Persona 3 Portable remake, release date, modes, and more

Atlus, the developer behind the series, announced that a Persona 3 Portable remake would be released in 2023.

Persona 3 is the fourth installment in the Persona series. The game was originally developed for PlayStation 2 and released in 2006. Persona 3 had two more versions that included additional content. Persona 3 Portable is an enhanced version of the original game, released for PSP. The story follows the Specialized Extracurricular Execution Squad, a group investigating a phenomenon known as the Dark Hour.

The player will take the role of the main character, and for the first time in the Persona series, players get to choose between a male or female character.  

Is Persona 3 and Persona 3 Portable the same?

Persona 3 is the original version released in 2006 in Japan. In 2007, Atlus released Persona 3 FES, a director’s cut version. Persona 3 Portable is the final version of this installment, featuring the best parts of its two predecessors.

Persona 3 Portable takes the player during the main portion of the original and includes a female protagonist. Playing as the female protagonist opened new options to players, like new social links and new characters that are exclusive to her.

While the games remain the same in essence, there are small differences, like the way players get to explore. In Persona 3 Portable, players cannot walk around to get to the locations but instead use a menu-based mechanic.

The game also introduced two difficulty modes, Beginner and Maniac. These difficulty modes are likely to be changed in the remake. The possible difficulty modes could be the same ones used in Persona 5 Royal, Safety, Easy, Normal, Hard, and Merciless. Atlus recommends that players new to the game start their run in Safety mode. Regardless of the difficulty mode chosen, the story and progression are the same.

What is new in the Persona 3 Portable remake?

The Persona 3 Portable remake will be an enhanced version of the game. The main change is the graphics which will be improved to work on all modern consoles. The remake will allow players to save the game at any point instead of making them advance from one save point to the other.

Based on the release of Persona 5 Royal, we can assume that all the remakes will include new cut scenes, stories, and characters. These additions are a way to complement the narrative of the game and address any plot holes.

Other mechanics like social links, battles, and navigation are likely to be improved in the remake.  

Persona 3 Portable remake release date

The Persona 3 Portable remake will be available on January 19, 2023. It shares a release date with Persona 4 Golden.

What can I play Persona 3 Portable on?

Persona 3 Portable was originally intended to be a game for the PSP, PlayStation’s handheld console. The Persona 3 Portable remake will be available for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X and Series S, and Microsoft Windows.