Persona 5 Royal vs Persona 5: The Phantom X - All similarities and differences explored

When comparing Persona 5 Royal and Persona 5: The Phantom X, you're essentially looking at two sides of the same coin. One is a premium, turn-based JRPG that took the original Persona 5 and elevated it into a genre-defining experience. The other is a free-to-play live-service spin-off launched on PC and mobile, aiming to bring that same universe to a broader, more casual audience.

While The Phantom X maintains the visual flair, battle mechanics, and tone fans love from Royal, it operates under very different rules — both in design and structure. Let’s explore what’s shared between the two and where they diverge completely.

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Similarities and differences between Persona 5 Royal and Persona 5: The Phantom X

Setting and world

Joker, Luffy, and Nagisa Kamishiro (Image via SEGA)

Both games are set in a modern-day Tokyo plagued by corruption and warped desires. You’ll recognize familiar locations like Shibuya, palaces driven by cognitive distortions, and of course, the Metaverse. However, while Persona 5 Royal puts you in Joker’s perspective and focuses on the original Phantom Thieves, Persona 5: The Phantom X features a new protagonist, Nagisa Kamishiro, a talking owl named Luffy (replacing Morgana’s role), and more.

Thematically, both games still explore rebellion against societal injustice, but Phantom X feels more like a spiritual continuation of a different group picking up where Joker left off, rather than a direct sequel.

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Core gameplay

Gameplay from both titles (Image via SEGA)

On the surface, both games use the turn-based battle system that Persona fans love. Exploiting weaknesses, using All-Out Attacks, and fusing Personas in the Velvet Room are all here. But how you play them is completely different.

Persona 5 Royal is a full-fledged JRPG with a 100+ hour runtime, calendar progression, dungeon crawling, and robust life-sim elements. Its single-player is self-contained and built to be played at your own pace.

The Phantom X, however, uses a gacha-driven, live-service format built for mobile and PC. You’ll still go on Metaverse runs, engage in combat, and level up characters, but there are stamina systems, daily login bonuses, and event-limited content. You’re not just playing a story, but participating in a live game cycle.

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Visuals and style

Gameplay still from Persona 5 Royal and Persona 5: The Phantom X (Image via SEGA)

P5X reuses a lot of assets from Persona 5 Royal — and that’s not a bad thing at all. The Tokyo setting, UI design, dungeon animations, and even certain cutscenes feel lifted straight out of Royal. But the key difference here is how P5X sharpens it all up. The visuals look incredibly crisp, almost deceptively console-like for a mobile title.

From water textures while fishing to lighting effects during daily activities, there’s a noticeable bump in polish that’s hard to ignore.

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Social sim and relationships

Phantom X's bonds are meaningful, but more gameplay-focused than emotionally immersive (Image via SEGA)

Both games include Persona’s classic life-sim aspects: hanging out with friends, improving stats like Guts and Charm, and choosing how to spend your limited time each day. However, Persona 5 Royal offers deeper relationship-building with Confidants that evolve over multiple ranks, unlock battle benefits, character growth, and emotional storylines.

Persona 5: The Phantom X slightly simplifies these interactions. There are still bonds to build, but they’re generally tied to resource systems and may not always carry the same weight as Royal’s narrative-driven arcs.

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Monetization and DLC

What differs both the titles? (Image via SEGA)

This is where things really start to diverge. Persona 5 Royal is a complete, premium title. Once you purchase it, you’re in. The game includes numerous DLCs — costumes, music from previous games, bonus Personas, and everything is self-contained. No pay-to-win features, no premium currencies.

Persona 5: The Phantom X, on the other hand, is a free-to-play gacha title. That means you’ll be pulling for characters and Personas using in-game currency, which can be earned through play or bought with real money. It’s very much in the same vein as Genshin Impact or Honkai: Star Rail — fun for F2P players, but clearly designed with monetization in mind.

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Longevity and content delivery

You will also encounter Joker in Phantom X (Image via SEGA)

Royal is a finished product. Once you’ve experienced the third semester and the expanded narrative, it’s done. That’s its strength — it’s polished, deliberate, and complete. Persona 5: The Phantom X is built for the long haul. Atlus and Perfect World Games will be updating the game with new story arcs, limited-time events, crossover banners, and more over time (specifically, version 1.2 is planned for late July 2025).

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Early reception and popularity

I'd recommend trying both the games (Image via SEGA)

Despite being a mobile-first gacha, Persona 5: The Phantom X has taken off fast. It smashed Royal’s Steam peak player record, hitting over 41,000 concurrent players compared to Royal’s 34,000 in Steam at the time of writing. That momentum isn’t just about nostalgia — it’s riding a massive wave of Persona fandom that’s only grown thanks to Royal, Persona 3 Reload, and a dozen other spin-offs.

But numbers aside, I believe Royal still holds the edge in terms of legacy and impact. It’s the definitive version of one of the best JRPGs in modern gaming. The Phantom X might be the next chapter, but Royal is the gold standard.

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That concludes our article on similarities and differences between Persona 5 Royal and Persona 5: The Phantom X.

Check out — Persona 5: The Phantom X: Complete character tier list