Persona (series)


previously marketed as Shin Megami Tensei: Persona outside of Japan, is a video game franchise primarily developed by Atlus and owned by Sega. Centered around a series of Japanese role-playing video games, Persona is a spin-off from Atlus' Megami Tensei franchise. The first entry in the series, Revelations: Persona, was released in 1996 for the PlayStation. The series has seen several more games since, with the most recent main entry being 2024's Persona 3 Reload, a remake of the 2006 game Persona 3.
Persona began as a spin-off based on the positively-received high school setting of Shin Megami Tensei If.... Persona core features include a group of students as the main cast, a silent protagonist similar to the mainline Megami Tensei franchise, and combat using [|Personas]. Beginning with Persona 3 in 2006, the main series came to focus more on, and become renowned for, the immersive social simulation elements that came with the addition of Social Links, which are directly linked to how Personas evolve. Character designs are by series co-creator Kazuma Kaneko and Shigenori Soejima. Its overall theme is the exploration of the human psyche and how the characters find their true selves. The series' recurring concepts and design elements draw on Jungian psychology, psychological personas and tarot cards, along with religious, mythological, and literary themes and influences.
Revelations: Persona was the first role-playing Megami Tensei game to be released outside of Japan. Beginning with Persona 2: Eternal Punishment, the English localizations began to remain faithful to the Japanese versions at the insistence of Atlus. The series is highly popular internationally, becoming the best-known Megami Tensei spin-off and establishing Atlus and the Megami Tensei franchise in North America. Following the release of Persona 3 and 4, the series also established a strong following in Europe. The series has since gone on to sell over 27 million copies worldwide, outselling its parent franchise. There have been numerous adaptations, including anime series, films, novelizations, manga, stage plays, radio dramas, art books, and musical concerts.

Games

Main series

  • Revelations: Persona is the first entry in the series, and was released in Japan and North America for the PlayStation in 1996. A port to Windows was released in Japan in 1999. The game was later ported to the PlayStation Portable : it was published in 2009 in Japan and North America as physical and digital releases, and 2010 in Europe as a digital release. Set in the town of Mikage-cho, it follows a group of high school students from St. Hermelin High, who are forced to confront an outbreak of demons in their hometown.
  • Persona 2: Innocent Sin is the second entry in the series, released in Japan for the PlayStation in 1999. After the success of Persona PSP port, a port of Innocent Sin was greenlit. For this version, adjustments were made so that it played more like its sequel, along with added features and a new scenario. The port was released in 2011 in all regions. Set in the coastal city of Sumaru, the story follows Tatsuya Suou, a student of Seven Sisters High, as he confronts phenomena generated by reality-altering rumors.
  • Persona 2: Eternal Punishment is the third entry in the main series, released in Japan and North America for the PlayStation in 2000. Like Innocent Sin, it was remade for PSP, and included a new scenario by the game's original writer. The remake released in Japan in 2012, but did not reach the West. The original version was re-released worldwide on PlayStation Network in 2013 in response to this. Set shortly after the ending of Innocent Sin, the story follows Maya Amano, a supporting character from the previous game, as she confronts a similar rumor-created threat along with Tatsuya.
  • Persona 3 is the fourth entry in the main series. Developed for PlayStation 2, it released in 2006 in Japan, 2007 in North America, and 2008 in Europe. Persona 3 FES, a director's cut featuring new content and an epilogue, was released in 2007 in Japan and 2008 in North America and Europe. The main portion of FES was later ported to the PSP in Japan in 2009, North America in 2010, and in Europe in 2011 as Persona 3 Portable: it featured a few enhancements such as a female playable character and the ability to control all characters in battle, and some content was adjusted or removed so it could fit on a portable platform. Ports of Persona 3 Portable were released on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S on January 19, 2023. The story takes place in the city of Tatsumi Port Island, following a group of students known as "S.E.E.S." who fight monsters that appear during a time known as the Dark Hour.
  • * Persona 3 Reload is a remake of Persona 3, released for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S on February 2, 2024, and launched for Nintendo Switch 2 in October 2025. Reload is a faithful recreation of the original game's narrative, graphically rebuilt in Unreal Engine 4 and functionally updated with numerous gameplay improvements that bring the title in closer parity with succeeding installments of the series. The remake also overhauls the game's presentation with the introduction of a new English voice cast, new story scenarios and additional interactions between characters not featured in either the original Persona 3 or its re-releases.
  • Persona 4 is the fifth entry in the main series, released for the PlayStation 2 in 2008 in Japan and North America, and 2009 in Europe. The success of Persona 3 Portable inspired the creation of a portable version of Persona 4, titled Persona 4 Golden. As using the PSP would result in cutting too much content, it was instead developed for PlayStation Vita, which allowed for the addition of new features and content. A port of Golden was released for Windows in 2020, with ports for the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S released on January 19, 2023. Persona 4 takes place in the rural town of Inaba, where a group of students investigate a series of killings related to a realm known as the Midnight Channel.
  • * Persona 4 Revival is an upcoming remake of Persona 4, announced in June 2025 and in development for PlayStation 5, Windows, and Xbox Series X/S.
  • Persona 5 is the sixth entry in the main series, released for the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4. It is set in Tokyo and follows a group of students as they adopt disguises of thieves to tackle the city's corruption and attain freedom from imposed societal pressures. Persona 5 was released in Japan in September 2016, and in North America and Europe in April 2017. Persona 5 Royal, an enhanced version of the game similar to Persona 4 Golden, was released for PlayStation 4 in Japan in 2019 and worldwide the following year. Ports of Royal for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S were released in October 2022.

