The Longest Persona Games

The Persona series is known for its deep and immersive titles. These games combine intricate and elaborate JRPG adventures with high school social sim elements to fully immerse players in the worlds of their protagonists. Players can increase their skills in real-world interactions like romance and movie trips, while at the same time increasing their level in combat against strange supernatural foes.

However, this elaborate premise does take considerable time to set up and execute effectively. The Persona games are consequently infamous for their length, especially the more recent titles. While gamers will need to set up a substantial amount of time to see these games through to the end, the reward is a very engaging and emotional tale. Here are the longest games in the Persona series.

7 Shin Megami Tensei: Persona

Where It All Began

Revelations: Persona, later released on the PSP as Shin Megami Tensei: Persona, is the first entry in the franchise. As the title suggests, the first game was a spinoff of the Shin Megami Tensei series. It established many of the hallmarks of the franchise, namely the focus on high school students and the existence of another world populated by Personas, enigmatic spirits with a metaphysical link to the human condition.

Compared to its successors, Shin Megami Tensei: Persona is a fairly short game. It clocks in at about 30 to 50 hours, depending on how much side content the player pursues. This still makes for a pretty hefty title, comparable to most modern titles today. It’s harder to find than modern Persona games, but if one is lucky enough to find a copy, Shin Megami Tensei‘s more approachable length could make it a good entry point for the franchise.

6 Persona 2: Innocent Sin

The First Sequel

Persona 2 expanded on the gameplay and story themes of its predecessor, but it took place in a completely different setting with different characters. The game also didn’t make it to Western audiences until 12 years after its initial release, when it was remade for the PSP. Like the rest of the series, this game centers on a group of high school students, who must combat a mysterious supernatural threat with the help of their bonded Personas.

Innocent Sin is roughly comparable to the first game in length, but there’s a bit more main story content. Even players who skip a lot of the side content will probably spend around 35 or 40 hours on the title, and players who engage in a lot of sidequests and grinding will of course get substantially more playtime.

5 Persona 2: Eternal Punishment

A Sequel of Sequels

The Persona franchise doesn’t often implement direct sequels, and more often features a lot of spin-offs, but each main title typically focuses on a brand new set of characters. Eternal Punishment is an exception, as the game serves as a direct sequel to Persona 2: Innocent Sin. It takes place a few months after the previous game and focuses on the aftermath of the sinister curse introduced there.

This game is substantially longer than its predecessor. Fans will likely need between 50 and 70 hours to experience the story, and that duration can easily be extended by side content. The game’s Rumor system adds a layer of depth to the social elements, which can make playthroughs even more intricate.

4 Persona 3 Reload

A Fresh Take

The original Persona 3 was a smash hit for the franchise, establishing many of the hallmarks that would come to define it in later entries. This remarkable legacy earned the game a full remake in the form of Persona 3 Reload, which brings back the characters and storyline with fresh voice acting and brand-new graphics to bring the title more in line with modern Persona games.

In its basic form, Persona 3 Reload will last players around 65 to 100 hours, which is a very sizable runtime. This length can be expanded quite a bit if players purchase the recently released Episode Aigis DLC, which includes The Answer, a substantial epilogue previously released as DLC for the original game. This expansion can add another 20 to 30 hours to a player’s Persona 3 experience.

3 Persona 3 Portable

A Double Life

Enhanced rereleases are a tradition for the Persona franchise, but few of these expanded versions change the game as drastically as Persona 3 Portable. As the name suggests, this version rereleased Persona 3 for the PSP, but it has since been ported to modern gaming consoles and PC as well. This game was most notable for introducing a whole new female playable character, wildly changing dialogue and romance options throughout the game.

A single playthrough of Persona 3 Portable will take about 68 to 100 hours, similar to the base game and Persona 3 Reload. However, these extreme changes made to the experience by the addition of a new playable character will likely encourage replays, which will give fans a lot more time with the game than they might have gotten out of the original version.

2 Persona 4 Golden

Small Town Troubles

Persona 4 Golden, an expanded version of the original Persona 4, centers on a small, rural town, which helps it stand out from the rest of the series. The high school student protagonists get swept up in a series of mysterious and supernatural murders, centered around an eerie television program that serves as a gateway to another world.

This game is substantially longer than Persona 3, weighing in at 70 hours at at its shortest possible completion time. Fans who dive deep into the game’s various social links and side activities can expect to spend closer to 130 hours experiencing everything this small town has to offer.

1 Persona 5 Royal

Taking The Crown

2016’s Persona 5 was already the largest game in the Persona franchise, weighing in at around 100 hours at the bare minimum. 2019’s rerelease, Persona 5 Royal, took this immense game and expanded it, adding multiple new side activities to explore and new characters to pursue social bonds with. This culminates in a titanic new epilogue and final dungeon that will add several hours to even the quickest playthrough.

Players will likely spend well over 100 hours on Persona 5 Royal, with some playthroughs exceeding 130 or even 150 hours. The game is also deeply replayable due to the variety of romanceable NPCs and playstyles fans can pursue. Persona 5 Royal game is a serious commitment, but it’s definitely a worthwhile endeavor for JRPG fans.