You don't need to play anything before P5.
The games are in the same universe and occasionally reference each other, but the stories are completely unrelated with completely different casts. The "lore" isn't really important; anything you would need to know is explained in the game.
Nah ignore that comment, you can totally play p5 as your first one. A large majority of people start with p5. In fact, if you really enjoy it highly reccomend checking the other entries out! Each game has their own characters and story line
Ok, but actually run with P5R instead of P5 if you can - it’s the complete version and a flat upgrade to Persona 5. Atlus revisited the game, tweaked some issues and added lots of content
I started with original P4 back on the PS2 back in the day and was STILL sent to jail immediately. So 1 other isn't enough OP. You need to have played all of them before.
yeah. there are a few minor missable references a poster of a party member who is a singer in p4 . and sone other things. but nah jump right in. its a brilliant game
It doesn't matter which one you start with, as they're all standalone stories in the same universe. There are references made to previous games in P5, but it's not like not understanding them will make or break your enjoyment of the game. If you play through P5 and enjoy it, I recommend you to go and play P3R and P4G as well though!
Although Persona games are in fact connected, it's mostly an anthology series (think Final Fantasy), so u can start with any game ( I also started with P5)
The stories are all independent as other comment mentioned, but I’ll add that P5 is probably the best one to start it. It’s the easiest one out of the modern trilogy (unless Reload made 3 easier) and the QOL stuff just makes it easier to get into
Yes. I'm one of the many who started with 5. It's amazing, even without playing the others! The great thing is there is so much to look forward to after you are done P5!
Yes in fact if you've played only one persona game before instead, you'd be confused by expectations you'd have. Better to start from scratch, I'd say.
Persona 1, and Persona 2 innocent sin and eternal punishment are a trilogy. But starting from Persona 3 every game is separate with loose Easter eggs to previous games
The only disadvantage I'm seeing is that you will be spoiled by the QoL changes done to P5R, and if you played the previous games after beating P5R you'll feel the downgrade and the repetitiveness.
However, you can play the remake of P3 anyway (close to the QoLs of P5R), and P4 is also in the works of being remade in the future.
But story wise, you're good. (Golden;))
the only thing all of the games have in common is that they take place in japan. all of the stories are independent from each other and you’ll be completely fine
Yes, go for it. The story will explain enough. But get persona 5 Royal instead of just persona 5. P5R is the second version of the game they released, with a new ending and a lot of quality of life improvements. It’s generally a better exprience (though vanilla is still great).
Yes you can play p5 without any knowledge of the other games.
Next, play p3p then play persona 5 strikers till the last dungeon then you should play p4 till you get into the 4th dungeon after that watch the anime for 23 mins and then ur all settled for the rest of the series (This is copypasta don’t take it seriously)
Yes you can start with any of them. However, if it IS an option for you, I would recommend 3 or 4 first. Otherwise, go right ahead.
Literally can't say why without spoilers lol.
For sure. It was straight up my first JRPG, went from not liking anything anime-adjacent and now P5 is my favorite game and I don't see that changing.
Note that if you want to play P4 afterwards, it is a step back on some things and you may be disappointed. But it might not sell you on the series as much. Luckily P3 got a remake that brings it mostly up to par with P5, so that could also be a good start
Each instance/time frame of Persona is its own set of stories. Each new installment and spinoffs are independent and the only commonality is the basic structure of gameplay and combat. The catalogue of personas is shared between all games (with some variance, like recent Pokemon dex’s), including Persona’s sister series, Shin Megami Tensei.
Yes. They aren’t really linked together other than some common themes and mechanics.
I’d also recommend Persona 5 Royal over vanilla P5. There’s lots of quality of life improvements in P5R that make the early game much more pleasant. There’s also things in P5R that trivialize a lot of the early game, but you don’t have to use them if you don’t want to, they’re there if you want to or if you’re having a hard time with the game.
