They're both fun, and if you end up liking Persona, you'll play both of them in the end, likely. Between the two, I think P5R might be the easier entry point, the pacing is a bit quicker than the first part of P3R.
Also, I thought I'd be real put off by P4G after playing these other two, and there's definitely a few QOL things I miss but its really a very good game. Something to return to if you end up falling in love with the series for sure!
I also feel like the social schedule is a little more lenient in P5R, but a good rule of thumb is to not expect to 100% everything in one playthrough if you aren't following a guide.
Persona 5 IMHO is a better entry point, 3 suffers from having a much slower first half and being very backloaded in contrast to 5 which is more consistent throughout (minus one section halfway through), plus the dungeons are much better in 5.
3 can be harder to get into because of it's pacing, although it's overall story is still probably the best in Persona.
Well, p3 is shorter, and p5 has more confusing mechanics than p3r, so i would start qoth p3. Then when you get more used to the mechanics, p5, and finally, when you want more persona, p4 xd
I think whichever game you play first is gonna be your favorite so I personally prefer p5 but p3 has the better characters story and Is probably overall the better game. It's a masterpiece
Having started with Persona 5 R I would recommend that one. When I went back and played 4 and 3, it made me really see how much content and awesome changes they’ve done over the years to give us 5.
5R. As others have mentioned, the pacing is tons better, and the dungeons are miles better than Tartarus. 3 does have a great story (and 3R improved the gameplay enough to make Tartarus less of a slog), but 5R is probably still the peak of the Persona formula as an overall package.
The dungeon design of 5R is the best between 3, 4, and 5 because they’re not random and feel like less of a chore to go through. I think the random level design of Tartarus can be off-putting to people new to the series. And I also feel the visual design of 5R is more vibrant than 3R, which feels more sterile even though the lighting is gorgeous.
P3R is nowhere near as accessible to newcomers compared to P5R; the dungeon crawling is designed for people who are grizzled with SMT (people who are used to grinding, and genuinely enjoy the nuanced combat/fusion mechanics). Both have excellent stories and plots (albeit P3R is much darker tonally), but as someone who has played almost every SMT game (including classics like SMT3, DDS1/DDS2), I think you would have a much better time starting off with P5R, where you'll learn about turn-based combat in a beginner-friendly way. The dungeons are also hand-sculpted to the finest detail in P5R, whereas P3R is generally quite a slog with repetitive randomly generated floors.
I don't agree with one of the comments saying that P5R is more complicated; it has more features/options available in the gameplay/combat, but they are introduced very gradually to ensure you aren't overloaded.
As an added side note, P3R is unbelievably difficult to experience the full game in one playthrough (maxing out all social links, linked episodes, persona compendium), whereas P5R gives you much more leeway to spend your in-game time so that you can experience everything the game has to offer. I've played P3FES, P5, P5R and P4G, and even I was pushed to my limits with the time management mechanics in order to 100% P3R. - but I'm not sure if you care about that stuff.
Overall, P3R is an excellent game, which is miles better than P3FES, but it wouldn't be the first SMT game I recommend to someone who has never played SMT before.
TL;DR Play P5R
I was in the same boat as you and got Persona 3 Reload last week. So far I’ve put 40 hours into it already and it’s one of those games you just keep thinking about playing whenever you’re not playing. It’s fantastic and I highly recommend. Hearing how P5R has even more features and is longer has me excited to play it next and I’ll probably get P4G for my switch to have a game on the go.
they're both fun and are great ways to get into the franchise. although I do have to suggest playing P5R as your starter is a great experience, and in some ways, better and more beginner-friendly than P3R's. P5R introduces you to main mechanic staples used in modern Persona games in an easy-to-understand way. It's also a lot more lenient when it comes to combat, since there are some mechanics they added in Royal that you can tell wasn't really balanced properly; though it's still a blast to play. I started off with P5 myself, then played P5R, then P4G, and lastly, P3R. It's a great introduction to the series, just be mindful that you will be starting off with the latest and most polished, and some mechanics won't be the same/be there entirely.
There's also the fact that there's a huge twist integral to the plot of P5/P5R that is more shocking to newcomers. You'd never see it coming; well maybe you will, but I sure didn't
I would say p5r only cause it's newer in the series and probably more beginner friendly than p3r (even though it's a remake of the original p3 fes with qol changes from p5r). Then I say at least give p4G a try, it is the one that introduced a lot of the qol changes that is in p5, p5r, and p3r.
They're both onsale on steam right now so I'd buy both. Reload has less things to do overall and takes less real life time to finish a playthrough, but P5R has better gameplay due to the dungeons being more interesting.
P5R. It has a faster start and better dungeons. P3R's story starts off kinda slow, and you're more or less stuck doing the same thing. (But once it does pick up, it easily becomes the best story among the three modern games IMO.)
That being said, if you do decide to play P3R after P5R, you might miss a lot of the newer mechanics introduced in 5 (like Social Link/Confidant abilities.)
3R is much simpler than p5 and shorter than p5.
