As a dialogue-heavy role-playing game that explores a deep story, Yakuza 0 claims to be a game that combines friendship, self-love, and the search for true calling. The Yakuza is the largest mafia group in Japan, which controls everything that can be controlled. Events begin in 1988, when two Yakuza characters - Kazuma Kiryu and Goro Majima - take part in a battle for a small industrial site in the center of Kamurocho. The empty land rightfully belongs to no one, so all the factions in Japan are coming to seize this place at any cost. However, our heroes are loyal to their clan, despite the fact that Goro was exiled and Kazuma is the lowest rank.

　　The first scene shows the "quiet" war of the Japanese mafiosi. Kiryu beats a man in a back alley, demanding repayment of his debts, and after this the nameless man is killed, leaving to rot on the “empty land.” Because of such matters, Kiryu leaves the Yakuza, knowing that the Tojo clan is preparing a major attack. After which we fight with one of the brightest representatives of the clan - the “lieutenant” - and begin our criminal activities with Akire Tachibane.

　　The role-playing game combines two modes. The first is adventure. You calmly wander around the city, explore the area, talk to people, buy things, play mini-games and call the phone sex service. The second mode is combat. In it you have to fight your opponents using special techniques that you need to buy with money (inside the game). There are 4 fighting styles available in Yakuza 0, which you can switch between at any time. When playing as any character, you can choose a style, but remember about the “Dragon Style”, which becomes available after a while. There are two cities in the game - an analogue of Tokyo's Kabuki-Cho - Kamurocho, and Osaka's Dotonbori - Sotenbori. In both cities we will play as Kazuma and Majima. The main part of the game consists of side quests that help the plot unfold.