Persona 5 has gone from strength to strength since it was initially released in 2016. Atlus’ PlayStation exclusive quickly became the best-selling entry in the long-running series, promoting a complete edition in the form of Persona 5 Royal as well as its very own spin-offs.
During the Microsoft and Bethesda showcase in June, Atlus announced Persona 5 Royal would be going multiplatform in October and no longer limited to the PlayStation ecosystem. For Xbox owners, there was a bonus that the JRPG would be appearing on Game Pass from day one and include over 40 pieces of DLC. Since the announcement, players haven’t seen any footage of the game running on the new hardware, and with only a few months before it is set to release, Atlus has started to drip feed information to its eager fans.
A YouTuber by the name of Faz is one such person providing the first look at gameplay footage from Persona 5 Royal. The 6-minute-long video uploaded by Faz, who specializes in Persona content, shows P5 Royal running on Xbox Series X/S hardware, and is taken from the Japanese version of the game. The footage showcases Joker and the Phantom Thieves of Hearts in action, first showing how players will navigate Tokyo and the metaverse, before sliding into the battle arena where players can get a look at how the battles will play out with a smooth 60FPS presentation.
While the gameplay footage will come as a relief for players wanting to get their hands on the next-gen upgrade of the JRPG, there is still a tinge of sourness surrounding the PlayStation 5 version. Atlus recently confirmed that there will be no Persona 5 Royal upgrade path for PlayStation 4 owners. Those who own the game on PS4 will have to repurchase the game at full price to access the PlayStation 5 version.
This issue is only unique to the PlayStation versions of the game and those looking to play P5 on Xbox can rely on Microsoft’s Smart Delivery system, which will allow players to own both Xbox One and Series X/S versions of the game should they choose to purchase the game rather than download it through Game Pass.
With the release of Persona 5 in just a few months, fans will be relieved to have the first look at how the game is shaping up on the next-gen hardware. If that wasn’t enough, Atlus will continue to celebrate the JRPG series by bringing remasters of both Persona 3 Portable and Persona 4 Golden across all platforms in 2023.
Persona 5 Royal is available now for PS4 and will release on October 21 for PC, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
