Stranger Than Heaven

Release timeline

Jan 15, 2027
Launch Coming SEGA Out worldwide on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and PC (Steam and Xbox on PC), and in Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass from day one.
Oct 21, 2026
Three-hour previews Latest SEGA on Steam Press previews of a three-hour build (the prologue, Kokura in 1915, and free roam in Kure and Osaka) were published.
Jun 5, 2026
Release date and pre-orders SEGA At Summer Game Fest 2026, SEGA dated the game for Jan 15, 2027, opened pre-orders and announced Tupac Shakur as the character Amaru.
May 6, 2026
Xbox Presents Xbox Wire A 30-minute Xbox broadcast showed the five cities and eras, the cast, the combat and Showbiz, and set a winter release on Xbox, PC and PlayStation 5, with Game Pass.
Jun 6, 2025
Title reveal SEGA At Summer Game Fest 2025, SEGA named the game Stranger Than Heaven and released a teaser that showed 1943 as well as 1915.
Dec 12, 2024
Project Century reveal AUTOMATON RGG Studio showed its new game under the working title Project Century at The Game Awards 2024, with a trailer set in 1915 Japan.

Stranger Than Heaven is RGG Studio's action-adventure for SEGA, from the makers of Like a Dragon (Yakuza), out on Jan 15, 2027 on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and PC, and on Game Pass from day one. It follows Makoto Daito over fifty years and five cities of Japan, from Kokura in 1915 to Shinjuku in 1965, as a street fighter, a yakuza and a showman. This viki covers the release time, editions and platforms, the story and each era, every character and actor including Tupac Shakur as Amaru as SEGA describes it, combat, weapons, Showbiz and music, previews, RGG Studio and the Like a Dragon series, and says what is not yet known.

1:30 Stranger Than Heaven is the new action-adventure from RGG Studio, the makers of Like a Dragon (Yakuza), published by SEGA and out Friday, Jan 15, 2027 worldwide on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and PC, and day one in Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass. It is a fifty-year saga of one man, Makoto Daito, the son of an American father and a Japanese mother, who flees San Francisco in 1915 and lives through five cities and eras of Japan, from Kokura in 1915 to Shinjuku in 1965. You fight with his left and right sides as separate controls, and you build a career as a showman who writes songs, hires performers and stages shows. It is set in the same fictional world as Like a Dragon, and its story tells how the Tojo Clan began, but RGG Studio presents it as a new title rather than a series entry. This page sums up everything SEGA, RGG Studio, the stores and the hands-on previews have said as of Nov 3, 2026, and links to the page on each subject. The clip is RGG Studio's own playthrough of the Gamescom 2026 demo, a pre-release build: Makoto Daito fights a street gang in 1915 Kokura.

Key art: the words STRANGER THAN HEAVEN in large white letters at left with a yellow half circle, and a man in a pale fedora and tinted glasses touching its brim at right. — A man in a fedora and tinted glasses beside the white Stranger Than Heaven logo on an orange ground, in the game's Steam store art RGG Studio and SEGA

Quick facts

Pre-order	Steam
Release	Friday, Jan 15, 2027, worldwide (Steam shows Jan 14)
Platforms	PS5 (PS5 Pro Enhanced), Xbox Series X\|S, PC (Steam, Xbox on PC), Xbox Cloud
Game Pass	Day one in Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass
Developer	RGG Studio (Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio)
Publisher	SEGA
Price	$69.99 Standard, $89.99 Deluxe (US stores, as of Nov 3, 2026)
Collector's Edition	$129.99 (reported), physical
Pre-order bonus	The weapon Dosu: Kagekiri, every edition
Lead actor	Yu Shirota as Makoto Daito
Setting	Japan, 1915 to 1965, five cities, after a 1915 San Francisco prologue
Genre	Action-adventure, single-player
Age rating	ESRB Mature 17+
Audio	English and Japanese (13 languages of text)
Wishlists	Over 1 million (Sep 2026)

Sources: Steam store page, Nov 3, 2026; Xbox Store, Nov 3, 2026; PlayStation Store, Nov 3, 2026; SEGA, Jun 5, 2026; SEGA Japan, Jun 8, 2026; GamesRadar+, updated Aug 24, 2026; SEGA, Sep 3, 2026; official cast page.