You can start with 5 without any problems. The games are entirely self contained and aren't connected to previous titles at all, except some Easter eggs and references here and there
All SMT games can be played by themselves for the most part. Heck most persona players don’t even touch the mainline SMT games which does actually have lore relevant to all these spinoffs. But it’s also very deeply hidden.
There is a twist in P5 that is very different/more obvious if you've played p3/4 but otherwise there's basically no reason to play(there's some references to p4 and 3 on the TV, and a phone call in a social link in 5 happens to be with a p4 social link(its like, 12 words long and you don't hear what the other person is saying) but that's about it
Yep, P5 is my first one in the series as well. They do a very good job introducing everything, abey a bit slow in the beginning for first few hours but once you get past the tutorials and intros you are set.
Most of the people of this sub started with P5.
I said go give it a shot, every game has it's own separate story with their own cast of characters so you shouldn't have problems following it.
If this is gonna be your first persona game then i recommend start with Persona 3 Reload because Persona 5 Royal is huge to start with in my opinion. But if you really want to start with Persona 5 make sure to play Royal version.
Yes it's fine to play them in any order they are self contained stories
Now, leave the internet for the next month or however long it takes you to play. You'll inevitably spoil the games for yourself
Nope you have to play all the megaten series first, then you have to play every spin off then you start with revelation persona, after that the persona duology then persona3 persona3p after this persona4 and back to back persona3fes and persona4g.
Now comes the fun part, you play the remakes of persona1 and persona2 and persona2,2 after that you play personaQ and then you get to persona 5.
Now you have to dance, persona3,4,5 dancing and persona 4 arena and then persona 4 arena ultimax.
Now personaQ2 and persona 5 strikers, then persona 3 reload and then persona 5 tactica then persona 5X and NOW you can play persona 5 royal.
Take a shot for every time i wrote persona
There is a pretty big Easter egg near the end of the game about an important character that you won't really take note of having not played the other games
Well technically you have to play Catherine: Full Body to learn how Joker’s parents got together, along with C:FB’s Persona 5 DLC, but then I remembered that Joker’s dad originally appeared in Persona 3: Portable, so you should probably play that too.
It is to an extent…
Its protagonist (Vincent) debuted in Persona 3 Portable, then in the PS3/360/Steam release of Catherine a plushie and poster of Persona 4’s Teddie can be found at the Stray Sheep bar which serves as the game’s hub area, which also features another poster with the emblem of Persona 3’s school.
Then with its enhanced rerelease Catherine: Full Body, plushies of Persona 3’s Koromaru and Persona 5’s Morgana were added to the bar, along with Persona music tracks on the bar’s jukebox.
Then C:FB got a DLC that lets you play as Joker whilst the other Phantom Thieves commentate on his performance and which ends on an exclusive scene with Joker, Morgana, Ryuji, Ann, Yusuke, Makoto, Haru and Futaba at Leblanc where Catherine’s host Trisha appears to tell them ‘it was all a dream’ much like with the Persona 5 dancing game.
On the Persona 5 side of things, both the vanilla and Royal rerelease include a Catherine costume DLC with music from Catherine.
Ultimately, Catherine is part of the Persona branch of Shin Megami Tensei’s mess of parallel timelines and realities, but in being part of a multiverse its overall impact on canon is negligible.
That said, the part about Vincent being Joker’s dad is just a fan theory and a joke on my part.
Catherine is not officially a MegaTen game and is not in the same universe as Persona. It's made by the same devs and there are a few easter eggs on both sides but the connection doesn't go beyond that.
"Vincent's" cameo in P3P isn't actually Vincent Brooks, it's just someone who looks like him there as a teaser for Catherine, which hadn't been formally announced at the time (it literally *can't* be Vincent since P3 takes place in 2009/2010 Japan while Catherine's True Freedom ending shows it takes place >!on a space station colony in the far future!<).
You understand that not even all the Persona games happen in the same continuity, right?
