Summary

ThoughPersona 5 Tacticais the newest of several spin-offs ofPersona 5, the gameplay in P5T is varied enough that it may attract a larger audience. Instead of a legendarily long JRPG adventure, tactics-based players will be delighted to know that P5T is much different (and much shorter) than the original.

But can you play Persona 5 Tactica without having played the entirety of Persona 5 or Persona 5 Royal? If you’re a tactics enthusiast looking for a fun and colorful new title to scratch that itch to plan your combat carefully, then we’ve got some good news below.

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P5T Can Be Played Without Playing Persona 5, But The Experience Is Richer If You Have

Although it’s true that Persona 5 Tactica is another of Persona 5’s Triple-A spin-off games,you may play Persona 5 Tactica individually from Persona 5if you don’t have athree-digit number of hoursto play the main game.

Persona 5 is one ofthe longest JRPGs, and not everyone who likes tactics-based gameplay has the time to catch up - we don’t judge.

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Should you be joining the series at this spin-off point, then welcome to your first taste of the wide world of Persona 5!Persona 5 Tactica is the fourth Persona 5 spin-off titlesince the original game launched in 2016 and brought the series from niche JRPG to one of the most beloved RPGs.

And out of that, we’ve been treated to avariety of genres of spin-offsfeaturing our beloved Phantom Thieves. They’ve danced the night away inPersona 5: Dancing in Starlight, they got trapped in film inPersona Q2: New Labyrinth Cinema, and they’ve gone on a hack-and-slash spree inPersona 5 Strikers, too.

Now, with Persona 5 Tactica, we’ve gotturn-based tactical combaton the menu as well, once again joining the Phantom Thieves as they arrive in another reality to help the well-meaning but self-defeating Toshiro work through assorted Kingdoms in fierce, fiery battles.

While we’re proud of our guide coverage explainingcore series conceptslikethe Velvet Room,Sub-Personas, and more, these things domake more sense if you’ve played Persona 5.

And whileyou’ll understand the game more if you understand the self-referential material, nods to those who found themselves embroiled in the main series games,you don’t necessarily need to play Persona 5 before you play Tacticaif you’re just looking for somefun tactical combat.