When does Stranger Than Heaven come out?

On Friday, Jan 15, 2027, on every platform at once. SEGA of America announced the date at Summer Game Fest on Jun 5, 2026, where RGG Studio head Masayoshi Yokoyama confirmed it on stage, and pre-orders opened the same day. Before that, the May 6, 2026 Xbox Presents broadcast had given only "this winter."

Steam's page says Jan 14, 2027, and that is not a different date. Steam's own data puts the unlock at 05:00 UTC on Jan 15, which is 9:00 PM Pacific on Jan 14, and the US PlayStation and Xbox stores list the same moment, midnight Eastern. The Japanese PlayStation Store lists midnight Japan time instead. SEGA has not published a launch hour in words, so these are store listings, not announcements. There is no early access for any edition. The times in each zone, the date's history and what is still open are on Release Date and Launch Time.

How much does it cost?

The Standard Edition is $69.99 and the Deluxe Edition $89.99 on Steam, and the Xbox and PlayStation US stores charge the same, as of Nov 3, 2026. In the UK, GamesRadar+ lists £64.99 and £79.99. The Deluxe Edition adds an outfit for Makoto, 4 weapons, 4 skilled performers for his shows, 3 stage production items, a promotional poster, a record player and an electronic camera, all unlocked as the story goes on; Standard owners can buy the same items later as a Deluxe Upgrade. Prices in each currency and the full list are on Editions and Price.

The physical Collector's Edition adds a 12-inch vinyl with the main theme, a SteelBook and a premium box to the game and the Deluxe and pre-order codes. Its US price of $129.99 is reported by GamesRadar+ from the game's official X account, and Japan and Southeast Asia sell it for PS5 only. See Collector's Edition.

Every edition pre-ordered before launch comes with the weapon Dosu: Kagekiri, which unlocks as you progress. The cutoffs by store and where to pre-order are on Pre-order Bonus.

What platforms is it on?

PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and PC, on Steam and Xbox on PC, plus Xbox Cloud. The PlayStation Store marks it PS5 Pro Enhanced, and on Xbox it is a Play Anywhere title, so one purchase covers the console and the PC version. There is no PS4 or Xbox One version, and no Nintendo Switch or Switch 2 version has been announced as of Nov 3, 2026. Steam shows no Steam Deck rating yet. Every store and its features are on Platforms.

Stranger Than Heaven is in Game Pass from day one: the Xbox Store lists it under Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass. What that covers is on Game Pass.

PC players have no real requirements yet. As of Nov 3, 2026, Steam lists only a 64-bit Windows system and "TBD" for both the minimum and the recommended specs. Steam does list full controller support, including DualShock and DualSense. See PC Requirements.

Steam lists 13 languages for text, with full audio in English and Japanese only, and the dialogue mixes the two on purpose: American characters speak English and Japanese characters speak Japanese. The ESRB rates it Mature 17+. See Languages and Age Rating.

What is Stranger Than Heaven about?

0:48 Steam calls it a fifty-year saga "of men with nowhere to go and their desperate struggle to find a home." It opens in San Francisco in 1915. Makoto Daito has lost both parents, is persecuted for his mixed heritage and is wrongly accused of a crime, so he stows away on the last ship out of the bay, bound for his mother's homeland. On board he meets Yu Shinjo, who becomes his lifelong friend and rival, and the smuggler Orpheus, who takes them to Japan. The prologue is on San Francisco 1915. The clip is Game Rant's Oct 21, 2026 hands-on preview of the pre-release build.

In Japan, Makoto rises from an outsider to a feared yakuza and an entertainment impresario. In Kure he joins the Iwaki Family and is called the "Red Oni", and the May 2026 Xbox broadcast opened with him founding a crime family he names the Tojo Clan, the syndicate at the center of the Like a Dragon games. What has been shown of the plot, era by era and without spoiling more than SEGA has, is on Story, and the clan's place in it is on Tojo Clan.

Yokoyama said the game was first planned as a trilogy and then made as one game whose main story he called "quite massive." Its length in hours has not been given.