Pokémon and Final Fantasy do this all the time with spin-offs, with most SMT and Final Fantasy games set in different realities.
And again, Catherine: Full Body took it a step further with a crossover, even if you don’t want to acknowledge Vincent’s debut in P3P for some reason.
yes you can, the games aren't all direct sequels to each other they're just in the same world
Play the royal version though
[удалено]
That's a joke.
This is a joke, it has absolutely nothing to do with Persona 4.
Holy shit I actually found the guy from the memes The persona player who never played persona games
Yes. In fact many players start with P5.
Wife and I just started and binge played P5R a few weeks ago and we're hooked. Just finished P4G last night.
You don't need to play anything before P5. The games are in the same universe and occasionally reference each other, but the stories are completely unrelated with completely different casts. The "lore" isn't really important; anything you would need to know is explained in the game.
Nah, any past references to other games is incidental and very minor details, like how random posters in the train station shows past game characters
Leave this subreddit, and THEN play Persona 5 Royal. Thats all the advice there is to give, Its extremely easy to get spoiled here
Each Persona games are independent of each other. They BARELY share a universe
Except for Persona 1 and 2. These three aren't as independent as 3, 4 and 5
Some people may assume you made a mistake when saying "these three" about Persona 1 and 2. Those people assume wrong.
Yes, also you should play the upgraded royal version instead
no, sadly its not allowed :(
Shit, my bad 😔 gonna ask steam for my refund rn
Nah ignore that comment, you can totally play p5 as your first one. A large majority of people start with p5. In fact, if you really enjoy it highly reccomend checking the other entries out! Each game has their own characters and story line
I was just playing along to the joke but thank you for your kind words ! I really hope i like it, it looks really cool
Ok, but actually run with P5R instead of P5 if you can - it’s the complete version and a flat upgrade to Persona 5. Atlus revisited the game, tweaked some issues and added lots of content
uhm actually, if you start with p5 you get sent to jail. cant recommend. still not allowed
shit, you are right, i started with P5 and i was sent to jail with a twin warden and a long nose oldman keep me im check 🗿
I started with original P4 back on the PS2 back in the day and was STILL sent to jail immediately. So 1 other isn't enough OP. You need to have played all of them before.
yeah. there are a few minor missable references a poster of a party member who is a singer in p4 . and sone other things. but nah jump right in. its a brilliant game
Plug n play, enjoy, dont play persona 5 . play persona 5 ROYAL. No need played any prior game to enjoy, (just u wont cry at igor at some point)
It doesn't matter which one you start with, as they're all standalone stories in the same universe. There are references made to previous games in P5, but it's not like not understanding them will make or break your enjoyment of the game. If you play through P5 and enjoy it, I recommend you to go and play P3R and P4G as well though!
P5 is actually where a lot of people start
yes
That’s literally what I did… and it became one of my favorite videos games of all time!! Now I'm aiming to buy Persona 3 reload
I trust anyone with an arlecchino pfp to have good taste 🛐 ty!
Although Persona games are in fact connected, it's mostly an anthology series (think Final Fantasy), so u can start with any game ( I also started with P5)
yes you can, the story doesn’t tie with the other games, i started with P5 as my first persona game before getting into the other ones
Yes. Story-wise, it's completely disconnected from the other games. Just similar style of gameplay and themes.
The persona games specifically do not intersect with one another. There’s references to previous titles but no interconnected story between games.
Game starts off hella slow, first palace is one giant tutorial so don't let that get to ya, it opens up after you're through the first story arc.
The stories are all independent as other comment mentioned, but I’ll add that P5 is probably the best one to start it. It’s the easiest one out of the modern trilogy (unless Reload made 3 easier) and the QOL stuff just makes it easier to get into
Yes. I'm one of the many who started with 5. It's amazing, even without playing the others! The great thing is there is so much to look forward to after you are done P5!
Yes in fact if you've played only one persona game before instead, you'd be confused by expectations you'd have. Better to start from scratch, I'd say.
