Yakuza 0 on PC should have been the most accessible version of the game when it was released, and the recent patch removes Denuvo to push it further.

Whenever a game that was previously console-only is announced as headed to PC, the community pauses in anticipation for the worst. Denuvo, once heralded as uncrackable anti-DRM, has not only seen games cracked in recent years, but performance improves once inevitably removed. We can only hope the same happens for Yakuza 0 with its upcoming patch.

It’s not officially remarked in the Yakuza 0 beta patch notes, but users report that those updating to the upcoming patch (currently in beta testing in the community) are playing the game without Denuvo. Considering the game released on PC back in August and the game itself is more than two years old in the West, the piracy tradeoff to bolster the game’s paid community is a worthy one.

There are added PC features also coming to this Yakuza 0 PC patch. For example, the developers added an FOV slider to increase the viewable range, which is pretty odd considering it’s a third-person game. Ultrawide monitors now have more options for support, multi-monitor computers now have more support options, and there are more audio and UI toggles and sliders.

Yakuza 0 is arguably (I’d argue it) the best game in the franchise, as it tells a revisionist decade-earlier story of the franchise’s main characters to give context for the series’ true start with Kiwami (the remastered version). You don’t need to know any of the characters ahead of time, but it does give an excellent introduction for newbies and a deeper appreciation for series fans.

Furthermore, the side quests are numerous and varied, the characters are delightful in the dance between serious and silly, the story is touching and the city of Kamurocho is electric. With Denuvo removed and just $20, the time is right (on the beta branch) to try out Yakuza 0.