Yakuza Series
Games Like Shenmue 3
Yakuza is the closest you can get to the Shenmue formula, without actually being Shenmue 3. Most of the series revolves around a legendary Yakuza with a heart of gold, Kazuma Kiryu.
Each game gives you one or more contained locations to run around in, with a host of activities to undertake. Yakuza is technically open world, but like Shenmue 3 it has more of a focus on showing how the city of Kamurocho changes, and the people within it.
Like in Shenmue, the Yakuza games feature a ton of different minigames. Running a cabaret club in Yakuza 0, driving a taxi in Yakuza 5, playing pool, bowling, classic Sega arcade games OutRun, and much more.
On top of all that, the cities in Yakuza are lavishly detailed, with a host of restaurants and shops that you can interact with.
The biggest difference between the two games, of course, comes with their tone and story. Shenmue is a relatively relaxed experience with a good amount of puzzle-solving, while Yakuza games are dramatic crime stories mixed with incredibly wacky substories.
Still, if you’re looking for an experience that uses many of the same ideas as Shenmue 3, Yakuza is about as close as you can get.