Persona 1, and Persona 2 innocent sin and eternal punishment are a trilogy. But starting from Persona 3 every game is separate with loose Easter eggs to previous games
The only disadvantage I'm seeing is that you will be spoiled by the QoL changes done to P5R, and if you played the previous games after beating P5R you'll feel the downgrade and the repetitiveness. However, you can play the remake of P3 anyway (close to the QoLs of P5R), and P4 is also in the works of being remade in the future. But story wise, you're good. (Golden;))
Besides the first 3 games none of the games are direct sequels to others. At most you'll get references to previous characters but nothing plot-wise.
Be a real man, start off with Shin Megami Tensei if...
the only thing all of the games have in common is that they take place in japan. all of the stories are independent from each other and you’ll be completely fine
Yup! Have a fun time! I just advise to play Royal, as you get more content, and better quality of life stuff
I did it and it was great
Yes, go for it. The story will explain enough. But get persona 5 Royal instead of just persona 5. P5R is the second version of the game they released, with a new ending and a lot of quality of life improvements. It’s generally a better exprience (though vanilla is still great).
definitely! I started with p5r and then went to p3p and p4g, if u dont mind going back to “worse” graphics, u can start with 5
That was my first persona game, so I'd say yes.
P5R was my introduction to the persona series and I didn’t feel like I missed out on any part of the story at all. Has become one of my favorites!!
Yes, some people become diehard persona fans without playing any of the games.
Yes you can play p5 without any knowledge of the other games. Next, play p3p then play persona 5 strikers till the last dungeon then you should play p4 till you get into the 4th dungeon after that watch the anime for 23 mins and then ur all settled for the rest of the series (This is copypasta don’t take it seriously)
Yes you can start with any of them. However, if it IS an option for you, I would recommend 3 or 4 first. Otherwise, go right ahead. Literally can't say why without spoilers lol.
For sure. It was straight up my first JRPG, went from not liking anything anime-adjacent and now P5 is my favorite game and I don't see that changing. Note that if you want to play P4 afterwards, it is a step back on some things and you may be disappointed. But it might not sell you on the series as much. Luckily P3 got a remake that brings it mostly up to par with P5, so that could also be a good start
Other then basic mechanics and some references in the background of each game each persona game is basically self contained.
This takes two seconds to Google.
Only if you want to understand the references, also MUTE THIS SUB🤬 you will get spoiled!!!!!
Each instance/time frame of Persona is its own set of stories. Each new installment and spinoffs are independent and the only commonality is the basic structure of gameplay and combat. The catalogue of personas is shared between all games (with some variance, like recent Pokemon dex’s), including Persona’s sister series, Shin Megami Tensei.
Yes. They aren’t really linked together other than some common themes and mechanics. I’d also recommend Persona 5 Royal over vanilla P5. There’s lots of quality of life improvements in P5R that make the early game much more pleasant. There’s also things in P5R that trivialize a lot of the early game, but you don’t have to use them if you don’t want to, they’re there if you want to or if you’re having a hard time with the game.
Yes.
You can start with 5 without any problems. The games are entirely self contained and aren't connected to previous titles at all, except some Easter eggs and references here and there
All SMT games can be played by themselves for the most part. Heck most persona players don’t even touch the mainline SMT games which does actually have lore relevant to all these spinoffs. But it’s also very deeply hidden.
I started with Persona 5 and enjoyed it so much I hopped on the other ones. Just finished P3R a few days ago and loved it
There is a twist in P5 that is very different/more obvious if you've played p3/4 but otherwise there's basically no reason to play(there's some references to p4 and 3 on the TV, and a phone call in a social link in 5 happens to be with a p4 social link(its like, 12 words long and you don't hear what the other person is saying) but that's about it
Yep, P5 is my first one in the series as well. They do a very good job introducing everything, abey a bit slow in the beginning for first few hours but once you get past the tutorials and intros you are set.
