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I'm new to the _Persona_ series, so I wanted to know if the _Persona_ video
games have any relationship to the previous games. I went to other sites but
they didn't give me a clear answer.

Can I play _Persona 5_ without playing the previous games?


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persona
Can I play Persona 5 without playing the previous games?


I didn't play _Persona 5_ (yet), but I saw a friend's play for quite a stretch
of the story so don't take my answer as 100% accurate, but every numeric entry
in _Persona_ are independent one from another. As usual in any long-running
series, some easter eggs and cameos for the fans, but the core story should be
fully enjoyable by itself.

It would be different if you asked for something like _Persona 4_ and _Persona
4: Arena_ or _Persona 4: Dancing All Night_ , as they are "in the same numeric
entry" so those spin-off games take on the main _Persona 4_ story, and thus if
you didn't play it, you will feel that you are missing a lot of information,
but as pure numeric entries, just fine.


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Having checked the _Persona 5_
[synopsis](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persona_5) in Wikipedia and having
played _Persona 4_ , the answer to your question would be, "yes, it is safe to
play _Persona 5_ without having played the previous installments of the game".

The reasons for that is there are these differences between the 2 games.

  1. Protagonist and characters

MC in _Persona 4_ is white-haired. The first person to join the team was the
son of a department store owner, followed by a tomboy. _Persona 5_ MC is
black-haired.

  2. Place setting

_Persona 5_ was set in Tokyo. _Persona 4_ was in a small remote town.

  3. Story

_Persona 4_ starts with a mysterious murder that happened during a foggy day
and has to do with a TV channel that can only be accessed during certain
midnights.

So, with at least those 3 reasons stated above, you can be sure that it is
safe to play _Persona 5_ without playing the previous installments beforehand.
Treat _Persona_ series like the _Final Fantasy_ series. Every title is its own
game, although they do sometimes make references on its previous installment,
such as recurring summons, monsters, equipment, names, etc.


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Yes, you can!

Although _Persona_ is a franchise, the games do not depend on each other being
totally independent.

This is because even if all games in the franchise have the same essence, each
game has a way of addressing this different essence based on its theme.

Already in the introduction, the game already explains everything you need to
know about the basics of _Shin Megami Tensei_ and how it will affect the
functioning of _Persona 5_.

_Note: My boyfriend is playing Persona 5 without having played the other games
and is not having the slightest difficulty to understand the story._


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