For many years,Atluswas an underdog of the video game industry, living in the shadow of other major Japanese publishers like Square Enix and Bandai Namco. However, in recent times, thePersonaandShin Megami Tenseideveloper has attracted the attention of large audiences worldwide and has been repeatedly hailed as one of the best JRPG studios out there. 2024 further cementedAtlus' strong reputation in the gaming landscape. Not only did it release the critically-acclaimed remakePersona 3 Reloadand the well-received re-releaseShin Megami Tensei 5: Vengeance, it also launched the Game of the Year nomineeMetaphor: ReFantazio, all within a span of 12 months. That’s without even mentioningUnicorn Overlord, the Atlus-published Vanillaware game that debuted to rave reviews back in March.
In contrast to how busy 2024 has been for Atlus, 2025 seems comparatively empty. At the moment, nothing has been officially confirmed about the company’s release schedule for next year. This is a stark contrast to December 2023; just 12 months ago, Atlus had already announced most of the games that it intended to release in 2024. Even setting aside launch windows, though, there is very little known about most of the company’s future projects. In fact, the only upcoming Atlus game that’s been revealed so far isPersona 5: The Phantom X,a gacha RPG for PCand mobile phones.
Atlus’s 2025 Release Schedule is Shrouded in Mystery
Persona 5: The Phantom X Could Be Released in the West Next Year
Persona 5: The Phantom X, as its name suggests, is a spin-off of the hit 2016 JRPGPersona 5. Unlike mostgames in thePersonaseries, it’s being developed not by Atlus, but by the Chinese studio Perfect World Games.Persona 5: The Phantom Xhas already been released in open beta in certain regions (e.g. China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau, South Korea). Despite becoming available to parts of the public in April of this year, the game still doesn’t have a 1.0 launch window. In addition, Atlus hasn’t even formally announced plans to bringPersona 5: The Phantom Xto the West. It has, however, revealed that the game will come to Japan in the near future.
Even though Atlus and its parent company Sega have yet to share info on a Western launch forPersona 5: The Phantom X, they do want to bring it to more countries at some point. During an offline event in Shanghai on Aug 01, 2025, developers at Atlus and Perfect World Games confirmed that they intend toreleasePersona 5: The Phantom Xinternationally and bring it to consoles afterwards. Since thePersonafranchise is fully multiplatform these days, it’s likely thatPersona 5: The Phantom Xwill eventually end up on PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo systems in the coming years.
Given how adamant Atlus developers are onbringingP5Xto more players, a Western release for it in 2025 seems plausible. Sega has recently registered a website domain for the game under the name Persona5X.com, so that suggests that its worldwide launch or, at the very least, announcement for its worldwide launch isn’t too far away.
Fans May Finally Get Some New Information About Persona 6 in 2025
Of course, when talking about upcoming Atlus games, one would be remiss not to mentionthe next mainline installment in thePersonaseries,Persona 6. UnlikePersona 5: The Phantom X,P6technically hasn’t been announced yet. It has, however, been mentioned several times in job listings and interviews with Atlus developers over the years, so its existence is all but confirmed.Even thoughPersona 6is arguably one of the most anticipated JRPGs of all time, there’s nothing officially known about it at the moment. The few bits and pieces of public information about the game come from rumors and leaks, some of which are of dubious legitimacy.
Insiders such as Head on the Block have alleged thatPersona 6will have a green color scheme, much like howPersona 3,4, and5have their own distinctive color palettes. The game will also reportedly feature two playable protagonists, one male and one female, and have themes centered around the concept of Yin and Yang. It’s not exactly clear how accurate these rumored details are, but if there’s one thing that’s likely to be true, it’s thatPersona 6may launch on all platforms, just like the aforementionedPersona 5: The Phantom X.
Persona 6didn’tmake an appearance at The Game Award 2024this month, so it seems unlikely that it will be released next year, given how information on the game is still so scant. Even still, it’s possible that Atlus may officially unveilP6sometime in 2025, whether that be with a brief teaser trailer or with an extensive gameplay preview. If this actually happens, then it’s likely that the highly-anticipated JRPG will be announced at a major presentation of some kind, like the June Xbox Showcase, PlayStation State of Play, or Nintendo Switch 2 reveal event. It’s important to keep expectations in check, though, because nothing has been set in stone.
Atlus Could Have Some Surprises Up Its Sleeve in 2025
There are a few rumored Atlus games that may come out next year, as well. Recent updates to the Steam achievements list forShin Megami Tensei 3: Nocturne HD Remasterseemingly suggest thatremasters of the classicDevil Summoner:Raidou Kuzunohagamesmay be in the works. In addition to this, updated re-releases ofPersona 1and2may also be in development, according to recent reports from leaker RyanFromTheBronx. Since these four games are apparently going to get remasters and notPersona 3 Reload-style remakes, a 2025 launch window for them doesn’t seem too unlikely.
TheRaidou Kuzunohagames are a duology of cult-classic JRPGs that were released by Atlus exclusively for the PS2. The first game,Shin Megami Tensei Devil Summoner: Raidou Kuzunoha vs. The Soulless Army, came out in 2006, while its sequel,Shin Megami Tensei Devil Summoner 2: Raidou Kuzunoha vs. King Abaddon, made its debut in 2008.
RyanFromTheBronx also claimed earlier this year that mobile game spin-offs of bothMetaphor: ReFantazioandShin Megami Tenseiwere in development for Netflix. Not much information is available about these purportedAtlusprojects, assuming they even exist, and all leaks should be taken with a grain of salt, but if there’s truth to them, they have a shot at being released in 2025.
Metaphor: ReFantazio
WHERE TO PLAY
From the creative minds behind Persona 3, 4, and 5 comes Metaphor: ReFantazio, a unique fantasy world, where your protagonist will journey alongside his fairy companion, Gallica, to lift the curse from the kingdom’s lost prince.Control your destiny, face your fears, and awaken magical Archetype powers that lie dormant in your heart. By awakening to an Archetype, you will unlock the power to channel and combine the abilities of unique job classes. Strengthen your bonds and build your party to take down powerful foes and discover the kingdom’s true nature.