    Spin-offs

Persona 3 received a Japan-exclusive spin-off titled it follows a similar cycle of daytime activities and night time combat as the original game, with one player being chosen as the party leader each night. After its closure in 2008, a new free-to-play browser game titled was released that year; the gameplay focused on players fusing Personas and confronting a threat known as the Qliphoth. Staying exclusive to Japan, it closed down in June 2010.
A fighting game sequel to Persona 4, Persona 4 Arena, was released in arcades in Japan in 2012. Console versions were released in 2012 in Japan and North America, and 2013 in Europe. A sequel, Persona 4 Arena Ultimax, was similarly released in Japanese arcades in 2013, then released in 2014 in all regions for consoles.
A standalone spin-off for the Nintendo 3DS, Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth, was released worldwide in 2014; it features the full casts of Persona 3 and 4, and is classed by Atlus as an official entry in the Persona canon. A sequel, Persona Q2: New Cinema Labyrinth, saw the addition of the Persona 5 characters and was released in Japan in 2018 and worldwide in 2019.
A rhythm game set after the events of Persona 4 Arena Ultimax, Persona 4: Dancing All Night, was released worldwide in 2015. Two follow-ups to Dancing All Night, Persona 3: Dancing in Moonlight and Persona 5: Dancing in Starlight, were released together in 2018.
A Dynasty Warriors-style action role-playing sequel to Persona 5, Persona 5 Strikers, was released in Japan in 2020 and worldwide the following year.
A tactics spin-off of Persona 5, ''Persona 5 Tactica, was released in November 2023.
Several Persona mobile games have been made in partnership with other Japanese mobile companies such as BBMF. Their first partnership was in 2006 with the development and release of Megami Ibunroku Persona: Ikū no Tō-hen, a 3D dungeon crawler set during the events of the first Persona game. The companies later collaborated on two mobile games based on the Persona 2 games: in 2007, and in 2009. Both games carried over the basic gameplay functions of the original games tailored for mobile phones.
Many mobile spin-offs are related to Persona 3: there is an RPG side-story titled an action game prequel set ten years prior to Persona 3 titled Aegis: The First Mission, and an alternate version of Persona 3 featuring different characters titled Multiple Persona 3-themed puzzle games have also been developed. An online mobile RPG set around the high school featured in Persona 3, titled was released in 2009.
Persona 4 likewise received a mobile card game spin-off, titled
A mobile spin-off for Persona 5 entitled Persona 5: The Phantom X'' was released in June 2025, developed by Black Wings Game Studio and published by Perfect World Games.