Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii reuses the Honolulu map from Infinite Wealth, its open world setting and design still differ quite a bit.

New players coming to the game should expect to be in combat a lot. There's both melee brawling and ship-to-ship naval combat in Like A Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii, and both systems are equally deep. New players should be aware that Like A Dragon games have all the depth of your average RPG, and almost everything can be leveled up or upgraded.

Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii’s substories are a pivotal part of the game's overarching narrative, as they help flesh out Majima's character.