ThePersonaseries had a massive year in 2020, with the success ofPersona 5 Royaland the PC port ofPersona 4 Golden.With the series' 25th anniversary coming up later this year, fans are excited about the prospect of aPersona 6announcement as well. Unfortunately, even ifPersona 6ends up getting confirmed, it’ll likely be a few years away from a Western release.
ThePersonafranchise is renowned for creating a JRPG experience that merges together social simulation elements with dungeon crawling. This allows players to not only enjoy the classic turn-based battles that the genre has become known for, but also develop a deep understanding and affinity for the characters in the game. While thePersonaseries is one of a kind, fans looking for similar games with an emphasis on social aspects should give some other JRPG titles a try.
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Trails of Cold Steel
Despite being one of the lesser known JRPG series in the West,theTrailsfranchise has become one of the hallmarksin the genre for its detailed worldbuilding and complex characterizations. TheTrailsseries is unique in that all of its games are interconnected, meaning that characters and plotlines from previous arcs will carry over to future ones. As the games all take place within a few years of each other, the overarching narrative involves almost all of the characters to some extent. Players that enjoy spending time interacting with different characters and building bonds with party members will find plenty to love in theTrailsseries.
Although the entire franchise has been around since 2004 with the release ofTrails in the Sky, it wasn’t until theTrails of Cold Steelarc that developer Nihon Falcom decided to introduce social simulation elements. While it’s highly recommended to start the saga from the beginning, the later entries in the series are the ones that heavily emphasize the social link and bonding event systems much likePersonagames.
Featuring protagonist Rean Schwarzer and his classmates in a military academy,Trails of Cold Steelallows players to immerse themselvesin a daily school routine whenever there’s downtime.Personafans looking for a JRPG series in a school setting with a heavy emphasis on social bonding should look no further thanTrails of Cold Steel.
Fire Emblem: Three Houses
AlthoughFire Emblem: Three Houseshas more of a tactical approachto the JRPG genre compared toPersona, it shares a number of similarities that fans will enjoy. Taking on the role of Byleth, a former mercenary turned professor, players will guide a house of students through classes and battles. Much like previousFire Emblemgames, the core combat features a turn-based tactical system where players control different units in strategic combat. However,Fire Emblem: Three Housesalso introduced social simulation and time management elements unique to the game.
Fire Emblem: Three Housesfocuses on building relationshipswith different characters in between the battle segments, and features a calendar system much like thePersonaseries. Players will have classes to teach, and free time activities to engage in while they are out of battle, with these bonds eventually translating to exclusive events. Although the tactical RPG combat system might takePersonaplayers some time to adjust to, the social aspect of the game should be familiar ground.
Rune Factory 4
Personafans looking for a more casual approach to the JRPG genre will findRune Factory 4surprisingly suited to their tastes.A spinoff of theHarvest Moonseries,Rune Factory 4combines farming simulator mechanics together with traditional RPG elements such as dungeon exploration, crafting, monster taming, and levelling. Importantly, it also includes a bonding system where players can interact with fellow townspeople and build relationships with them. With options for giving gifts and celebrating birthdays, players will eventually have the option to date or even marry another character.
Originally released on the Nintendo 3DS back in 2013,Rune Factory 4received an enhanced Nintendo Switch versionlast year. Featuring a brand new difficulty mode and bonus character episodes, the new Nintendo Switch version offers the definitive way to experience the game. Though the game is a far more relaxed affair than any of thePersonagames,Rune Factory 4offers a surprising amount of depth for a farming simulator and the social aspects of the game should appeal to manyPersonafans.
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Tokyo Mirage Sessions FE
A crossover betweenPersona’sparent franchiseShin Megami Tensei,andFire Emblem,Tokyo Mirage Sessionsfollows the story of a group of teenagers who battle hostile beings from another world called Mirages. Allying themselves with friendly Mirages, players must explore Tokyo and the alternate dimension where enemy Mirages roam. Along with the battle mechanics,Tokyo Mirage Sessionsalso includes sidequests where players can bond with other characters and receive bonuses as a result.
AlthoughTokyo Mirage Sessionsis based onShin Megami Tensei,Personafans will still find plenty of aspects to enjoy. In particular, theturn-based battle system should be familiar forPersonafansas players will have to exploit enemy weaknesses and fight together with their Mirage. The Nintendo Switch received an enhanced port of the game last year titledTokyo Mirage Sessionsand it includes new story content as well as additional party members.Tokyo Mirage Sessions♯FEis a great choice forPersonafans looking for a similar Atlus title to immerse themselves in.
Tokyo Xanadu eX+
Tokyo Xanaduwas conceived by Nihon Falcom as they wanted toshift away from the fantasy setting of theirYsandTrailsseries. Taking place in modern day Tokyo, players take on the role of Kou Tokisaka as he follows a classmate one day and accidentally gets transported into a nightmare realm. As Kou learns more about these mysterious vortexes, he gets caught up in a major conspiracy. Much like thePersonaseries,Tokyo Xanadufeatures a premise where players are a student by day but an unknown hero at night.
Tokyo Xanadualso features dungeon exploration along with time management and social bonding mechanics that are verysimilar to Nihon Falcom’s flagshipTrailsseries. However,Tokyo Xanaduis a little different from traditional JRPGs in that it features real-time party based combat.Personafans who are looking for a game with a different combat system while retaining social aspects and character bonding should giveTokyo Xanadua try. Though it was originally released on the Playstation Vita in 2015, an enhanced version titledTokyo Xanadu eX+is available on PC and PS4.
Personacelebrates its 25th anniversary on July 20, 2025.
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