Persona turned 30 in 2026, and ATLUS is marking the anniversary with a full remake of Persona 4 due in February 2027 and a sixth numbered game on the way.
Thirty years of remakes and spin-offs make the series hard to step into. This guide lists the games in the order they came out in Japan, with the versions you can still buy today, and ends with Metaphor: ReFantazio, the 2024 fantasy game ATLUS made with several of Persona’s key creators.
That includes the composer Shoji Meguro, whose Metaphor score comes to the Eventim Apollo in London with a full orchestra and choir on Friday 22 January 2027.
All the Persona Games, From 1996 to Persona 6
The Main Persona Games in Release Order, 1996 to Persona 6
The dates below are the Japanese release dates from ATLUS’s own title list, which also sets out the platforms each version is sold on.
| Game | Released in Japan | First platform | Version to play today |
|---|---|---|---|
| Revelations: Persona | 20 September 1996 | PlayStation | Persona (PSP, 2009) |
| Persona 2: Innocent Sin | 24 June 1999 | PlayStation | PSP version (2011) |
| Persona 2: Eternal Punishment | 29 June 2000 | PlayStation | PSP version (2012) |
| Persona 3 | 13 July 2006 | PlayStation 2 | Persona 3 Reload (2024) |
| Persona 4 | 10 July 2008 | PlayStation 2 | Persona 4 Golden, or Persona 4 Revival from February 2027 |
| Persona 5 | 15 September 2016 | PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 3 | Persona 5 Royal |
| Persona 6 | Not yet dated | PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Windows, Steam and Nintendo Switch 2 | Not yet released |
Revelations: Persona and the Two Halves of Persona 2
The first game arrived on 20 September 1996 as a spin-off from ATLUS’s Shin Megami Tensei series, 4Gamer’s history of the series notes. Persona 2 followed in two parts: Innocent Sin on 24 June 1999 and Eternal Punishment on 29 June 2000, the second continuing the story of the first, as Famitsu recalled on the anniversary.
All three came back on the PSP between 2009 and 2012, and those PSP versions are the only ones on ATLUS’s current title list. None of the three has a release on today’s consoles.
Persona 3, From the 2006 Original to Persona 3 Reload
Persona 3 came out on the PlayStation 2 on 13 July 2006, with the story of a transfer student who finds an hour hidden between one day and the next. Persona 3 FES followed in April 2007, Persona 3 Portable in November 2009, and a remaster of Portable reached Steam, Xbox, PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch on 19 January 2023.
The version most players will want is Persona 3 Reload, released on 2 February 2024, which ATLUS describes as the game “faithfully remade”. It is on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox and Steam, and reached Nintendo Switch 2 on 23 October 2025.
Persona 4, Persona 4 Golden and the 2027 Revival
Persona 4 moved the series to Inaba, a quiet town in rural Japan where a run of murders starts the story. It came out on 10 July 2008 on the PlayStation 2, and Persona 4 Golden, an enhanced version, followed on the PlayStation Vita on 14 June 2012. Golden reached Steam in June 2020 and the other current consoles on 19 January 2023, and it costs £17.99 on the UK Steam store (checked 13 November 2026).
Persona 4 Revival, which ATLUS calls a full remake of Persona 4 Golden, is out on 18 February 2027 in Japan and 17 February 2027 on the UK Steam store, where the standard edition is listed at £64.99. The Nintendo Switch 2 version follows on 20 May 2027.
Persona 5 and Persona 5 Royal
Persona 5 opens with its hero forced to transfer to a high school in Tokyo, and it was released on 15 September 2016 on the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 3. Persona 5 Royal, the expanded version, followed on the PlayStation 4 on 31 October 2019.
Royal is the one to buy now. A remaster brought it to PlayStation 5, Xbox, Nintendo Switch and Steam on 21 October 2022, and ATLUS’s Steam page calls it the “definitive edition” of the game.
Persona 6, Announced With No Release Date Yet
Persona 6 was revealed with a teaser at the Xbox Games Showcase 2026. ATLUS’s Japanese site calls it a completely new numbered game, and it is coming to PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Windows, Steam and Nintendo Switch 2. There is no release date yet: ATLUS lists it as undated, and its Steam page promises a “new standalone story” aimed at first-time players and long-time fans alike.
Persona Spin-Offs, From Fighting Games to The Phantom X
Most spin-offs borrow the cast of a main game and take it into another genre, so they make more sense once you know those characters. These are the ones on ATLUS’s title list, by Japanese release date.
| Game | Type of game | Released in Japan |
|---|---|---|
| Persona 4 Arena | Fighting game | 26 July 2012 |
| Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth | Dungeon role-playing game | 5 June 2014 |
| Persona 4 Arena Ultimax | Fighting game | 28 August 2014 (remaster 17 March 2022) |
| Persona 4: Dancing All Night | Rhythm game | 25 June 2015 |
| Persona 3: Dancing in Moonlight | Rhythm game | 24 May 2018 |
| Persona 5: Dancing in Starlight | Rhythm game | 24 May 2018 |
| Persona Q2: New Cinema Labyrinth | Dungeon role-playing game | 29 November 2018 |
| Persona 5 Strikers | Action role-playing game | 20 February 2020 |
| Persona 5 Tactica | Tactics game | 17 November 2023 |
| Persona 5: The Phantom X | Mobile and PC role-playing game | Not dated by ATLUS; on Steam since 25 June 2025 |
Which Persona Game to Play First
Because Persona 3, 4 and 5 each have their own cast and setting, there is no need to start at the beginning. The 1996 original and Persona 2 are harder to reach, since only their PSP versions are still listed.
Our pick for a first game is Persona 5 Royal, which is on every current console and Steam. Persona 3 Reload is the best choice for anyone who wants the most up-to-date version of an older story. Persona 4 Golden is the cheapest of the three on Steam, though Persona 4 Revival arrives in February 2027 for anyone happy to wait.
Where Metaphor: ReFantazio Fits Alongside Persona
Metaphor: ReFantazio sits outside the Persona series. ATLUS released it on 11 October 2024, set in its own fantasy kingdom of Euchronia, so it needs no knowledge of any Persona game. Katsura Hashino directed it at ATLUS’s Studio Zero, having previously run ATLUS’s Persona studio, as Automaton reported.
Persona players will recognise a lot of it. Story deadlines run on a calendar, time spent with companions strengthens them in battle, and turn-based fights reward hitting an enemy’s weakness with an extra turn, as our Metaphor: ReFantazio review explains. The music is by Shoji Meguro, who scored Persona 3, 4 and 5, and its orchestral version reaches London this January.
Persona Games Questions and Answers
Five main Persona stories have been released: Revelations: Persona, Persona 2 (split across Innocent Sin and Eternal Punishment), Persona 3, Persona 4 and Persona 5. Persona 6 has been announced. Counting enhanced versions, remakes and spin-offs, ATLUS’s Japanese title list for the series carries more than 25 games.
Persona 3, 4 and 5 each have their own cast and story, so they can be played in any order. Persona 2 is the exception: play Innocent Sin before Eternal Punishment, which continues it.
No. Metaphor: ReFantazio is a separate ATLUS game with its own fantasy world and story, released in October 2024. It shares a director, a composer and several game systems with Persona, so it will feel familiar to Persona players.
ATLUS lists 18 February 2027 in Japan, and the UK Steam store lists 17 February 2027. The Nintendo Switch 2 version follows on 20 May 2027.
Not yet. ATLUS lists Persona 6 as undated, and its Steam page says the release date is to be announced.
