A JRPG of rare elegance. Its menu style remains unmatched, and juggling stylish dungeon battles with high-school life builds an addictive rhythm. It's enormous, but the Royal additions and the third semester earn every hour.
Your verdict
Category
RPG1 player16+
Description
Tokyo high-schoolers become the Phantom Thieves, slipping into the minds of corrupt adults to steal their twisted desires. Published by Atlus, released worldwide in 2022. Turn-based battles, social links, stylish dungeons and the new character Kasumi.
Persona 5 Royal review
MAX
Art direction
★★★★★
"Iconic"
MAX
Music
★★★★★
"Legendary"
MAX
Story
★★★★★
"Masterful"
That blazing red and razor-sharp black are unforgettable: animated menus, jazzy transitions and a leaping interface turn every screen into a fashion poster. Rarely has an RPG pushed its presentation so far that simply navigating the menus becomes a pleasure in itself.
Shoji Meguro distils an acid jazz that lands like a statement of style: funky bass, Lyn's vocals, English hooks that lodge in your head. "Last Surprise" drives the battles, "Beneath the Mask" soothes the Tokyo nights. That sonic identity is inseparable from the Phantom Thieves' cool swagger, and it keeps drawing a devoted fanbase.
Beneath its school-year rhythm hides a biting critique of society and its everyday tyrants. Each Confidant paints a tender portrait, and the fight to reclaim one's heart lingers long after. Writing that balances humor, revolt and melancholy with rare precision.
Gameplay
"Excellent"
Fun
"Pleasant"
Addictiveness
"Captivating"
Difficulty
"Easy"
Lifespan
"Massive"
A full school year frames everything, and each day splits between classes, social bonds and raids into the Palaces. The Royal cut adds a third semester, fresh Confidants and a grappling hook that reshapes dungeon exploration. Managing your calendar while weaving relationships makes you want to see it all before the year runs out, and that density of daily life explains its undimmed aura.
Every Palace peaks in a theatrical duel where exploiting elemental weaknesses and chaining All-Out Attacks tips the scales. Guardian Shadows force shifting phases, and the metaphysical finale stretches tension across several transformations. The razor-sharp staging and electrifying soundtrack elevate each tactical clash into pure spectacle.
A cult cover
Incandescent red, slashing black and angular type: the graphic identity explodes before you've read a word. The bold, almost insolent style evokes theft, rebellion and the swagger of the Phantom Thieves. Rarely has a cover so perfectly conveyed a game's attitude, in a feat of design that has become timeless.
Is Persona 5 Royal still worth playing in 2026?
Persona 5 Royal remains one of the most stylish JRPGs ever made. Its interface, editing and soundtrack lend a flair few titles still reach. The social-link system and time management weave a rhythm between school life and infiltration that grips you for dozens of hours. The turn-based combat built on elemental weaknesses stays readable and satisfying. Its length can intimidate and the writing sometimes tips into melodrama, yet adding Kasumi and the third semester noticeably enriches the story. On Switch this is the definitive version of a modern classic well worth discovering.
