Welcome back to Backlog Brawl! In this column, I’m celebrating each new backlog game I beat in 2026 before pitting them against one another in an ultimate bout for glory. In Vol. 1, I kicked things off by celebrating the surprisingly well-aged Sleeping Dogs. In Vol. 2, I sang the praises of the delightfully absurd Yakuza 0. In Vol. 3, Square Enix’s cult classic goes head-to-head with Sega’s fan-favorite.
It’s the beginning of April. Event season is in full force, with SXSW 2026, a newly rebranded GDC1, and PAX East 2026 setting the stage for the spring, and eventually the summer. People are out and about, and the weather (at least here on the East Coast) seems to be giving way to warmer, sunnier days.
Most people would be getting their travel plans in order or figuring out which pair of sandals they’re going to take to the beach. Not me. I’m deep in the gaming backlog, and I’m perfectly content at home.
In the first two entries of Backlog Brawl, I shared audition reels for our first two challengers: Sleeping Dogs and Yakuza 0. After playing both games to completion and seeing all (or nearly all, in Yakuza’s case) that these open-world juggernauts had to offer, it’s time to see which one comes out on top.
The Showdown: Sleeping Dogs vs. Yakuza 0
I’ve driven the streets of Hong Kong and sung my heart out in downtown Tokyo. But which open world spoke to me more?
There’s only one way to find out: a showdown!
The Presentation
Let’s get an easy category out of the way first. Whereas Sleeping Dogs released in August 2012, back during the Xbox 360 and PS3 generation, Yakuza 0 hit Japanese storefronts in 2015 for the PS4. That three-year gap could not be wider from a technical standpoint.
2012 marked the waning months of a console generation that dated back to late 2005. For the better part of eight years, the 360 and PS3 vied for control of the living room across key battlefronts like hardware, online infrastructure, cost, and, of course, software.
While both consoles certainly had their strengths — and 2013 gave us swansongs like Grand Theft Auto V and The Last of Us — the following generation was a much-needed refresh. Killzone Shadow Fall and inFamous Second Son, both of which released in the first 12 months of the PS4 lifecycle, looked better than anything I’d played in the previous 12 years. Even now, six years into the PS5 generation, I still consider the PS4/Xbox One to be the era when game visuals finally reached their full potential.
All that to say… this isn’t a contest. Yes, Sleeping Dogs is a decent-enough-looking game, especially its 2014 remastered version. The streets of Hong Kong pop with color, impressively realistic crowds frequent city markets and food stands, and the actual story cutscenes hold up surprisingly well.
But all of those compliments also apply to Yakuza 0 — only 10 times over. Tokyo and Osaka look absolutely electric, with beautifully rendered storefronts, riversides, and plazas. People flock to the street for work (in the day) or for vice (at night). And the cutscenes look good enough to be in an animated movie, even by 2026 standards.
Sleeping Dogs is a beautiful impression. Yakuza 0, however, is downright photorealistic.
Winner: Yakuza 0
The Story
Given both are mob stories, it should come as no surprise that Sleeping Dogs and Yakuza 0 cover similar narrative themes. And while both are quite good, there is one clear victor.
As I covered in Backlog Brawl, Vol. 1, Sleeping Dogs is a tale of two identities. Wei Shen grew up in the streets of Hong Kong before emigrating to the U.S. and enjoying a life of structure. His family moved to San Francisco, where he attended high school, college, and eventually police academy. After being transferred to Hong Kong to investigate the Sun On Yee triad, Wei Shen finds himself back in his past life — with all the friends, associates, and complications in tow.
This push-and-pull between duty to his department and duty to his roots is the driving force of Sleeping Dogs. As an officer, Wei Shen follows his own unique brand of justice; he isn’t afraid to break the rules if it means advancing in the triad and deepening his cover. As the story progresses, however, that sense of justice warps, and we begin to question which version of Wei Shen will win out: the cop or the gangster.