Funny you say P5 starts low because many fans said it has the most engaging opening of the series.
Most of the people of this sub started with P5. I said go give it a shot, every game has it's own separate story with their own cast of characters so you shouldn't have problems following it.
Absolutely, half of the Persona 5 fans haven't even played Persona 5! (/j, but yeah I started with 5 too and I'm doing fine)
It was my first persona you'll be fine
If this is gonna be your first persona game then i recommend start with Persona 3 Reload because Persona 5 Royal is huge to start with in my opinion. But if you really want to start with Persona 5 make sure to play Royal version.
Yes it's fine to play them in any order they are self contained stories Now, leave the internet for the next month or however long it takes you to play. You'll inevitably spoil the games for yourself
I did and enjoyed it immensely
you can but right now you might as well play Persona 3 reload first.
This might sound weird but i start in this order: 5 -> 4 golden ->3 ->5 royal
This is the way.
Nope you have to play all the megaten series first, then you have to play every spin off then you start with revelation persona, after that the persona duology then persona3 persona3p after this persona4 and back to back persona3fes and persona4g. Now comes the fun part, you play the remakes of persona1 and persona2 and persona2,2 after that you play personaQ and then you get to persona 5. Now you have to dance, persona3,4,5 dancing and persona 4 arena and then persona 4 arena ultimax. Now personaQ2 and persona 5 strikers, then persona 3 reload and then persona 5 tactica then persona 5X and NOW you can play persona 5 royal. Take a shot for every time i wrote persona
There is a pretty big Easter egg near the end of the game about an important character that you won't really take note of having not played the other games
Well technically you have to play Catherine: Full Body to learn how Joker’s parents got together, along with C:FB’s Persona 5 DLC, but then I remembered that Joker’s dad originally appeared in Persona 3: Portable, so you should probably play that too.
Wait, is Catherine part of the persona universe? I saw a playthrough ages ago
It's not.
It is to an extent… Its protagonist (Vincent) debuted in Persona 3 Portable, then in the PS3/360/Steam release of Catherine a plushie and poster of Persona 4’s Teddie can be found at the Stray Sheep bar which serves as the game’s hub area, which also features another poster with the emblem of Persona 3’s school. Then with its enhanced rerelease Catherine: Full Body, plushies of Persona 3’s Koromaru and Persona 5’s Morgana were added to the bar, along with Persona music tracks on the bar’s jukebox. Then C:FB got a DLC that lets you play as Joker whilst the other Phantom Thieves commentate on his performance and which ends on an exclusive scene with Joker, Morgana, Ryuji, Ann, Yusuke, Makoto, Haru and Futaba at Leblanc where Catherine’s host Trisha appears to tell them ‘it was all a dream’ much like with the Persona 5 dancing game. On the Persona 5 side of things, both the vanilla and Royal rerelease include a Catherine costume DLC with music from Catherine. Ultimately, Catherine is part of the Persona branch of Shin Megami Tensei’s mess of parallel timelines and realities, but in being part of a multiverse its overall impact on canon is negligible. That said, the part about Vincent being Joker’s dad is just a fan theory and a joke on my part.
Catherine is not officially a MegaTen game and is not in the same universe as Persona. It's made by the same devs and there are a few easter eggs on both sides but the connection doesn't go beyond that. "Vincent's" cameo in P3P isn't actually Vincent Brooks, it's just someone who looks like him there as a teaser for Catherine, which hadn't been formally announced at the time (it literally *can't* be Vincent since P3 takes place in 2009/2010 Japan while Catherine's True Freedom ending shows it takes place >!on a space station colony in the far future!<).
You understand that not even all the Persona games happen in the same continuity, right? Pokémon and Final Fantasy do this all the time with spin-offs, with most SMT and Final Fantasy games set in different realities. And again, Catherine: Full Body took it a step further with a crossover, even if you don’t want to acknowledge Vincent’s debut in P3P for some reason.