After a year of a region-locked open beta,Persona5: The Phantom Xis finally getting a full release. The game was first announced back in 2023, soPersonafans have been waiting quite a while to get their hands on the latestPersona 5spin-off. While maybe not as exciting as a new mainline title in the series, it will still be fun to get a chance to dive back into the world ofPersona 5and see what a new crop of Phantom Thieves are up to this time around.
From what I’ve seen ofPersona5: The Phantom X, it does a good job retaining a lot of the same core elements as Persona’s combat. The game even has the samebattle music asPersona 5, which is something I will never get tired of hearing. That said,there are some major differences betweenPersona5: The Phantom Xand other games in the series, by the nature of it being built on a gacha model. There are also some minor differences to how combat works, so you will have to adjust how you approach battles inPersona5: The Phantom X.
Persona5: The Phantom X Release Date
Persona5: The Phantom X Will Be Released On August 16, 2025
Persona5: The Phantom Xwill be getting its full release on June 09, 2025. Its open beta started back in April 2024, meaning there has been a lot of time for the game’s developer, Black Wings Game Studio, to hammer out any major issues with the game ahead of this wider release. Hopefully, this meansPersona5: The Phantom Xwill be a polished experience shaped by player feedback from the initial smaller release.
A summer release date also makes me hopeful that morePersonanews could be coming soon.Atlus is scheduled to be at Summer Game Festjust a few weeks beforePersona5: The Phantom Xcomes out. Initially, I assumed Atlus would be announcing the gacha game’s wider release at Summer Game Fest, but now that they’ve already given us a release date, I’m hoping they may have more to show, like therumoredPersona 4remake. They will probably also show off somePersona5: The Phantom Xgameplay ahead of its release, so it’s worth tuning in if you’re curious.
Persona5: The Phantom X Platforms
Persona5: The Phantom X Is Coming To PC And Mobile
Persona5: The Phantom Xwill be coming to PC and mobile. Each platform has its own strengths when it comes to considering where to play. The obvious benefits of playing on your phone are the convenience and ability to play anywhere. It can also be easier to keep up with things like daily tasks when the game is on your phone as opposed to your PC. Daily tasks are essential for progressing in a Gacha game likePersona5: The Phantom X, so you may lean towards playing on your phone if you don’t think you’ll play on PC daily.
That said, I would guess thatPersona5: The Phantom Xis going to be a battery killer.It looks almost as good asPersona 5 Royal, though the movement appears to be a bit choppier. Still, I could easily see this game killing my phone way too quickly, so if you want to play for longer stretches without worrying about that, the PC version might be a better bet. I wasn’t able to find if you’d be able to transfer the same account between both versions, but that would be the ideal way to play if you could.
Persona5: The Phantom X Gameplay Differences
Persona5: The Phantom X Includes Gacha Elements That Change Typical Persona Gameplay
On its face, the basic gameplay ofPersona5: The Phantom Xlooks very similar toPersona 5. Not only is the combat basically the same, but you’ll also spend time in school and hanging out with characters in social settings outside of missions. However,there are some big and small changes to the formula that setPersona5: The Phantom Xapart.
The biggest change comes from the gacha aspects of the game. You will need to unlock certain upgrades for your character through random drops as opposed to finding them or earning them through specific actions in the game. There are also some characters, likePersona 5’s roster of Phantom Thieves, that need to be unlocked via drops as opposed to just advancing the story.
Story missions are another big change. Unlike a typicalPersonagame where you can continue the story at your own pace,Persona5: The Phantom Xrequires you to hit a certain level before advancing to certain story missions. This can slow things down a bit and force you to complete daily tasks and other missions to level up. If you are a free-to-play player, this likely means waiting a while before advancing the story. That said, sincePersonastories usually unfold over the course of a year, this slower play style could also be more immersive.
There have also been some minor changes to combat. For one, performing a Baton Pass no longer gives you a full extra turn with another character, but instead just has that character immediately perform an attack. There are also no more interrogations, only All-Out Attacks, though this is true for allPersonagames exceptPersona 5. There are also new Highlight attacks, which are super moves similar toPersona 5 Royal’s Showtime attacks, but with just one character. Speaking of characters, that’s another new addition inPersona5: The Phantom X.
Persona5: The Phantom X Character Details
Persona5: The Phantom X Includes A New Protagonist And Side Characters
Persona5: The Phantom Xdoesn’t star the original roster of Phantom Thievesthe way otherPersona 5spin-offs do. Instead, it introduces a new protagonist and supporting characters who take up the mantle of Phantom Thieves. This game even has its own version of Morgana, the adorable little owl Lufel.
You take on the role of a new Phantom Thief named Wonder inPersona5: The Phantom X. The game reportedly takes place in a parallel world, so while Joker and the other Phantom Thieves fromPersona 5do show up, this isn’t the same version of Tokyo from the original game. In this world, people have been losing motivation and desire, something Wonder, Lufel, and the new Phantom Thieves will have to address. I won’t spoil anymore about the other characters inPersona5: The Phantom X, as meeting your new group of friends is always a highlight ofPersonagames.
