Persona is having a moment again. What was once a series that was mostly popular in Japan is now a hit worldwide, and there have been some lot of the releases of recent years. In addition to the main franchise titles, there have also been numerous spin-offs, remasters and remakes, the latest of which Person 3 Reload. You can start anywhere in the series, and if you don’t mind starting in the middle, you’ll have an easy time thanks to multiple bundles that package the franchise’s entries from Person 3. However, if you have the whole of the Persona franchise, you might encounter some problems. Still, it is doable if you have the right hardware and know where to look.
What you need to know first
Developer and publisher Atlus returns to previous Persona games with remakes such as Person 3 Reload, making them more available than ever. However, that doesn’t change the fact that it’s still difficult to find and play the first three games in the series – Revelations: Persona, Persona 2: Innocent SinAnd Persona 2: Eternal Punishment — without emulation. The only ways to play these early newcomers are on discontinued platforms, but we’ll still be adding them for people who want to complete the entire series. Please note that in all of these cases you will need the appropriate older hardware to access the games, specifically the PlayStation 3, PSP and PS Vita.
PlayStation hasn’t made playing older titles easy. The company has had a rocky relationship with backwards compatibility, especially with regard to the PlayStation 3, and many digital stores that supported these older games have closed. For example, PlayStation Store access for PlayStation 3, PS Vita and PSP titles will be closed in 2021. As you’ll see below, those consoles are still the most viable way to play the first three Persona games. So while we don’t normally include older consoles on these lists, we’ll make an exception for those titles.
As a reminder, the Persona series was exclusive to PlayStation until 2021 Persona 3 portable, Person 4 GoldenAnd Person 5 Royal were finally released on Xbox.
We also won’t include places where you can find used ones because we can’t vet every seller to make sure they’re reliable. However, if you can find used versions on places like eBay, feel free to go that route.
There are also so much Persona games to play if you want to dive into the spin-offs. We’re going to focus on the main titles here, but you can look for action, tactics, and even rhythm games in the Persona series. However, we will be adding bundles and collections as they are great ways to save some money on multiple Persona games.
Where can you play every Persona game?
Now that all that’s out of the way, let’s take a look at how to play these classic RPGs.
Revelations: Persona (1996)
- PlayStation 3, PS Vita and PSP: You can still get the game via the store on the affected devices.
- PlayStation classic: You can still buy this console new from third-party sellers Amazon. It comes with 20 pre-loaded games, inclusive Revelations: Persona.
Persona 2: Innocent Sin (1999)
- PS3, PS Vita and PSP: You can still get the game via the store on the affected devices. Previous owners of the game can re-download their copy.
- Innocent sin received a PSP remake in 2011 for North American and European players.
Persona 2: Eternal Punishment (2000)
- PS3, PS Vita and PSP: You can still get the game via the store on the affected devices. Previous owners of the game can re-download their copy.
- unlike Innocent sin, Eternal punishment did not receive a PSP remake outside Japan.
Person 3 (2006)
Image: Atlus
There are two versions of it Person 3 you can play.
Person 3 Reloada full remake, released in 2024:
- Play station: For PS5 or PS4 on the PS storeor anywhere else that sells games, such as Best Buy, AmazonAnd GameStop.
- Xbox: For Xbox Series X and Xbox One on the Microsoft storeor anywhere else that sells games, such as Best Buy, Amazon, and GameStop.
Persona 3: portable, which is a quality-of-life remaster originally for the PSP, first released in 2009 and again for modern consoles in 2023:
- Play station: For PS5 or PS4 on the PS store
- Xbox: For Xbox Series X and Xbox One on the Microsoft store
- Switch: The Nintendo eShop And Best Buy, GoalAnd GameStop
- Bundle: Of Person 4 Golden or in the Persona Collection on PS5 and PS4, Xbox Series X, Xbox One, Xbox Game Pass, Nintendo Switch or on PC via Steam or the Microsoft Store
Person 4 (2008)
Image: Atlus via Polygoon
It seems you can’t get a new copy of the original Person 4 everywhere. However, you can play Person 4 Golden (2012), an expanded version with new story and game elements.
- Play station: PS5 and PS4 on the PS store
- Xbox: Xbox Series X and Xbox One on the Microsoft store
- Switch: The Nintendo eShop or at GameStop And Goal
- PC: Steam and the Microsoft Store
- Bundle: Of Persona 3 portable or in the Persona Collection on PS5 and PS4, Xbox Series X, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and on PC via Steam and the Microsoft Store
- PS Vita: You can purchase a physical copy from Person 4 Golden bee Amazon And GameStopcrazy enough
Person 5 (2016)
Image: Atlus
There are two versions available, along with some special editions still available for purchase. For Person 5the original version of the game, here you can buy it:
- Play station: Physically on for PS5 and PS4 Amazon (backwards compatible with PS5) and digitally on the PS store
Person 5 Royalfirst released in 2019, includes new content and other improvements:
- Play station: PS5 and PS4 on the PS store and in the usual places such as Amazon, GameStopAnd Best Buy. The SteelBook edition is still available at Amazon And GameStop.
- Switch: On the Nintendo eShop and at retailers such as Amazon, Best Buy, GameStopAnd Goal
- Xbox: Series X and Xbox One on the Microsoft store and physically in the usual online stores
- PC: Steam and in the Microsoft Store
- Bundle: In the Persona collection with Persona 3 portable And Person 4 Golden on PS5 and PS4, Xbox Series X, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and PC via Steam and the Microsoft Store
- Collector’s edition: The Persona 5 Royal: 1 more edition contains a treasure chest, a tarot card deck and other goodies and is still available at Amazon, Best BuyAnd GameStop on all modern consoles