Hot off the heels of Nintendo's Direct announcement, PlayStation is holding a surprise State of Play this week. An official PlayStation blog states that the upcoming stream is set to be somewhat of a pre-show for the impending Tokyo Game Show event on September 15-18. There's going to be a lot of focus on PlayStation's Japanese partners as well as some updates on Sony's latest VR headset.

Here's how to watch the surprise show and what to expect from it.
When is State of Play?
The State of Play is to take place on September 13. The broadcast begins at 3:00 p.m. PT. PlayStation's blog also confirms that it will last around 20 minutes, making it half the length of Nintendo's show on the same day.
How to watch State of Play
As always, the event's stream will take place on PlayStation's official Twitch and YouTube channels. There's no word on whether or not it will broadcast on other social media streaming platforms.
What to expect from State of Play
https://twitter.com/PlayStation/status/1569445831614369793