You've spent 100 hours in Tokyo. You've fought literal gods, aced your exams, and somehow found time to brew the perfect cup of coffee at Leblanc. But then you look at the digital storefront. There it is. A mountain of DLC for Persona 5 staring back at you. It’s overwhelming. Some of it costs more than a decent lunch, while other packs are basically just a different coat of paint for your cat-bus.
Honestly, the way Atlus handles DLC is a bit of a mess. If you're playing the original 2017 release, the DLC feels like a fragmented collection of "what-ifs." If you’ve upgraded to Persona 5 Royal, most of that old stuff is baked in, but there’s a whole new tier of paid content that changes the game’s balance entirely.
Let's be real: nobody wants to drop $20 on a digital costume pack unless it actually adds something to the experience.
The Confusion Between Vanilla and Royal DLC
Here is where most people get tripped up. The DLC for Persona 5 ecosystem is split down the middle. In the original "Vanilla" version, every extra Persona and every costume set was a separate transaction. We’re talking about things like the Izanagi & Izanagi Picaro Set or the Shin Megami Tensei IV costume pack.
Then came Persona 5 Royal.
When Royal launched on PS4, Atlus made a semi-decent move: they made the original game's DLC a free download for Royal owners. But they also added new DLC. If you bought the "Legacy DLC" pack, you got the old stuff. If you wanted the new stuff—like the Raoul Persona or the incredibly difficult "Challenge Battles"—you had to pay again.
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Then 2022 happened. When Persona 5 Royal moved to PC, Switch, PS5, and Xbox, Atlus finally threw in the towel and bundled almost everything. If you are playing on those modern platforms, you have over 40 pieces of DLC already sitting in your cardboard box in Joker’s room. You don't have to buy a thing. But if you’re still rocking the PS4 version, you’re stuck navigating a storefront that feels like a minefield.
Power Creep and the "Pay to Win" Problem
The most controversial part of the DLC for Persona 5 isn't the outfits. It’s the Personas. Specifically, Izanagi-no-Okami.
If you summon this thing, the game is over. I'm not exaggerating. Its unique skill, Myriad Truths, deals heavy Almighty damage to all enemies three times. Pair that with its trait, Victory Cry, which fully restores your HP and SP after every single battle, and you have effectively deleted the difficulty curve. It’s a literal "God Mode" button.
Some players love this. It’s great for a second playthrough when you just want to see the story beats again without sweating over a boss fight. But for a first-timer? It ruins the tension. You find yourself leaning on these high-level DLC Personas because they cost $0 in-game yen to summon the first time. It’s a trap. You stop learning the mechanics because Izanagi-no-Okami just deletes everything on screen.
The Challenge Battles: Content Worth Playing?
Aside from the broken Personas, the "Challenge Battles" are probably the most substantial part of the DLC for Persona 5. These aren't just more waves of Shadow fodder. They include special fights against the protagonists of Persona 3 and Persona 4.
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Fighting "SEES Boy" and the "Sister-Complex King of Steel" (as the Arena games call them) is a massive nostalgia trip. These fights are actually hard. They require genuine strategy, specific elemental builds, and a deep understanding of the Baton Pass mechanic.
If you’re a series veteran, these battles are the highlight. They provide a level of tactical depth that the main story often lacks once you’ve over-leveled your party. They feel like a true celebration of the franchise's history, even if they are technically non-canon fever dreams.
Costumes and the BGM Factor
Most people think costumes are just aesthetic. In Persona 5, they actually change the music. This is a huge deal for fans of the older games.
- Equip the Persona 4 dancing outfits? You get "Reach Out To The Truth."
- Put on the Persona 3 Gekkoukan High uniforms? "Mass Destruction" starts playing.
- Want to feel the 90s vibes? The Shin Megami Tensei outfits switch the battle theme to the classic SNES-era music.
It’s a small touch, but after hearing "Last Surprise" or "Take Over" for the five-hundredth time, a change in BGM is a godsend. It keeps the grinding from feeling like a chore. The Catherine costume set is a personal favorite, mostly because it turns the velvet room music into something much more frantic and stressful.
Breaking Down the Raoul Controversy
Raoul is an interesting case. He is the "Third Tier" Persona for the protagonist, following Arsene and Satanael. In most Persona games, the protagonist's ultimate form is unlocked through the story. But Raoul? He’s DLC for Persona 5 Royal.
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It felt a bit cheap to many fans. Having a core part of the protagonist's identity locked behind a paywall (on the PS4 version) was a move that sparked a lot of debate on Reddit and ResetEra. Raoul isn't even as powerful as Izanagi-no-Okami, but he looks right. He fits the aesthetic of the final semester. Leaving him out of the base game felt like a missed opportunity for a big narrative payoff.
The Strategy for Modern Players
If you are playing on a modern console or PC today, your "strategy" is simple: don't use the overpowered stuff too early. Just because the DLC Personas are available in your Compendium for free doesn't mean you should pull them out at level 10.
Wait until you are at the appropriate level. If a Persona is level 80, don't touch it until you are level 80. This preserves the "Press Turn" style combat that makes the Shin Megami Tensei lineage so good. If you bypass the struggle, you bypass the satisfaction.
What You Should Actually Do Next
To get the most out of your experience without breaking the game or your wallet, follow these steps:
- Check your version first. If you have Persona 5 Royal on PC, Switch, or PS5, you already own everything. Do not go looking for more DLC; there isn't any.
- Ignore the "Yellow" names. In the Persona Fusion menu and Compendium, DLC Personas are highlighted in yellow. If this is your first time playing, ignore them until you've reached the final palace.
- Check the cardboard box. In Joker's room (Leblanc), there is a box near the stairs. Interact with it to claim your items. This includes powerful accessories and a massive chunk of starting cash (100,000 yen).
- Use the BGM changes. If you find the combat music getting repetitive, swap your party's outfits. It’s the easiest way to refresh the game's atmosphere during long grinding sessions in Mementos.
- Save the Challenge Battles for the endgame. Don't bother with the DLC battles against the P3/P4 protagonists until you are at least level 50, or you will get wiped in a single turn.
The DLC for Persona 5 adds a lot of flavor, but it’s easy to let it overshadow the core game. Treat it as a spice, not the main course. Use the costumes for the vibes and the Personas for the New Game Plus victory lap. That’s how the game was meant to be experienced.
The Phantom Thieves are about taking back your future, not buying a shortcut to it. Keep that in mind before you summon a level 90 deity to fight a couple of Pixies in the first dungeon. It’s just not fair to the Pixies. Or your own sense of accomplishment.