Some of the more egregious-looking textures in the original game are replaced with higher-res assets. With Persona 5 Royal, you get the sense that Atlus tried to make the game fit a bit better on last-gen hardware.

The PS4 version of the game benefitted from a 1080p rendering resolution and UI but left everything else unchanged - a very barebones conversion of the PS3 code. Models are stylised but low-poly, environments are boxy and use basic baked lighting, and texture resolution is poor. It was developed solely with PS3 hardware in mind, but after missing a few release dates it ended up shipping on PS3 and PS4 in the fall of 2016, as one of the last major titles to hit Sony's seventh-gen system. So how does this PS3-derived game scale up to PS5 and Series X and is the Switch release everything it should be? After a three-year wait, that version of the game is finally out on non-PlayStation platforms, including current-gen console releases and a much-requested Switch port. An expanded re-release dubbed Persona 5 Royal came out a few years later on PS4, loaded with new content, gameplay improvements, and visual tweaks.

Technically speaking, it's a very curious game: essentially, it's a PS3 title at its core with assets and rendering tech built around Sony's 2006 system, but ultimately released in 2016 on PS3 and PS4. Persona 5 is one of the most celebrated JRPGs of modern times, packing a compelling, character-driven story, a satisfying turn-based combat system and a confident sense of style.

Ps4 emulator persona 5 royal