ThePersonafranchise spans more than a dozen games, with the number growing almost every year. It may be difficult to keep track of them, much less figure out which game goes where. Luckily, I’m here to help!
Launching in 1996,Personahas become a staple of the RPG genre. They’ve also dipped their toes into other realms (dancing, anyone?). For a spin-off series ofShin Megami Tensei, the franchise has done quite well with establishing itself as its own. With that said, the boom in popularity due to the worldwide success ofPersona 5has brought many gamers, including myself, into the fandom.
While researching what was canon inPersona, I noticed that the timeline was never officially stated or done. So, with that in mind, I ventured into the depths and created a simple but organized timeline. It goes by the year the game takes place, not when it released (though some do line up).
The Complete Persona Timeline
Outside the timeline:Persona 3 Portable(FeMC),Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth, andPersona Q2: New Cinema Labyrinth
Layer Cake
Some of you may be wondering whyFES,Golden, andRoyalare on the list instead of their original counterparts. I explained this a bit in the canon article but TL;DR: the new endings of those re-releases are what are considered to be the definite ones.FESandGoldenare certified sincePersona 4 Arena Ultimaxmentions the choices made in those endings. Weirdly, whileStrikersdoes take place afterPersona 5, there are no mentions ofRoyal‘s ending. On the subject ofPersona 5, no actual year was given, but since it comes after 2012, it’s safe to assume it’s in the latter half of the 2010s.
With the spin-offs, the majority of them take place during their respective games. For example, the latest title,Persona 5 Tactica, happens around February to March. You’ll notice that outside ofPersona 4: Dancing All Night, the other dancing games happen in a dream via the Velvet Room.Persona 4‘s characters, mainly idol Rise, lend themselves well to dancing than, say, a bunch of thieves.
Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth,Persona Q2: New Cinema Labyrinth, andPersona 3 Portable(FeMC) are all outside of the canon. TheQgames involve different worlds and pull from timelines, hence why every character can be with each other. WithPortable, the female protagonist Kotone does have the same ending as her male counterpart. However, asFESis the “canon” choice and involves Makoto, it doesn’t count.
Persona 3 FESmay be unseated in the series timeline oncePersona 3 Reloadcomes out onFebruary 2, 2024. Said to adapt the base game’s story, it’s safe to assume this will be Atlus’ definitive version of the 2006 cult classic ifour first impressionsare anything to go by.
