LogFAQs > #950473324

0, 5 and Kiwami 2 are the best ones in my opinion.

0 is my favorite and also the first Yakuza game I played to completion. 5 is the biggest Yakuza game and while the pacing is an issue at times, the stakes feel like it has never been bigger and serves as the true finale of Kiryu.
Kiwami 2 has my favorite villain and female lead in the series. A very intriguing story and good combat. A huge step up over Kiwami 1.

6 is good but serves more as an epilogue to the Kazuma Kiryu saga. The combat feels jankier than 5, 0 and Kiwami 2. Some plot elements feel tacked on but overall a very enjoyable conclusion.

Kiwami 1 while good has many gameplay flaws to call it great. It feels quite unpolished after coming from 0. But I like the story.

4 is like 5 but everything is jankier (gameplay, story and character interaction) and stakes are lower. It has some ridiculous plot elements that is ludicrous even by Yakuza standards. It introduces one of my favorite characters in the series though and while everything in 4 is worse than 5, his part is the only thing that is done much better.

3 is my least favorite in the series and mostly for gameplay reasons. The story is actually pretty good and it has some very memorable moments. My favorite sidekick in the series as well. The gameplay and side content is the worst though. Combat is a tedious blockfest, sub stories are the weakest it has even been and generally this is the Yakuza game that truly shows it's age.

I'm playing Like a Dragon right now taking my sweet time. I thought I will wait till the PS5 version but I caved and started playing the PS4 one. I'm at Chapter 10 right now and so far I think it ranks up there with the best. I don't wanna jump to conclusions yet so I will wait until I have beaten the game and the dust settles.