{"id":3742,"date":"2026-06-17T06:18:51","date_gmt":"2026-06-16T22:18:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.gametrader.sg\/blog\/stranger-than-heaven-rgg-studio-ps5-singapore-2027\/"},"modified":"2026-06-17T06:18:51","modified_gmt":"2026-06-16T22:18:51","slug":"stranger-than-heaven-rgg-studio-ps5-singapore-2027","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.gametrader.sg\/blog\/stranger-than-heaven-rgg-studio-ps5-singapore-2027\/","title":{"rendered":"Stranger Than Heaven Brings RGG Studio&#8217;s Japan Epic to PS5"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The makers of Like a Dragon are stepping back a century \u2014 and taking Snoop Dogg and Tupac Shakur with them. RGG Studio&#8217;s <strong>Stranger Than Heaven<\/strong> is a bold new standalone prequel to the Like a Dragon universe, landing on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC on <strong>15 January 2027<\/strong>. Singapore&#8217;s PlayStation Store is already open for pre-orders, so there&#8217;s no time like now to get caught up on what the studio&#8217;s most ambitious project to date actually involves.<\/p>\n<h2>Fifty Years of Japan: The Setup<\/h2>\n<p>Stranger Than Heaven follows Makoto Daito, a Japanese-American orphan who stows away on a ship to Japan after the death of his parents \u2014 and then lives the next half-century of his life there. The game unfolds across five distinct eras in five real Japanese cities, each with its own visual identity and full supporting cast:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>1915 \u2014 Kokura, Fukuoka<\/li>\n<li>1929 \u2014 Kure, Hiroshima<\/li>\n<li>1943 \u2014 Minami, Osaka<\/li>\n<li>1951 \u2014 Atami, Shizuoka<\/li>\n<li>1965 \u2014 Shinjuku, Tokyo<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The scope spans Japan&#8217;s transformation from the late Meiji era through imperial expansion, defeat in World War II, and the beginning of the post-war economic miracle. RGG Studio has always used real Japanese urban landscapes as dramatic stages \u2014 the jump to five separate historical periods and five cities is easily the largest canvas the studio has ever worked on.<\/p>\n<h2>Watch: First Official Trailer from SEGA Asia<\/h2>\n<figure class=\"gt-video\">\n<div style=\"position:relative;padding-bottom:56.25%;height:0;overflow:hidden;\"><iframe src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/rZlWHjOdXo4\" title=\"STRANGER THAN HEAVEN | First Official Trailer\" loading=\"lazy\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;border:0;\" allow=\"accelerometer;clipboard-write;encrypted-media;gyroscope;picture-in-picture;web-share\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div><figcaption>STRANGER THAN HEAVEN | First Official Trailer \u2014 via SEGA Asia(EN) on YouTube<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2>Combat Overhauled: Triggers, Bumpers, and Thirteen Weapons<\/h2>\n<p>The clearest signal that Stranger Than Heaven is something genuinely new from RGG Studio \u2014 not another Yakuza reskin \u2014 is its completely redesigned melee system. The familiar face-button combo chains are gone. Instead, independent left\/right attack inputs are mapped to the controller&#8217;s bumpers and triggers: left bumper and trigger for left-hand strikes, right bumper and trigger for the right. The result is a system that rewards deliberate attack sequencing over rapid button mashing.<\/p>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.gametrader.sg\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/stranger-than-heaven-combat.jpg?w=474&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Stranger Than Heaven combat gameplay\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\"><figcaption>Image courtesy of SEGA \/ RGG Studio<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Thirteen weapon categories are available \u2014 unarmed, knives, katanas, crowbars, sledgehammers, and more \u2014 each with its own stance, moveset, and situational strengths. Blocking and parrying now require reading the angle of incoming strikes rather than just holding a defence button, and stamina limits penalise passive turtling. Hands-on preview coverage from the Summer Game Fest 2026 Play Days in early June described the combat as notably more demanding and cinematic than anything in the mainline Like a Dragon or Yakuza entries, with ground attacks, charged strikes, and brutal finishers rounding out a system that feels built for the grim realism of mid-century Japan.