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How It Works • Games & Tech

Persona 5

Persona 5 is a 2016 Japanese role-playing video game developed and published by Atlus.

Updated September 11, 20261 min readCited sources

Persona 5 is a 2016 role-playing game by Atlus. It combines turn-based combat with social simulation in a story about teenage rebels.

What it is

Persona 5 follows a high school student falsely accused of assault. He becomes Joker, leader of the Phantom Thieves, who enter the Metaverse to change corrupt hearts.

Gameplay and story

The game blends dungeon-crawling and turn-based battles with everyday life in Tokyo. Players balance school, relationships, and part-time jobs with missions inside Palaces.

Persona 5 Royal

Persona 5 Royal is the expanded edition with new characters, an extra semester, and gameplay improvements. It is the definitive version of the game.

In short

  • Set in modern Tokyo with silent protagonist Joker
  • Mixes turn-based combat and social simulation
  • Persona 5 Royal adds significant new content
  • Popular in Canada among JRPG fans
Canadian angle

Persona 5 has a substantial audience in Canada through Nintendo, PlayStation, and PC releases, and it is commonly discussed among Canadian fans of JRPGs and anime-styled games.

Quick questions

What is Persona 5 about?
It follows a high school student who becomes Joker, leader of the Phantom Thieves, as the group enters supernatural Palaces to change corrupt adults' hearts and expose wrongdoing.
How long is Persona 5?
A full playthrough is commonly around 100 to 150 hours, depending on play style and how much optional content is completed.
What are the differences in Persona 5 Royal?
Persona 5 Royal adds new story content, a new school semester, additional characters, extra gameplay features, and several quality-of-life improvements over Persona 5.

Sources

  1. Game Rant — https://gamerant.com/persona-5-story-summary-recap-prepare-strikers/
    Supports: Protagonist is a high school student known as Joker; false accusation and transfer to Shujin Academy; Phantom Thieves plot overview.
  2. TheGamer — https://www.thegamer.com/persona-5-royal-the-story-explained/
    Supports: Story setup, Metaverse, Palaces, and Persona 5 Royal context.
  3. RPGFan — https://www.rpgfan.com/review/persona-5/
    Supports: Gameplay blend of RPG and social simulation; Phantom Thieves premise.
  4. IMDb — https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3944082/plotsummary/
    Supports: Plot summary and description of the Phantom Thieves.
  5. Megami Tensei Wiki — https://megamitensei.fandom.com/wiki/Persona_5
    Supports: Series/game overview and opening setup.
  6. Reddit — https://www.reddit.com/r/Persona5/comments/185jns1/what_is_persona_5/
    Supports: Approximate playtime estimate and informal discussion of popular Personas; used only as a weak corroborating source.