Yakuza 0 treads similar ground. As both Kiryu and Majima, you begin the game as civilians (albeit for different reasons) and find yourself slowly pulled back into the criminal underground. For every cheery side story or mini-game you partake in, there’s a fellow civilian you must tail, a group of thugs you must fend off, or a yakuza lieutenant you must beat down. Just like in Sleeping Dogs, eventually the line between “good guy” and “bad guy” starts to blur.
While I’d probably give Sleeping Dogs the edge in terms of plot, where Yakuza 0 beats it — rather thoroughly at that — is with its characters. Kiryu and Majima are both flawed people with dark pasts, but their moral compasses are always pointing in the right direction. Even in their most challenging moments, when Y0 drops a chapter-ending cliffhanger that puts our heroes in a tough spot, we know they’ll come out on top.
I’m usually a sucker for moral ambiguity, and Wei Shen has plenty of that. Unfortunately, Sleeping Dogs builds up the intrigue and fails to stick the landing. Its final chapters feel rushed, and while the story is certainly memorable, the lack of proper payoff left me wondering, What if? It doesn’t help that “cops good, criminals bad” is far from a universal truth.
Yakuza 0 is more black-and-white in its messaging, but its characters are stronger and their resolution so much more gratifying as a result.
Winner: Yakuza 0
The Combat
One of the biggest reasons I bounced off Yakuza 0 years ago was the actual action. Unlike most open-world games, which feature massive sandboxes full of destruction, Yakuza 0 opts for a more restrained playground. Instead of cruising the city by car, you’re on foot. Guns and explosions are rare, giving way to fisticuffs in bars and alleyways. The scale of the world is also quite small, focusing instead on intimate sights and sounds. Generally, this narrow focus works to the game’s advantage, save for one unfortunate exception: combat.
Outside of cutscenes, quests, and mini-games, Yakuza 0 is a rather traditional beat-em-up. As Kiryu or Majima, you’ll wallop various ne’er-do-wells as you explore the various nooks of Tokyo and Osaka. By defeating enemies (and completing side activities), you’ll earn cash you can pump back into several different skill trees, allowing access to new moves, heartier health bars, and various WWE-esque finishing moves.
Though fun for a while, combat quickly grows stale. Fights often devolve into the same one-two combos, in the same dusty alleyways, against the same tired yakuza suits, ad nauseam. While unlockable moves add some much-needed flair, the process of earning them is a painfully slow drip feed. Even after 70 hours of play, I wasn’t anywhere close to maxing out either protagonist’s skill trees. I’ve read online that Yakuza 0’s combat is among the best of any Yakuza game; if that’s true, I shudder to think how the older games play.
By comparison, Sleeping Dogs achieves everything I basically wish Yakuza 0’s combat offered. Fights are twitchy yet cerebral. An Arkham-like counter keeps the action fast and tactile, while different enemy types force you to employ different strategies based on your current situation. Add in cover-based shooting, high-octane car chases, and a progression system that offers just enough to not grow stale, and Sleeping Dogs kept me locked in for all of its 30-hour runtime.
Winner: Sleeping Dogs
The Side Activities
Part of the allure of any open-world game is its diversions. Given these games can take tens or even hundreds of hours, the amount — and quality — of side content can make all the difference between a serviceable world and a truly engrossing one.
In Sleeping Dogs, side activities aren’t just plentiful but varied. One minute, you’re zooming down the highway in one of the game’s many drag races; another minute, you’re running down individuals to collect on their debt. Additional missions from the 2014 Definitive Edition add new vehicle-based shootouts, as well as a Way of the Dragon-inspired questline that justifies the price of admission ($20, nowadays) alone.
Unfortunately, Sleeping Dogs also suffers from some padding. Lockboxes and security cameras dot the map, each requiring a repetitive micro-game to complete. Races offer near-constant thrills, but combat-based challenges begin to wear thin after a while. Oh, and the game’s excuse for a karaoke mini-game? Yeah, you can skip it.