<\/p>\n<h2>A Cast That Made Headlines: Tupac, Snoop, Ado, and More<\/h2>\n<p>The voice and motion-capture roster has been one of the most-discussed aspects of Stranger Than Heaven since it was revealed at Summer Game Fest 2026. Protagonist Makoto Daito is brought to life by actor Yu Shirota. The supporting cast spans Japan and the world:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Snoop Dogg<\/strong> voices Orpheus, a figure central to the story&#8217;s mid-century chapters<\/li>\n<li><strong>Tupac Shakur<\/strong> portrays a character named Amaru \u2014 SEGA <a href=\"https:\/\/segabits.com\/blog\/2026\/06\/05\/stranger-than-heaven-launches-on-january-17-with-new-trailer-featuring-tupac\/\">confirmed in its official announcement<\/a> that the portrayal was created in close collaboration with rights holders and without the use of AI<\/li>\n<li><strong>Ado<\/strong> \u2014 one of Japan&#8217;s biggest current music acts \u2014 plays Keiko Shirai<\/li>\n<li><strong>Tori Kelly<\/strong> plays Suzy Day<\/li>\n<li>The Japanese dramatic cast includes Dean Fujioka, Moeka Hoshi, Akio Otsuka, and Tokuma Nishioka<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.gametrader.sg\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/stranger-than-heaven-knife.jpg?w=474&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Stranger Than Heaven gameplay with knife weapon\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\"><figcaption>Image courtesy of SEGA \/ RGG Studio<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>SEGA&#8217;s decision to be explicit about the absence of AI in Tupac&#8217;s portrayal was clearly important to the studio, and the right move given how publicly sensitive the issue of AI-generated likeness has become in entertainment. The Tupac announcement dominated conversation around the game at Summer Game Fest, drawing in audiences far beyond the usual Like a Dragon fanbase.<\/p>\n<h2>Last words<\/h2>\n<p>For Singapore players, the practical details are these: the PlayStation Store Singapore listing for Stranger Than Heaven is live now, ahead of the <strong>15 January 2027<\/strong> global launch. Xbox Singapore and Steam listings are also open for pre-orders. If you&#8217;re already on Xbox Game Pass, the game launches day one as part of your subscription \u2014 likely the most cost-efficient route.<\/p>\n<p>Stranger Than Heaven is shaping up to be one of the most distinctive games of early 2027. RGG Studio has always understood Japan&#8217;s urban drama better than almost any developer working today \u2014 Stranger Than Heaven takes that instinct across five historical eras and fifty years. We&#8217;ll be covering it closely as the launch approaches. <a href=\"\/blog\/category\/game-news\/\">Check out more upcoming game news on GameTrader.SG.<\/a><\/p>\n<p><!--GT-SCOUT source=\"Web (English)\" theme=\"Video games\" flags=\"SGD price not yet confirmed\"--><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>RGG Studio&#8217;s Stranger Than Heaven arrives on PS5, Xbox, and PC on 15 January 2027 \u2014 here&#8217;s everything Singapore fans need to know about the epic historical Japan prequel.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20,"featured_media":3739,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":[]},"categories":[11,12],"tags":[94,280,279,64,276,277,278],"class_list":["post-3742","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-game-news","category-singapore-gaming-scene","tag-action-rpg","tag-historical-japan","tag-like-a-dragon","tag-ps5","tag-rgg-studio","tag-sega","tag-stranger-than-heaven"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.gametrader.sg\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/stranger-than-heaven-poster.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p13AlF-Ym","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":3350,"url":"https:\/\/www.gametrader.sg\/blog\/beast-of-reincarnation-game-freak-august-2026\/","url_meta":{"origin":3742,"position":0},"title":"Beast of Reincarnation: Game Freak\u2019s Action RPG Launches 4 August","date":"June 7, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Game Freak\u2019s first action RPG outside Pok\u00e9mon launches 4 August on PS5, Xbox (Game Pass day 1), and PC \u2014 here\u2019s what Singapore fans need to know.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Game Industry News&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.gametrader.sg\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/bor_hero.jpg?fit=1200%2C682&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":3334,"url":"https:\/\/www.gametrader.sg\/blog\/final-fantasy-vii-revelation\/","url_meta":{"origin":3742,"position":1},"title":"Final Fantasy VII Revelation: Spring 2027 on All Platforms","date":"June 6, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Final Fantasy VII Revelation lands Spring 2027 on PS5, Switch 2, Xbox & PC simultaneously \u2014 no exclusivity. 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