The five eras and cities

16:49 Each era is its own city, with its own district to explore. Steam lists them as follows. The clip is from the Xbox Presents broadcast: city streets from snow to neon, a dice game, cherry blossoms and the Kamurocho gate.

Year	City	Prefecture	What it is in the game
1915	Kokura	Fukuoka	A foundry town where Makoto arrives as a young stranger
1929	Kure	Hiroshima	A naval arsenal port under yakuza influence
1943	Minami	Osaka	A wartime entertainment district, including Sotenbori
1951	Atami	Shizuoka	A postwar seaside resort
1965	Shinjuku	Tokyo	A pleasure district: Kamurocho

Sources: Steam store page, Nov 3, 2026; SEGA's In-Depth Looks, Sep 29 to Oct 3, 2026; IGN, Oct 21, 2026.

Kokura, Kure and Minami have each had an In-Depth Look video from SEGA and appeared in previews. Atami and Shinjuku have been shown far less, and Yokoyama has teased a "tremendous secret" in the 1965 chapter without showing it. Director Mikinobu Abe told IGN the game includes anachronisms on purpose and does not aim at strict period accuracy. The table with more detail is on Five Eras and Cities.

Characters and cast

SEGA's cast page credits each character as "portrayed by" a performer. Makoto Daito is played by the actor Yu Shirota, and Yu Shinjo by Dean Fujioka. Snoop Dogg plays Orpheus, Ado plays the wartime Osaka singer Keiko Shirai, Tori Kelly plays the singer Suzy Day, and Takaya Kuroda, the Japanese voice of Kazuma Kiryu, plays the craftsman Takeo Godai. The Kure boss Genzo Iwaki is the late film actor Bunta Sugawara, rebuilt in CG from archival footage with his family's consent and voiced by Takashi Ukaji. Every character and performer is on Characters and Cast, with pages for Makoto Daito, Yu Shinjo, Orpheus, Keiko Shirai, Suzy Day, Genzo Iwaki and Takeo Godai.

SEGA announced on Jun 5, 2026 that Tupac Shakur plays Amaru, "a man living in hiding in Japan," with the permission and supervision of his estate, Amaru Entertainment. SEGA says RGG Studio is making the character "without the use of AI," with a design based on archival footage and photographs. Who voices Amaru and where he appears in the story have not been announced. Yokoyama said the idea came from Snoop Dogg. What SEGA and RGG said, and how the press reacted, is on Tupac Shakur as Amaru.

How does the combat work?

4:12 Makoto's left and right sides are controlled separately. Per IGN's October preview, the bumpers give each side's light attacks and the triggers its heavy attacks, and squeezing both triggers grabs or tackles. Blocks, dodges and parries are directional: holding guard and striking with the matching side as a blow lands staggers the attacker. Steam adds charged strikes, pins and blocking with one hand while countering with the other. Abe told IGN that RGG reworked the combat after feedback on the earlier demos. Controls, enemies and how it differs from Like a Dragon are on Combat. The clip is IGN's Oct 21, 2026 preview of the three-hour pre-release build.

A sunlit old street with tram rails and brick buildings; a group of tough-looking men stands ready while a man in the foreground holds a hammer across his body. — A row of men in open shirts faces the camera on a tram-lined street as someone in the foreground grips a sledgehammer in an official Steam store screenshot of Stranger Than Heaven RGG Studio and SEGA

1:41 Weapons shown so far include knives, hammers, katanas, an odachi, clubs, crowbars and guns, and each type can be upgraded for new techniques. The May 2026 broadcast also showed context-sensitive finishing moves, one of them involving a car. The list is on Weapons. In the clip, from IGN's upload of the official combat overview, a developer explains in Japanese the weapons, their upgrades and fights in a moving car.

Showbiz: Makoto the showman

0:00 The second half of Makoto's life is the stage. Through rumors and conversations he scouts singers and musicians, and he records sounds anywhere, from brooms and trains to blows in a fight, to compose tracks with the composers he meets. Each song's lead, rhythm, bass and drum parts take an instrument, a mood and a tonality. He then plans the setlist, the band, the cast, the lighting and the staging, buys promotion and sets ticket prices, and the show itself is a light rhythm game. Yokoyama has said this game has no karaoke and no cabaret club, and IGN describes Showbiz as a fusion of those two Like a Dragon pastimes. Every step is on Showbiz. The clip is SEGA's Showbiz In-Depth Look.