As for Yakuza 0… Well, this is where the game thrives. Combat might not have been my jam, but literally everything else was. NPC encounters provide absurd, often side-splitting vignettes into the debauchery of Yakuza’s world. Mini-games entertain around every corner, from sporting excursions (batting cages, bowling) to gambling dens (poker, darts), to karaoke and disco venues. If those weren’t enough, both Kiryu and Majima have their own dedicated side business, both of which can easily soak up the hours. (Majima’s in particular is so good, it could practically be a standalone experience, as Amanda wrote about for Mothership.2)
Typically, side quests are meant to be just that: on the side. In Yakuza 0, they’re just as much the main attraction as the story itself. You could beeline Sleeping Dogs and still get the full experience, but to do so in Y0 would be blasphemous — and a grave disservice.
Winner: Yakuza 0
The Charm
Wrapping us up, we have the general “charm” of each game — basically, all the little things that cannot fit neatly into a bullet on the back of the box.
As dated as Sleeping Dogs looks at time, I cannot understate how satisfying it is to drive through the streets of Hong Kong. While not particularly faithful to the city geographically, everything else — from the beautifully lit skyline to the crowded markets and wharves — gives the world of Sleeping Dogs so much staying power. I also need to shout out the racing once more; the handling and drifting feel so smooth, I’m convinced United Front Games could have developed a killer racing game in an alternate timeline.
As for Yakuza 0, there’s quite a lot more I could say. It’s rare to see a game balance two seemingly disparate tones so well, but Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio makes it look effortless. One moment, you’ll be sobbing at a surprising death or heartwrenching backstory; the next, you’ll be laughing as Majima sings about Cinderella or Kiryu celebrates a well-deserved Friday night.
As people in YouTube comment sections love to point out, the Yakuza series has been reviewed by real-life yakuza members and commended for its authenticity. I’m not quite sure Sleeping Dogs can boast the same. That — and a clear victor in the karaoke mini-game battle — makes the winner here clear.
Winner: Yakuza 0
The Winner: Yakuza 0!
4-1! Not a blowout — Sleeping Dogs deserves praise for that combat — but also hardly a fair fight.
I should mention that despite the lopsided win, you really cannot go wrong with either game. If you’re looking for a Grand Theft Auto-style experience, take the trip with Wei Shen to Hong Kong. If you’re more into shenanigans like breakdancing on a bridge, getting cooked in shogi, or finding the optimal dress for a hostess girl, give your favorite yakuza bruisers a page. And for optimal results… just play both!
Who Will Join the Brawl Next?
Yakuza 0 topples the current king of the hill, but will it defend its title? I’ve already delved back into the backlog, and while I haven’t finished the next game just yet, I think we’ll have a pretty compelling challenger in the coming weeks.
Missed out on my previous entries? Check out Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 of Backlog Brawl to read up on the action. As always, thank you kindly for reading.
Was I right about Yakuza 0, or should Sleeping Dogs have taken home the belt? Let me know in the comments!
- For years, the Game Developers Conference had been marketed as an industry event by developers, for developers. In September 2025, the organization announced it would adopt a new moniker in 2026: the “GDC Festival of Gaming.” The reveal, which was accompanied by colorful new graphics, seemed to suggest that GDC would be widening the aperture to appeal not just to existing game developers, but also to aspiring creators and leaders.
Unfortunately, the rebrand wasn’t enough to combat GDC’s biggest longstanding issues: namely, steep ticket prices and an equally expensive host city in San Francisco. Overall attendance saw a 30% decline this year compared to 2025. ↩︎ - Congrats again on the placement, Amanda! Very well deserved. Can’t wait to see what other topics you end up writing about. ✍️ ↩︎
David is the founder of The Punished Backlog. He has a problem finishing games he starts.
Just beat: Yakuza 0, Sleeping Dogs.
Working on: Ys VIII.
Can't wait for: GTA VI.
Follow David on Twitter at @David_Silbert to keep up to date with all things The Punished Backlog.
