Personamay not be the oldest franchise of the JRPG family, but it has a storied history nonetheless. Across a total of six core games, fans have witnessed lots of totally different incarnations of thePersonauniverse and its gameplay mechanics. Not everyPersonafan has actually played through all of these installations, however. Ever sincePersona 5became a smash hit, tons of new fans have flocked to the franchise, and they’re eager for more content.Persona 6is far off, but luckily Atlus has announced thatPersona 3 Portable,Persona 4 GoldenandPersona 5 Royalare all getting ported to current gaming platforms.
These games aren’t new, but they’re perfect for tiding fans over until they get their hands on the next game in the franchise. Perhaps more importantly,thePersonaportsare the ideal addition to the current 25th anniversary celebration for the franchise.Persona’s 25th birthday hasn’t been as spectacular as fans were hoping, but the ports kick things into high gear, even if they won’t necessarily release within the window of the anniversary. While it’s hard to say if the ports will truly redeem the 25th anniversary in the eyes of fans long-term, they’re certainly a big step in the right direction.
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A Turn in the Persona Anniversary
So far, Atlus has celebratedPersona’s anniversary in a wide variety of ways, but not all of them have been particularly impressive. Concerts forPersonamusic and special deals onPersonagames are fairly exciting, but the anniversary has largely been known for muted or somewhat bizarre celebrations, such asPersona-themed mouthwashand a new Sega Sammy slot machine withPersona 5animations. Fans were hoping that lots of new games or remasters would define the celebration, and whilePersona 4 Arena Ultimaxhas made a comeback, it can’t carry the whole event on its shoulders.
That’s why the port announcements are such a big deal. To a certain extent, thePersona 5 Royalports aren’t all too surprising;Royalis still a pretty recent release, and thePersona 5brand is huge, so it only makes sense to capitalize on that momentum by adding it to Xbox, PC, and Switch. However,Persona 3 PortableandPersona 4 Goldenfollowing suit is a much bigger surprise. As successful asPersona 4 Goldenwas on Steam, there was little reason to believe that the last two generations ofPersonawould make a widespread comeback. Nevertheless, all three core games are on their way.
ThePersonaports are a major boon for the ailing anniversary. As recent examples likeSuper Mario 3D All-StarsandThe Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HDhave proven, ports and remasters of classic games are a great way to celebrate a game franchise’s birthday, since it helps remind fans of the franchise’s roots and reflect on just how far a franchise has come.Personahas grown a lot over the course of its last three generations, so the ports are the perfect way to mark the franchise’s anniversary. Admittedly, the ports seem to be releasing a little too late to strictly be called anniversary content;Persona 5 Royallaunches on new platforms in October, with the other two games likely coming afterwards. Still, the announcement is well within the anniversary window, so the ports are intrinsically tied to the celebration.
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The Legacy of Persona’s 25th Anniversary
As impressive as thePersonaports sound, it’s hard to say for sure if these events make up for a rough celebration of the anniversary. For so many months, fans have had to be content withPersonamerchandise and Japan-exclusive events, but it’s hard to be satisfied with these things. When Atlus announceda full year ofPersonacelebration, fans hoped for far more robust, meaningful events that brought the growing international community together, and after months of disappointment, the ports may simply be too late to fix the anniversary’s reputation.
At the same time, the newPersonaports really are staggering from the right perspective. Only a few years ago, the corePersonagames were strictly PlayStation exclusive, but all that has changed rapidly.Persona 4 Golden’s Steam releaseseems to have opened the floodgates forPersonagames on multiple platforms. Getting the last three generations of games on PS4 and PS5 would’ve already been great, but Atlus has decided to give fans vastly more options than that, even puttingPersonaon the Xbox, which it has avoided for a long time. The multiplatform launch of these games helps to make the anniversary seem like a gateway intoPersona’s future, putting it in a much more positive light.
All in all, it seems most likely that thePersona25th anniversary will be remembered in a mixed light. Contents like the mouthwash undoubtedly missed the mark, butPersona 4 Arena Ultimaxwas an upside of the event, and the port announcements were exactly what fans were hoping to hear within this window. At the very least, the anniversary’s reputation seems much more positive than before with the ports in tow.
Persona’s Future Looks Brighter Than Ever Now
Whether its remaining contents are hits or not, thePersonaanniversary year at least looks like it’ll end on a high note.Persona 5 Royalwill release on new platforms right after the celebration ends, setting up forPersona 3 PortableandPersona 4 Goldento stage comebacks sometime after that. Perhaps the only things that could make the anniversary look better now are the announcement of a newPersonagame oraPersona 6reveal. Neither seem likely, considering just how busy Atlus likely is right now, but with a few months left to go, fans can still dream.
Even if the anniversary hasn’t panned out perfectly, the months that follow it look like they’ll be very important for the franchise.Persona 3 Portable, Persona 4 Golden,andPersona 5 Royalwill work together to bring in even more new fans thanPersona 5alone did, all whilekeeping fans hyped forPersonaas the next game slowly draws nearer.Persona 5’s release was a clear period of growth for the series, but the trio of ports could be even more influential in the long run. ThePersonaanniversary may not have the benefit of releasing all these ports within its window of time, but at least it got to be a part of the big reveal.
Persona 5 Royalis available now for PS4 and releases May 26, 2025 for PC, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.Persona 3 PortableandPersona 4 Goldenrelease dates have yet to be announced.