The theme song, "STRANGER THAN HEAVEN," features Snoop Dogg, Satoshi Fujihara, Ado and Tori Kelly. The composer of the score has not been named. See Music and Theme Song.

What else is there to do?

7:02 Previews have shown arm wrestling, dice and cards, beigoma tops, menko cards, mahjong, a shooting gallery and five-finger fillet, a fight arena in Kure where you bet on yourself, and a masked killer roaming Kure as an optional fight. Orpheus teaches Makoto to roll cigarettes that give short boosts, and Makoto has a home base. Each era adds new activities. These come from pre-release builds and are listed on Minigames and Side Content. The clip is IGN's Oct 21, 2026 preview of the three-hour pre-release build.

Who makes Stranger Than Heaven?

RGG Studio (Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio), SEGA's internal studio behind Like a Dragon, Judgment and Like a Dragon: Ishin!. Masayoshi Yokoyama, studio head since 2021, is the game's executive director; Mikinobu Abe directs and Hiroyuki Sakamoto produces. It is RGG's first new IP in six years, revealed as "Project Century" at The Game Awards in December 2024 and renamed in June 2025. Yokoyama has said there is no generative AI in the game. The studio is on RGG Studio, its head on Masayoshi Yokoyama, and the six to seven years of work behind it on Development.

Is Stranger Than Heaven a Yakuza game?

It shares the world but is not billed as one. The Tojo Clan and Kamurocho appear, and much of the press calls it a prequel. Yokoyama said at Tokyo Game Show 2026 that "we don't think it would be right to call it a series entry," and Abe said it was not made as a prologue. Both sides are on Is Stranger Than Heaven a Yakuza Game?. Knowing the series is not required; for context, see Like a Dragon Games in Order and Games to Play Before Stranger Than Heaven.

What did the previews say?

0:01 Press played three pre-release builds: a 45-minute combat demo at Summer Game Fest in June 2026, a demo at Gamescom in August 2026, and a three-hour session of the prologue, Kokura and parts of Kure and Osaka, published on Oct 21, 2026. IGN's Michael Higham, unsure of the combat in June, called the October build "a complete 180-degree turn." PCGamesN praised the opening and writing but found group street fights "clunky and over-engineered." No reviews have been published. Each preview is on Previews, and tips drawn from them are on Beginner's Guide.

Interest and a film

SEGA said on Sep 3, 2026 that the game had passed 1 million wishlists across all platforms, RGG Studio's most wishlisted title before launch. See Wishlists and Popularity. On Sep 14, 2026, Netflix and SEGA announced a live-action film, with no cast, director or date yet; see Netflix Movie.

What is not known yet

As of Nov 3, 2026, SEGA and RGG Studio have not published:

the launch hour in words (only store listings point to one);
PC system requirements, or a Steam Deck rating;
the game's length, difficulty modes or New Game Plus;
whether earlier cities open up again after the story (director Abe has said there is no "time slip" back during it);
the composer of the score, or the engine;
who voices Amaru, and in which era he appears;
the Shinjuku chapter's "tremendous secret";
PEGI and CERO ratings (CERO was "scheduled" in June 2026);
a review embargo, and any post-launch content beyond the Deluxe and pre-order items.

This page and the pages it links will be updated as each is announced.

Frequently asked questions

When is Stranger Than Heaven coming out? Stranger Than Heaven comes out on Friday, Jan 15, 2027, worldwide on PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC. Steam shows Jan 14 because its listing unlocks at 05:00 UTC on Jan 15, which is the evening of Jan 14 in the Americas.

Is Stranger Than Heaven on Game Pass? Yes. The Xbox Store lists Stranger Than Heaven as coming to Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass on day one, Jan 15, 2027.

Is Stranger Than Heaven coming to PS4 or Switch 2? No PS4 version exists, and no Switch or Switch 2 version of Stranger Than Heaven has been announced as of Nov 3, 2026. It is on PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC.

