Best persona to start

[OMGitsTHEMEMI]

So between persona 3, 4 and 5 which one would be the best one for me to start this saga? since I havent played a persona game before

[Haze]

All are good. None of the stories are linked so you don't need to worry about that. I started with 4, since it was the only one available on Steam when I got into JRPGs, but 5 would be a great entry point for new players for sure.

[Wolfherz]

I've beaten all three and I would have to say that P5R would probably be the easiest for new players to get into. P3P and P4G are older (obviously) and lack some of the nice QoL changes that P5R has. P5R also has an easier learning curve and is less frustrating. 3 and 4 are more difficult if you don't have a solid understanding of the basics.

[Ivas]

If you're not ABSOLUTELY SURE that you will love the series, start with P5R. Otherwise I'd choose depending on themes that are closer to you

[Douchebag Extraordinaire]

Generally, I would suggest in sequential order because the are mechanical additions to every iteration and going back will make the game a little sluggish.

But since only the Portable version of P3 is available, I would actually suggest P4G first, P5R after, and then P3P. While P3P has similar mechanics to P4, such as cards being used for upgrades and Tartarus having the same procedurally generated layout as P4's dungeons, P3P's social days are more condensed since it's more UI based, so it's more for already established fans of Persona games.

It's also good to start with P4G since it's at a cheaper price point than P5R. P5R also has a companion sequel with Strikers, so to get the full experience, there's more investment involved.

[Kalypso]

I suggest playing 4, 3 then 5. 4 is the absolute easiest out of the 3. i have beaten it twice on Golden's highest difficulty which others call ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥. Also 4 has the weakest of the 3 in terms of story. It's campy and it repeats itself way tom often. Still a good story, but not as good as 3 and 5. 3 is hard to get into. You have to manage your time a lot better so it's easier to get into if you have played 4 or 5. 5 is arguably the best, but as someone who has played all 3-4-5 as well as 1 and 2, It's REALLY hard to go back to play 3 and 4 after playing 5. It's a big reason why i suggest playing 5 last. 1 and 2 aren't really separated Persona from Shin Megami Tensei. They essentially were just SMT with a different name. 3 made it into what it was today. So if you wanna play them all.... 4-3-5-1-2. 1 first as 2 contains characters from 1.

[OMGitsTHEMEMI]

Originally posted by Kalypso:

I suggest playing 4, 3 then 5. 4 is the absolute easiest out of the 3. i have beaten it twice on Golden's highest difficulty which others call ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥. Also 4 has the weakest of the 3 in terms of story. It's campy and it repeats itself way tom often. Still a good story, but not as good as 3 and 5. 3 is hard to get into. You have to manage your time a lot better so it's easier to get into if you have played 4 or 5. 5 is arguably the best, but as someone who has played all 3-4-5 as well as 1 and 2, It's REALLY hard to go back to play 3 and 4 after playing 5. It's a big reason why i suggest playing 5 last. 1 and 2 aren't really separated Persona from Shin Megami Tensei. They essentially were just SMT with a different name. 3 made it into what it was today. So if you wanna play them all.... 4-3-5-1-2. 1 first as 2 contains characters from 1.

THX a lot

[Shae]

Originally posted by OMGitsTHEMEMI:

So between persona 3, 4 and 5 which one would be the best one for me to start this saga? since I havent played a persona game before

You should go back and play 1 and then Innocent Sin and Eternal Punishment. If you want to get into the real feel of Persona, and how it got to where it is, and pick up on all of the little nods it gives back and forth. Not to mention they are phenomenal games in their own right even now.

[Arisato]

P5 is the easiest to start for new players but I'm worry that new players will get so used to with P5 that they can't play P3, 4.

[TyresTyco]

Go with 5R. If you love it and want more of the franchise. 4G absolutely is worth it. Even tho the dungeon crawling is a clear downgrade which is understandable since it's an old handheld port.

Never played 3. I might give it a try but I don't like the current port situation there. Watched the movies tho. It has a awesome story.. imho far better than 4 and 5. You should absolutely go watch all the animes after playing the games since they are pretty good.

[Kayzuki]

p5r

[Rhapsody]

Originally posted by Shae:

If you want to get into the real feel of Persona, and how it got to where it is

Eh, it's all thanks to P3 at this point. The early games are little more than spin-offs of SMT series.

Start with P5R, do whatever you want after that.

[QQinfinity]

P4G is the best of both worlds. It has a lot of quality of life changes to the mechanics, and is a good taste tester to the whole feel of the Persona Genre. Both P3 and P5 dive into darker sides of humanity (Death in 3 and Oppression in 5 respectively, and the character's corresponding struggles to them). So take a gander through P4, if you think you like it, it will make mentally preparing yourself a little bit easier.

[OMGitsTHEMEMI]

Originally posted by QQinfinity:

P4G is the best of both worlds. It has a lot of quality of life changes to the mechanics, and is a good taste tester to the whole feel of the Persona Genre. Both P3 and P5 dive into darker sides of humanity (Death in 3 and Oppression in 5 respectively, and the character's corresponding struggles to them). So take a gander through P4, if you think you like it, it will make mentally preparing yourself a little bit easier.

I knew this games where dark but not this darker thx for the advice

[Silyon]

P5R is the easiest game by far, with the most tutorials and tips floating around for it as well. It's not particularly difficult to 100% all the social links in one run once you know what you're doing. Hell, I very nearly do so on every run even though I'm just messing around and not sticking to any particular schedule. It's almost designed to be an onboarding point for new players, it seems.

P4G is widely regarded as the best one, but it can be really brutal for a fresh player. Even on Normal difficulty. Scheduling is much stricter, you don't have nearly as much free time as in P5 and will probably not 100% in one run without following a guide. Good for experianced Persona players looking for a harder game or new enviroment.

The P3 port on Steam is... Not P3, to put it mildly. Don't bother with it, find an emulator of the FES version if you're interested.

[Arifufu]

ippon-datara then shiki ouji then rangda then fafnir and finally abaddon