Screenshots & trailers
What players say
Why the number is what it is: aspect mentions counted across 428 sampled Steam reviews (408 positive / 20 negative), recent and most-helpful. Plain keyword counting, fully reproducible; nothing here is written by a machine.
What positive reviews talk about
- Story & writing29% mention it
- Music & audio14% mention it
- Combat12% mention it
- Visuals & art6% mention it
- Controls & UI5% mention it
What negative reviews complain about
- Story & writing40% mention it
- Combat30% mention it
- Visuals & art25% mention it
- Music & audio20% mention it
- Controls & UI15% mention it
Satisfaction by hours played
Same score, different games: see how sentiment holds up the longer people play.
Under 5h
85%
34 reviews
5-15h
91%
55 reviews
15-40h
95%
62 reviews
40-100h
98%
98 reviews
100h+
97%
179 reviews
Review sentiment over time
Weekly positive-review rate (green) and review volume (bars). Dashed lines mark significant patches; the amber line is the start of the current scoring window. Hover the dots to see what drove a dip or a jump.
How this score was computed
The VGC Score is a weighted blend on a press-comparable 0-100 quality scale. Steam approval rates are first calibrated (95% positive on Steam ≈ 89.5 quality, since Steam approval skews high). Press and tracked creator reviews each count ~2x a player review and share one cap against player evidence (creator buy/skip calls pool into an approval rate, calibrated like Steam approval); all-time sentiment is capped and halved (it's context, not verdict); reviews of the current build carry the most weight when a fresh patch anchors the window; and a 'typical game' prior keeps small samples from pegging the scale. Because press reviews and Metacritic user aggregates describe the launch build, their weight decays as the game ages (3-year half-life after a 1-year grace). That's how a game that launched rough can outgrow its old reception once updates win players over. Reviews under 2h playtime (the refund window), non-Steam activations, and free copies are downweighted.
| Component | Positive | Quality (0-100) | Weight (pseudo-reviews) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Press reviews (OpenCritic) | – | 94 | 103 |
| Creator reviews (2 tracked) | – | 98 | 2 |
| All-time Steam reviews | 96% | 92 | 1142 |
| Metacritic user ratings | – | 92 | 387 |
| Post-patch Steam reviews (trust-weighted) | 95% | 90 | 3000 |
| Calibration prior (typical game) | – | 72 | 50 |
Scoring window: since the last significant patch (Sep 5, 2025) · 300 reviews sampled · 19534 total reviews in window · weighted 238.2 up / 5.7 down · computed 1h ago · full methodology →
Press & Creators reviews (162)
Individual verdicts from outlets we track: scored reviews first, most trusted outlets first among them. The small badge is each outlet's trust score: how well its scoring history aligns with players.
- 100
“Persona 5 Royal is like a favorite dish prepared according to a new recipe. All the ingredients are recognizable and great, but a different level of roasting and unexpected spices allow you to discover it in a new way. The additional characters and chapter fit perfectly into the overall plot, which touches on interesting and adult themes. Even those who have finished the original will be able to find a lot of new things. Persona 5 deservedly holds the title of the best Japanese RPG of this generation, but it gets even better with Royal.”
read full review ↗ - 100
“The game speaks in specific and effective ways to the sheer exhaustion of living in perpetual strife, even while delivering the catharsis of standing together against turmoil, even surviving it.”
read full review ↗ - 100
“Persona 5 Royal is the very definition of 'required reading' for JRPG fans. A deep and moving story, stylish presentation, amazing soundtrack, and decision-driven gameplay all combine to make for an unforgettable and exceptional experience that proves itself to be every bit deserving of the hype and praise it's already received. While those who have played this elsewhere may want to consider whether Switch's portability is enough of a selling point to justify paying full price to double dip, but it suits it perfectly. Persona 5 Royal remains a game that we absolutely recommend you pick up as soon as you can. This easily stands as one of the very best RPGs of the last decade and you'd be doing yourself a disservice to miss out.”
read full review ↗ - 90
“Persona 5 Royal is a near-flawless JRPG, excelling in every regard, from its characters, storytelling, gameplay, and even the stellar score.”
read full review ↗ - 90
“Persona 5 is certainly not a light endeavour, and Royal’s new additions understandably won’t be enough for everybody to want to go through it again, but for those considering reuniting with the Phantom Thieves, or completely new to the title, Persona 5 Royal is a perfect opportunity and an incredibly rewarding usage of time. Persona 5 already made an incredible mark when it released, and Persona 5 Royal just adds to Atlus’ richly deserved reputation among RPGamers.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“With a good (if shabby) heart, Persona 5 Royal wants, above all, to win our empathy for the Phantom Thieves. They've definitely earned it.”
read full review ↗ - 100
“Whether you’re a newcomer to the Persona series or have had a lot of experience playing through the games in the past, I can’t recommend Persona 5 Royal enough. It’s story, while very long is packed full of rewarding moments, complex characters and fantastic music. So much so that right after sinking in 100 hours into the game you’ll likely want to dive right back in and experience it again with the game’s new game+ mode. While it’s length may put some people off, and that’s completely ok, those that stick with it are in for a great time and will realise why I consider Persona 5 to be one of my favourite games of all time. Well done ATLUS, this is how ‘complete editions’ of game’s should be handled.”
read full review ↗ - 100
“Persona 5 Royal allows players to experience the story they already love in a new way without losing any of the beauty from the original game. New and old characters get their chance to shine through and steal your heart, even the ones you never expected to. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, and maybe you’ll even feel a sense of justice for the infamous Phantom Thieves in the end. But one thing you won’t feel is regret in picking up Persona 5 Royal, as it’s truly the best Persona title, if not one of the best video games, I’ve ever experienced to date.”
read full review ↗ - 100
“Persona 5 Royal is a master class in improving upon what is already great.”
read full review ↗ - 90
“Royal's release marks the perfect occasion to jump into the very best JRPG of this generation.”
read full review ↗ - 100
“The original Persona 5 was already a joy to play; however, this version definitely steps up to the plate and knocks it out of the park. If Persona 5 was a perfectly executed and baked sponge cake, Persona 5 Royal is the same perfect sponge cake... but now filled with lashings of jam and cream. Everything that has been added has been amazingly well implemented. This is a wonderful title, regardless of whether or not it is compared to the original… which is still a delectable sponge cake! The story, characters, music, gameplay, and animation - everything comes together and creates an experience that is the personification of JRPG perfection. Incredibly unique and enjoyable!”
read full review ↗ - 90
“The Phantom Thieves are now portable with the Nintendo Switch release of Persona 5 Royal, and are ready for you to jump into another adventure in Tokyo’s morally unjust society.”
read full review ↗
GameMAG
Slant Magazine
Nintendo Life
eXputer
RPGamer
Paste Magazine
ani-game.com
Gamer Escape
Total Gaming Network
VGChartz
Cubed3
Gfinity…and 150 more tracked reviews.
Patch history
- New Version of Persona5: The Phantom X Now AvailableSep 5, 2025significant · resets scoring window
- Persona 5 Royal Ver. 1.04Sep 6, 2024
- Persona 5 Royal Ver. 1.03BMar 2, 2023
- Persona 5 Royal Ver. 1.03Jan 11, 2023
- Persona 5 Royal Ver. 1.02Nov 18, 2022