Persona 5 Royal Is Back on Game Pass — Play…

Timing is everything. On June 9, 2026 — days after Persona 6 was revealed at the Xbox Games Showcase — Atlus and Microsoft returned Persona 5 Royal to Xbox Game Pass. It's the perfect chance to catch up on the entry P6 is clearly building on. But is subscribing actually the cheapest way to play it? Not necessarily.

What changed, and when

Persona 5 Royal is once again available on Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass and Game Pass Premium as of June 9, 2026. It first joined as a day-one title in October 2022, then left the service in October 2023 — so subscribers have had to buy it separately since. Its return mirrors the recent Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty pattern (back on the service right as a sequel was announced) and lines up neatly with the Persona 6 reveal, which had no release window attached.

Play it free on Game Pass

If you already pay for Game Pass, Persona 5 Royal is now included at no extra cost — a 100+ hour RPG you can start tonight. The catch: Game Pass titles rotate out (this one already did once), and your access ends if your subscription lapses.

Or own it outright from $11.65

If P5R is the main reason you'd subscribe, buying is the smarter long game. The lowest verified PC price right now is $11.65 on Persona 5 Royal — about a single month of Game Pass Ultimate, except you keep it forever and can take your time with that lengthy campaign.

The simple rule

Buy it if P5R is your main target and you want to play at your own pace.
Subscribe if you'll also play several other Game Pass day-one titles this month (the next batch lands June 11 with Beastro, Frog Sqwad and Starseeker: Astroneer Expeditions).

Not sure which plan is best value? Compare Game Pass against PS Plus and the rest on our subscription comparison.