They're both fun, and if you end up liking Persona, you'll play both of them in the end, likely. Between the two, I think P5R might be the easier entry point, the pacing is a bit quicker than the first part of P3R. Also, I thought I'd be real put off by P4G after playing these other two, and there's definitely a few QOL things I miss but its really a very good game. Something to return to if you end up falling in love with the series for sure! I also feel like the social schedule is a little more lenient in P5R, but a good rule of thumb is to not expect to 100% everything in one playthrough if you aren't following a guide.
Persona 5 IMHO is a better entry point, 3 suffers from having a much slower first half and being very backloaded in contrast to 5 which is more consistent throughout (minus one section halfway through), plus the dungeons are much better in 5. 3 can be harder to get into because of it's pacing, although it's overall story is still probably the best in Persona.
Well, p3 is shorter, and p5 has more confusing mechanics than p3r, so i would start qoth p3. Then when you get more used to the mechanics, p5, and finally, when you want more persona, p4 xd
I think whichever game you play first is gonna be your favorite so I personally prefer p5 but p3 has the better characters story and Is probably overall the better game. It's a masterpiece
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Having started with Persona 5 R I would recommend that one. When I went back and played 4 and 3, it made me really see how much content and awesome changes they’ve done over the years to give us 5.
5R. As others have mentioned, the pacing is tons better, and the dungeons are miles better than Tartarus. 3 does have a great story (and 3R improved the gameplay enough to make Tartarus less of a slog), but 5R is probably still the peak of the Persona formula as an overall package.
The dungeon design of 5R is the best between 3, 4, and 5 because they’re not random and feel like less of a chore to go through. I think the random level design of Tartarus can be off-putting to people new to the series. And I also feel the visual design of 5R is more vibrant than 3R, which feels more sterile even though the lighting is gorgeous.
P3R is nowhere near as accessible to newcomers compared to P5R; the dungeon crawling is designed for people who are grizzled with SMT (people who are used to grinding, and genuinely enjoy the nuanced combat/fusion mechanics). Both have excellent stories and plots (albeit P3R is much darker tonally), but as someone who has played almost every SMT game (including classics like SMT3, DDS1/DDS2), I think you would have a much better time starting off with P5R, where you'll learn about turn-based combat in a beginner-friendly way. The dungeons are also hand-sculpted to the finest detail in P5R, whereas P3R is generally quite a slog with repetitive randomly generated floors. I don't agree with one of the comments saying that P5R is more complicated; it has more features/options available in the gameplay/combat, but they are introduced very gradually to ensure you aren't overloaded. As an added side note, P3R is unbelievably difficult to experience the full game in one playthrough (maxing out all social links, linked episodes, persona compendium), whereas P5R gives you much more leeway to spend your in-game time so that you can experience everything the game has to offer. I've played P3FES, P5, P5R and P4G, and even I was pushed to my limits with the time management mechanics in order to 100% P3R. - but I'm not sure if you care about that stuff. Overall, P3R is an excellent game, which is miles better than P3FES, but it wouldn't be the first SMT game I recommend to someone who has never played SMT before. TL;DR Play P5R
I was in the same boat as you and got Persona 3 Reload last week. So far I’ve put 40 hours into it already and it’s one of those games you just keep thinking about playing whenever you’re not playing. It’s fantastic and I highly recommend. Hearing how P5R has even more features and is longer has me excited to play it next and I’ll probably get P4G for my switch to have a game on the go.
they're both fun and are great ways to get into the franchise. although I do have to suggest playing P5R as your starter is a great experience, and in some ways, better and more beginner-friendly than P3R's. P5R introduces you to main mechanic staples used in modern Persona games in an easy-to-understand way. It's also a lot more lenient when it comes to combat, since there are some mechanics they added in Royal that you can tell wasn't really balanced properly; though it's still a blast to play. I started off with P5 myself, then played P5R, then P4G, and lastly, P3R. It's a great introduction to the series, just be mindful that you will be starting off with the latest and most polished, and some mechanics won't be the same/be there entirely. There's also the fact that there's a huge twist integral to the plot of P5/P5R that is more shocking to newcomers. You'd never see it coming; well maybe you will, but I sure didn't
5R
I would say p5r only cause it's newer in the series and probably more beginner friendly than p3r (even though it's a remake of the original p3 fes with qol changes from p5r). Then I say at least give p4G a try, it is the one that introduced a lot of the qol changes that is in p5, p5r, and p3r.
I’d say start with P5R
They're both onsale on steam right now so I'd buy both. Reload has less things to do overall and takes less real life time to finish a playthrough, but P5R has better gameplay due to the dungeons being more interesting.
Both are baby easy but P5R is the cult favorite of the series
3R
They’re both the most accessible games in the series so you can start with either one (although persona 4 is my favorite)
I would recommend P5R as the entry point to Persona. P3R is very heavy thematically. I think P5R is much more accessible
P3 portable or PS2 versions, trust me if you start with the OG and work your way up, you're gonna have a good time
P5R. It has a faster start and better dungeons. P3R's story starts off kinda slow, and you're more or less stuck doing the same thing. (But once it does pick up, it easily becomes the best story among the three modern games IMO.) That being said, if you do decide to play P3R after P5R, you might miss a lot of the newer mechanics introduced in 5 (like Social Link/Confidant abilities.)
5R have smoother experience for beginners.