Thanks to the popularity of Persona 5, Atlus has been re-releasing some of the older Persona games for players who may have missed them. Persona 3 Portable is the latest of these releases, and fans are likely curious how it stacks up to other Persona titles in terms of gameplay time. All the mainline Persona games are relatively long, and while it definitely isn't the longest game in the series, Persona 3 Portable is still quite the commitment.
Like other series titles, Persona 3 Portable has both the main story content and a slew of side content. While it isn't necessary to complete everything in the game to reach the end of the story, players who want to experience everything the game has to offer may want to invest their time in the first run instead of a second playthrough. With just the base game coming in at over 50 hours long, it would be quite the effort to go back and do it all again.
Persona 3 Portable's Main Story Is Daunting on Its Own
Players who want to get through Persona 3 Portable without engaging in side content will still have to set aside a decent amount of time. The quickest runs of the game come in around 44 hours, and that's with players doing their best to rush through. The average completion time for just the main game is about 65 to 66 hours. Players who are new to the series can probably expect to come in around this mark or higher as they figure out how the game works and the fastest way to traverse the tower of Tartarus.
Players who enjoy long RPGs should definitely consider giving Persona 3 Portable a try, especially since it's being released for only $19.99. Even if they are just looking to play the main story, gamers will be getting a ton of time out of a relatively inexpensive game. Compare this to a game like Stray, which costs around $30 for only five hours of gameplay, and it's clear to see the value Persona 3 Portable offers players. Of course, a long runtime could be just as discouraging to some players as it is encouraging to others. For players looking to be able to beat a game quickly and enjoy the entire story, 66 hours might be a bit high of a time investment.
Persona 3 Portable Has as Much Side Content as the Main Game
While some games can be 100% completed by only tacking on a few extra hours of gameplay, Persona 3 Portable is no such game. While some time-consuming activities from the original Persona 3 have been removed from the portable version, there are still plenty of ways to rack up extra hours of gameplay. Side content in Persona 3 Portable includes side missions in the form of Requests, Vision Quest Doors, and Social Links with other characters. On top of that, players will also have to do activities to increase their skills in certain areas and find information to 100% complete the game's Compendium.
Players who don't care about completion but still want to experience the side missions of Persona 3 Portable can do so in an average time of about 85 hours. Fully completing the game by filling out the Compendium and maxing out Social Links adds even more time, making the game come in at a total of about 130 hours. While Persona 5 Royal takes even more time to complete, about 143 hours, the proportion of side content to main content is actually much larger in Persona 3 Portable, with it making up about half of the game's total time. While Persona 3 Portable is definitely more appealing to players who just want to quickly run through the story, completionists may be a bit discouraged by 50% of the game being side content.
Persona 3 Portable releases January 19 for PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X, Xbox One, Switch, and PC.