Is Stranger Than Heaven part of the Yakuza series? Stranger Than Heaven is set in the Like a Dragon world and shows the founding of the Tojo Clan, but RGG Studio says it is not a series entry. You do not need to have played any Yakuza game.

Is Tupac in Stranger Than Heaven? SEGA says Tupac Shakur plays the character Amaru in Stranger Than Heaven, made with his estate's permission from archival footage and photographs, without AI. His voice and role have not been revealed.

How much is Stranger Than Heaven? Stranger Than Heaven costs $69.99 for the Standard Edition and $89.99 for the Deluxe Edition on US stores as of Nov 3, 2026; the Collector's Edition is reported at $129.99.

Who is the main character of Stranger Than Heaven? Makoto Daito, a man of American and Japanese parentage played by Yu Shirota, whose life Stranger Than Heaven follows from 1915 to 1965.

Is there early access for Stranger Than Heaven? No. No edition of Stranger Than Heaven, Deluxe or Collector's included, offers early access as of Nov 3, 2026.

Sources

Stranger Than Heaven: 50 Years of Japan in One Game - Hands-On Preview, GameRant, Oct 21, 2026 (video)
Xbox Presents: A Special Look at STRANGER THAN HEAVEN, RGG Studio (official), May 7, 2026 (video)
Stranger Than Heaven Finally Won Me Over | Extended Hands-On Preview, IGN, Oct 21, 2026 (video)
Stranger Than Heaven - Official Combat Overview Trailer, IGN, May 20, 2026 (video)
STRANGER THAN HEAVEN | Showbiz In-Depth Look, SEGA, Sep 25, 2026 (video)
STRANGER THAN HEAVEN Gamescom Demo PlayThrough, RGG Studio (official), Aug 28, 2026 (video)
STRANGER THAN HEAVEN, Steam, Nov 3, 2026
STRANGER THAN HEAVEN, Xbox Store, Nov 3, 2026
STRANGER THAN HEAVEN, PlayStation Store, Nov 3, 2026
STRANGER THAN HEAVEN official site, SEGA, Nov 3, 2026
Cast, SEGA, Nov 3, 2026
STRANGER THAN HEAVEN release announcement, SEGA, Jun 8, 2026
TUPAC SHAKUR JOINS SEGA'S "STRANGER THAN HEAVEN", SEGA, Jun 5, 2026
SEGA and Xbox raise the curtain on "Stranger Than Heaven", Game Developer (SEGA press release), May 7, 2026
Xbox Presents: A Special Look at Stranger Than Heaven, Everything We Learned, Xbox Wire, May 6, 2026
Stranger Than Heaven Xbox Presents Confirms It's a Yakuza Prequel, CGMagazine, May 6, 2026
Get a Look at Combat First Impressions from the Summer Game Fest Media Hands-On, SEGA on Steam, Jun 23, 2026
Stranger Than Heaven was originally planned as a trilogy, RPG Site, Jun 23, 2026
Stranger Than Heaven director says GTA 6 may force devs to use generative AI, PCGamesN, Jun 11, 2026
Like a Dragon studio RGG reveals its first new IP in 6 years, GamesRadar+, Dec 13, 2024
Stranger Than Heaven: Everything we know, GamesRadar+, Aug 24, 2026
STRANGER THAN HEAVEN Surpasses 1 Million Wishlists, SEGA, Sep 3, 2026
Netflix and Sega are working on a movie based on Stranger Than Heaven, RPG Site, Sep 14, 2026
Stranger Than Heaven Drops Bunta Sugawara-Inspired Film Trailer, Bleeding Cool, Sep 19, 2026
Stranger Than Heaven developers talk about breaking away from action game conventions, why it isn't a Like a Dragon entry, AUTOMATON, Sep 29, 2026
1943, Minami - An In-Depth Look, SEGA on Steam, Oct 3, 2026
Stranger Than Heaven: The Final Preview, IGN, Oct 21, 2026
Stranger Than Heaven oozes even more style than the Yakuza series, PCGamesN, Oct 21, 2026

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