Every Mainline Persona Game, Ranked Worst to Best

The Persona series from Atlus has quickly become one of the most popular RPG franchises on the planet. Beginning as a spin-off of the Shin Megami Tensei series, Persona has now surpassed its predecessor in more ways than one. Thanks primarily to the massive success of Persona 5, the franchise has now sold almost 30 million copies in total and has been featured in games like Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds.

While there are dozens of different Persona games that have come about since its inception in 1996, the mainline series currently consists of six different titles. As such, with fans continuing to eagerly await any news on the upcoming Persona 6 and the 30th anniversary right around the corner, let’s look back at every game so far and rank them from worst to best.

Before diving into this list, it’s important to note that we’re not ranking expanded versions of titles like Persona 4 Golden or Persona 5 Royal on their own. While these games are technically quite different in some ways, each title’s ranking on this list takes into account any subsequent editions of the same game that may have come about. With that caveat in place, let’s dive in.

6. Revelations: Persona

Despite being the game that started it all, the first Persona game, originally dubbed Revelations: Persona, is the worst of the bunch. It deserves a ton of credit for establishing the entire framework of Persona that every ensuing entry would go on to reuse in one way or another. The Velvet Room, a high school setting, and a catchy soundtrack were all found in the first Persona and have remained staples of the series to this day.

Still, the gameplay in Persona is incredibly dated at this point, to say the least. Dungeon crawling, in particular, is borderline nauseating nowadays. Atlus made some notable improvements to Persona in its 2009 port on PSP, but even then, the game that kicked off the entire franchise is pretty comfortably in last place.

5. Persona 2: Eternal Punishment

The only Persona game that’s a direct, mainline sequel, Persona 2: Eternal Punishment is a bit of a downgrade when compared to the first entry. Eternal Punishment brings back character Maya Amano, this time thrusting her into the role of main protagonist. It also makes a variety of quality-of-life improvements to gameplay, which helped set the stage for the franchise’s bigger shifts that would happen in Persona 3.

Much of what keeps Eternal Punishment a bit lower on this list is its pacing. It’s a bit longer when compared to Revelations: Persona and Innocent Sin, and that added time can definitely be felt. It’s still a great game overall, but it feels a bit like a retread at times with its narrative and themes.

4. Persona 2: Innocent Sin

Persona 2: Innocent Sin is the best that the franchise has to offer from the early era of Persona. It provided some notable upgrades on the gameplay side of things when compared to the debut title. Sleuthing around through dungeons and other areas is far more manageable in Innocent Sin, even if it’s still not ideal by modern standards.

Innocent Sin’s most memorable element, and likely its best, is its truly bizarre, off-the-rails story. The game’s narrative centers around rumors that can become real, which results in some asinine moments that you have to see to believe. If you haven’t gone back to try some of the older Persona games out, this is definitely the one that I would recommend you play.

3. Persona 3

A lot of people argue that Persona 3 is the best game in the series because it brought about many of the most vital elements of the franchise that would go on to be expanded upon in Persona 4 and Persona 5. I don’t think this argument is a bad one, and I’d even go as far as to say that Persona 3 is the most important game in the series for kicking off Social Links. Still, it can’t end up topping the entries that would come after it.

What keeps Persona 3 a bit lower on this list is simply one major thing: Tartarus. The expansive, lone dungeon that Persona 3 features gets incredibly stale as the game goes on, even if it does try to provide a bit of variety. The original version of Persona 3 also didn’t allow players to control their companions, which is something that future games would eventually rectify. Even in spite of these shortcomings, Persona 3 tells a fantastic story and contains a stellar, hip-hop-inspired score that will keep you entranced for its entire runtime.

2. Persona 4

The vibes of Persona 4 remain unmatched. In the midst of a larger franchise that’s often edgy and dark, Persona 4 is bright and hopeful. That doesn’t mean that it doesn’t come without some dark moments of its own, as its story is still grim at times. Still, its overarching narrative is without question one of the best in the series, and is backed by even more top-notch music.

Persona 4 also deserves recognition for taking some massive strides with its dungeons, which are all quite unique from one another. This change helped make P4 much more engaging, especially when combined with its mystery-focused storyline. If you haven’t already played Persona 4, make sure you rectify this when its remake releases.

1. Persona 5

There’s a very good reason why Persona 5 is the most popular entry in the saga: it’s the best one. On virtually every front, Persona 5 is an enormous upgrade when compared to the games that came before it. This is the peak of the series when it comes to combat, dungeon (or Palace) design, and sheer style. For my money, P5 might also contain the best original score in the history of gaming.

Beyond this, Persona 5 also has easily the most iconic cast of characters and tells a more comprehensive narrative than any other game. Its twists feel well-earned and the process of expanding the Phantom Thieves to take on the evils of society is incredibly enjoyable. Persona 5 isn’t just the best that Persona as a franchise has to offer; it’s on a very short list of the greatest RPGs ever made.

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