Screenshots & trailers
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) | – | 81 | 69 |
| Creator reviews (1 tracked) | – | 75 | 1 |
| All-time Steam reviews | 81% | 75 | 1000 |
| Metacritic user ratings | – | – | 0 |
| Post-patch Steam reviews (trust-weighted) | 92% | 86 | 23 |
| Calibration prior (typical game) | – | 72 | 50 |
Scoring window: last 30 days (no significant patch detected) · 66 reviews sampled · 55 total reviews in window · weighted 43 up / 3.9 down · computed 2h ago · full methodology →
Press & Creators reviews (63)
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.
- 70
“P3P remains an enjoyable JRPG, but we would say this is easily the most skippable of the mainline Persona games on Switch at present. An engrossing story and well-balanced gameplay loop easily justify a purchase, though things like Tartarus' repetitive floors, the visual novel presentation, and the lack of FES content hold this one back from the heights its successors reached. We'd give P3P a recommendation, though only after having played both P4G and P5R, and only if you still find yourself needing more Persona in your life. This is still a great installment for Persona fans and will be best appreciated by players who have that contextual series knowledge, but its rougher edges may put others off.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“With an amazing story, great characters to bond with, and an extraordinary turn-based battle system, Persona 3 not only created fertile ground for the subsequent releases, but is back to captivate newcomers.”
read full review ↗ - 85
“Persona 3 Portable offers a dark yet engaging story you’ll get lost in for many hours. It has a great cast of characters and is backed by an amazing set of music tracks. I would have loved if the game did manage to include some of the additional content that was found within the FES release of the game and traversing through some of the Tartarus sections does become repetitive, which is a shame because it’s the primary section of hand’s on gameplay the game offers. But those things aside, you’re still in for a very fun and rewarding experience that offers a lot of player choice. It’s great to see Persona 3 getting some love again, and hopefully it’s just the start of things to come again celebrating the Persona series from ATLUS.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Persona 3 Portable has survived well and is still as enjoyable as it has always been. Of course, Atlus could have used the chance to animate some extra cutscenes for this port, but the lack thereof doesn't take away from the overall game. For anyone new to Persona, this is a must, and for anyone wanting to relive this infamous title, welcome back!”
read full review ↗ - 90
“While Persona 3 Portable isn’t perfect, it is still a viable way to experience one of the best games ever. This is by far the best Persona game of the series, it has the best pacing, the best music, the best art, everything. While this port is lacking some of the things that FES had that made it an all-time classic, it is still one of the best games on the Nintendo Switch, and that’s saying something.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“This isn't the definitive version of Persona 3 that it could have been, but it's hard to deny that the game is still highly enjoyable all the same.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“With its watered down presentation, Persona 3 Portable almost feels like an abridged version of the PS2 classic, but it's still well worth playing. A foreboding, ominous atmosphere sells the experience, while the gameplay loop remains as addictive as ever. If you're fairly new to Persona, or perhaps you started with Persona 5, you'll have to persist through some slightly dated design, but don't let that put you off. Persona 3 still stands as a brilliantly broody JRPG.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“It packs a healthy amount of content into its lengthy runtime, and if the combination of school life sim and dungeon crawler strikes you, there's little reason not to dive right in. It's worth considering that P3P does feel a fair bit darker in tone and theme, complete with characters needing to shoot themselves in the head to summon their personas. For those who first played the game on PSP or Vita, the visuals and performance have received a noticeable boost over the original version, in addition to now being able to quick save your progress at any time. The update doesn't reinvent the wheel, but added quality of life features definitely make this the ideal way to play Persona 3 Portable.”
read full review ↗ - 90
“There is so much more I could say about both of these games. I got into the series with Golden and have been wanting it to expand to more consoles ever since. It is great to finally see it everywhere and I hope the series continues that trend going forward. It is by far one of the best RPGs available and should be played by anyone who has ever had a passing interest in the genre. Do not skip this collection, while Persona 3 is a little rough in this day and age it is still an amazing game and Persona 4 Golden is well, the gold standard. I cannot recommend this package enough.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3 Portable is the third version of the popular title, originally released for PSP in 2009. It is now available on modern platforms as well, breaking away from the PSP's "bonds", but how well does it adapt to the current conditions? Christos Hadjisavvas... pulls the trigger and explores the re-release.”
read full review ↗ - 78
“A remastered version for current consoles for the fans who haven't played Persona 3 yet. While the simple transplant without noticeable improvements disappointed majority of fans who have long awaited, its unique gameplay still has the charm even after all those years.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Persona 3 Portable remains an interesting adaptation of Persona 3, with its visual novel approach to daily life, and it's a joy to play on the Switch.”
read full review ↗
Nintendo Life
RPGamer
ani-game.com
Cubed3
Last Word on Gaming
PC Invasion
Push Square
NintendoWorldReport
ZTGD
Enternity.gr
INVEN
Siliconera…and 51 more tracked reviews.
Patch history
- Persona 3 Portable Ver. 1.01Apr 20, 2023