How Long Is Like A Dragon: Pirate Yakuza In Hawaii?

Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii introduces itself as a spinoff in the vein of Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name. Meaning that, instead of looking at a mammoth of a story that can take well over 30 hours at minimum, it's a far smaller slice, this time placing Goro Majima as the main character.

Despite the absurdity of its premise, Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii is indeed canon, the story taking place after the events of Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth. Majima has amnesia, however, which leads to a fresh start for a standalone tale that is progressively intertwined with the usual swings and roundabouts of a Yakuza story.

If you're wondering how much there actually is in the game, both from a main story and side activity standpoint, this guide covers how long Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii is and what you can expect to find.

How Long is Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii?

Defining the length of a Yakuza or Like a Dragon is a tough endeavor due to how many side activities there usually are, as well as the usual length of the main story. For Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii, you're looking at around 15 hours to tackle the main story and some side activities along the way, structured in five chapters. For reference, Yakuza games usually have around 13 or so chapters.

Now, playing one of these games by only focusing on the primary storyline would be a disservice. Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii is packed with lots of skills to unlock optional activities to tackle, some of which are:

• Substories: In usual Yakuza and Like a Dragon fashion, there's an array of smaller stories to tackle. Some are introduced as you progress through the main story, while others require you to go off the beaten path to discover them. You'll either get a new mechanic, minigame, or at least a funny and endearing side story as a result.
• Pirates Coliseum: Commanding your own ship is a big part of the game, and the Pirates Coliseum is the perfect place to test your current crew and ship loadout. Yes, you can both upgrade and customize the ship, which will come in handy as you confront increasingly harder enemies, both in the coliseum and elsewhere while navigating.
• Crew building and treasure hunting: Speaking of which, recruiting crew members is a key activity. Most of them have special requests, from gathering items to reaching a specific Pirate Rank level, a reputation system of sorts. Building a good team is crucial to sailing the seas, especially if you're exploring optional islands in search of treasure, which are essentially bite-sized dungeons with a shiny chest waiting for you at the very end.
• Bounties: Whether you're low on cash or just looking for a challenging smackdown, there are over a dozen fights available to tackle, netting you hefty sums of money in return.
• Honolulu and the usual minigames: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii places a big focus on the pirate side of things, introducing a new hub called Madlantis as well as waters to navigate and explore. But this is all combined with the existing foundation of Honolulu, Hawaii that was first presented with Infinite Wealth. You get to explore the city at your own leisure and take part in familiar minigames. Most rewards are intertwined with new features like crewmembers and your pirate reputation, making for a great synergy overall.

As such, the answer to how long Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii will depend entirely on what you're interested in doing and for how long. Playing on PC, I have over 26 hours logged in, but the in-game time is lower. Since I played for guides, this meant leaving the game open while I took notes and organized screenshots, for example.

I also played some minigames through completion, which added time, and there were some activities that I barely took part in, which I'm sure would have added at least another dozen hours to the overall count. Regardless of what you choose to do, the high seas of Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii are yours for the taking.