The Persona series is developed by Atlus, a Japanese video game studio. First of all, this series consists mainly of Japanese role-playing games. However, the popularity of the series has allowed the series to expand into other media: animated films and series, manga, and books. In addition, the series has several spin-offs. There is no doubt that the millions of copies of Persona games justify the popularity of this series.
The main games in the series, i.e., Persona 5 Royal, Persona 4 Golden and Persona 3 Portable, all alternate between two play styles. The protagonist must navigate through dungeons in order to fight monsters, but he must also create bonds with his loved ones, via many dialogues while moving in Japanese cities. It is a system close to dating in some cases.
The term Persona refers to particular creatures that the player can summon in combat to help defeat opponents.
All games in the Persona series require reading a lot of text. They are all independent as well. Each has a different story with a lot in common though. You can start with the one you want.
ATTENTION: Games address adult topics and themes in their narratives. Although they have the appearance of Japanese cartoons, they are adult games.
There is blood, references to drugs, partial nudity, sexual themes, including sexual abuse, foul language and violence, murder. Imagine a story of police investigation made by Japanese high school students, about a murder or crimes, that’s basically what every game is.
In addition, they all require controlling a camera in a 3D environment. Having to orient the camera with the right stick constantly can confuse people who are not used to 3D games.
Table of Contents
Persona 5 series
Persona 5 Royal
Available on PlayStation 4 and 5, Xbox One and Xbox Series S/X, Nintendo Switch, PC.
The game follows the adventure of Joker and his friends who all hold the power of Personas. They must explore a parallel universe in order to defeat the enemies there. Outside of fighting, you control Joker as he has to fulfill his responsibilities as a high school student in Tokyo: he must participate in his classes and create friendships by dialoguing with the characters.
1-player playable
There is a lot of downloadable content available. None of these are essential in order to enjoy the game. These are mostly cosmetic items for your characters.
Warning: It is possible that you will find in stores a game called “Persona 5”. It only exists on Playstation 4 and 3. This is the first version of the same game and does not have all the improvements present in “Persona 5 Royal”. We of course recommend the “Royal” version. Be careful whether or not to purchase downloadable content for the right version of the game.
Allow 102 hours (!!) to finish the story, and 143 hours if you want to complete everything.
Persona 5 Strikers
Available on PlayStation 4 and 5, Nintendo Switch and Steam PC.
A progression fighting game (also called Beat’em up / beat’em all) that takes the characters and universe of Persona 5 Royal. You control the characters of Persona 5 Royal through different levels in which you fight creatures and bosses in real time. The game is VERY repetitive, slow and long. Reserved for the most avid fans of Persona 5 Royal.
1-player playable
Allow 35 hours (!!) to finish the story, and 70 hours if you want to complete everything.
More details in our article here.
Persona 4 series
Persona 4 Golden
Available January 19, 2023 on PlayStation 4 and 5, Xbox One and Xbox Series S/X, Nintendo Switch and Steam PC.
The game essentially follows the same premise as Persona 5 Royal: the protagonist holds the power of the Persona, and he must explore a parallel universe and defeat the enemies within it. He will also have to connect with his colleagues during school hours at a rural Japanese school.
Allow 68 hours to finish the story, and double it if you want to complete everything.
1-player playable
Persona 4 Arena Ultimax
Available on PlayStation 4 and 5, Nintendo Switch and Steam PC.
The game takes the characters and the universe of Persona 4 Golden and places them in a 2-dimensional fighting game reminiscent of the Street Fighter series. The game is played very differently from Persona 4 Golden.
The fighting game is very well done but also very sharp and complicated to handle. If its online mode is playable thanks to the quality of its network code, it is unfortunately not very ergonomic and will force you to leave and start looking for an opponent again after a single match. In addition, the online population of the game is very small, and you will have to organize with people to be able to play it online.
Recommended for veteran fighting game players AND Persona 4 Golden fans.
Playable from 1 to 2 players.
Persona 3 series
Persona 3 Portable
Available January 19, 2023 on PlayStation 4 and 5, Xbox One and Xbox Series S/X, Nintendo Switch and Steam PC.
Similar to the games Persona 4 Golden and Persona 5 Royal, the protagonist must explore a parallel world in order to defeat the enemies found there. He must also participate in his school activities and build a social network outside the combat phases.
Formerly, there were 2 versions of Persona 3:
- Persona 3 FES, released on the Playstation 2 console, the home console version
- Persona 3 Portable, released on the PSP console, the portable version of the game
The trouble is that none of the versions are really better. The Persona 3 Portable version cuts off exploration in Japanese cities by the main character by replacing it with clickable menus.
This makes the game quite outdated on our now very powerful machines compared to the PSP.
The game is totally dispensable, but if you are curious from the genesis of the recent formula of Persona, it is recommended at a low price.
1-player playable
Allow 65 hours to finish the story, and double it if you want to complete everything.
More details on the official website.
Persona Dancing series
Persona 5: Dancing in Starlight
Available on PlayStation 4 and therefore compatible with the Playstation 5
A rhythm game that takes the characters and the universe of Persona 5 Royal. You have to press buttons to the rhythm of the music of Persona 5 Royal.
1-player playable
Persona 4: Dancing All Night
Available on PlayStation 4 and therefore compatible with the Playstation 5
A rhythm game that takes the characters and the universe of Persona 4 Golden. You have to press buttons to the rhythm of the soundtrack of Persona 4 Golden.
The game is only available in the pack that contains the 3 Persona Dancing games.
1-player playable
Persona 3: Dancing in Moonlight
Available on PlayStation 4 and therefore compatible with the Playstation 5
A rhythm game that takes the characters and the universe of Persona 3 Portable. You have to press buttons to the rhythm of the soundtrack of Persona 3 Portable.
1-player playable
It is possible to buy a pack called Persona Dancing: Endless Night Collection that contains all three games for a discounted price.
More details on the official website.
Which game to choose?
If this is the first time you dive into the series, I advise you to buy Persona 5 Royal, since this game is up to date. However, Persona games are known to be difficult and very long, so they are not aimed at video game neophytes.
The other games are recommended only for those who are already familiar with the series.
- Persona 4 Golden and Persona 3 Portable are more dedicated to veterans of the series.
- Persona 4 Arena Ultimax is only for fans of Street Fighter fighting games.
- Persona 5 Strikers is only for fans of Dynasty Warriors or Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity progression fighting games.
- Do not buy the games of the Persona Dancing series because they are aimed at veterans of the series who are particularly fans of the music of this one.
Stay alert when it comes to Persona 5 Royal DLC, it is not necessary at all.
(Article produced with the contribution of Marc Shakour)
