Persona (franchise)
Japanese video game franchise
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 The logo of Shin Megami Tensei: Persona, the remake of the first game in the series. Each game uses its own font and styling. | |
| Genres | Role-playing, social simulation |
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Persona, previously marketed as Shin Megami Tensei: Persona outside of Japan, is a Japanese video game series and media franchise developed by Atlus and owned by Sega. Centered on a series of Japanese role-playing video games, Persona was originally conceived as 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... (1994). Persona's 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 (Persona and the Persona 2 duology) and Shigenori Soejima (Persona 3 onwards). 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 30 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.
Video 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 (PSP): 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 refers to a duology of games released on the PlayStation in 1999 and 2000.
- Persona 2: Innocent Sin is the second entry in the series, released in Japan for the PlayStation in 1999. After the success of Persona's 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 (PSN) 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. 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 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.
- 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 recreation of the original game's narrative 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. The epilogue of FES was later released as DLC called Episode Aigis.
- 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. 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.
- The success of Persona 3 Portable inspired the creation of a portable, expanded 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 Revival is an upcoming remake of Persona 4. In the same vein as Persona 3 Reload, it remakes Persona 4's narrative while adding brand-new content that adds new story scenarios and interactions, content from Persona 4 Golden, and gameplay improvements from newer Atlus titles, in addition to a graphical overhaul. It was announced in June 2025 and due for release in February 18, 2027 for PlayStation 5, Windows, and Xbox Series X/S, with a Nintendo Switch 2 port releasing on May 20th, 2027.
- 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.
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