Persona 5: The Phantom X Is Coming to Steam—but There's a Catch

Atlus has revealed that Persona 5: The Phantom X, a mobile game, will be making its way to Steam, but only for Japanese audiences. This spin-off of the mainline Persona series allows players to step into the shoes of a high school boy who transforms into the Phantom Thief known as Wonder. Unlike the traditional long-form RPGs that define the main Persona titles, The Phantom X adopts a format akin to gacha games such as Genshin Impact and Tower of Fantasy. Despite this genre shift, it retains much of the essence of Persona 5, allowing players to summon Phantom Idols and their Persona II, which serve as new Phantom Thieves and companions in battle.

Primarily aimed at the Chinese market—where the original Persona 5 was never released—Persona 5: The Phantom X has been designed as a standalone title for that region. Nevertheless, there has been significant demand from fans for an international release, a desire that has even caught the developers off guard. While The Phantom X has been accessible on PC and mobile devices in China and various Asian countries, its upcoming release on Steam is currently limited to the Japanese client.

This exciting news was shared on the official Persona 5: The Phantom X Japanese Twitter account, which was set up prior to the Tokyo Game Show 2024. Attendees could play P5X on the show floor alongside titles like Metaphor: ReFantazio. The Twitter account also announced that pre-registration for the closed beta has begun, with the game launching on iOS, Android, and PC. The Japanese version of P5X will be available on both Google Play Games and Steam.

Persona 5: The Phantom X Steam Release: A Step Towards Global Availability

While this Steam client is limited to Japan, fans of Persona 5: The Phantom X are relieved that they won’t need to rely on a third-party client to enjoy the game and can simply access it through Steam. Furthermore, Atlus had previously confirmed intentions for an international release of P5X at an offline event in July, making any Steam release a promising development.

Atlus has also announced plans to bring Persona 5: The Phantom X to consoles following its international launch. Excitingly, the game is set to feature crossovers with other titles in the Persona franchise, including Persona 5 Royal, Persona 3 Reload, and Persona 4 Golden. Additionally, the developers have outlined an ending for P5X, which is currently being polished. In the meantime, the game will focus on integrating elements from the original Persona 5 while expanding its content and introducing more Phantom Idol characters for players to summon.