Yakuza is a sprawling tale of underworld Tokyo featuring 3rd person action/adventure mechanics. The main character, Kazuma Kiryu, is a feared Yakuza enforcer who is embroiled in a mystery that involves his closest friends and $10 billion yen missing from the Yakuza clan's main bank.

The core of the game is hand-to-hand fighting, where the player can use an enormous variety of weapons and items against his enemies. The game features a character upgrade system, where experience points will give Kazuma more hit points, unlock new moves, increase the heat gauge (special power meter), or unlocks new heat moves, which gives the player the most powerful and nasty looking attacks in the game.

The adventure elements contain plenty of collection quests and dating mini-games, authentically reproducing the nightlife found in modern day Tokyo.