Persona 5 Royal is a huge JRPG that is absolutely packed with content. Like other games in the Persona series (and the larger Shin Megami Tensei franchise), there are a variety of Persona 5 Royal endings depending on the choices the player makes and the relationships they build throughout their playthrough.
How many endings are there in Persona 5 Royal?
Persona 5 Royal has a total of five different endings. One true ending, one bad and three normal endings.
Royal Brings Back the Original Persona 5’s Bad Endings
There are a couple of ways to receive the original Persona 5’s bad endings. The first (and simplest) is to decline Igor’s contract at the very beginning of the game, which will take the player back to the main menu. The rest involve actually playing the a portion (or most) of the game. Failing to complete any of the palaces for the deadline will unlock a bad ending, as will selling out the rest of the Phantom Thieves during the interrogation.
While the exact circumstances of these endings (particularly the palace deadline ones) vary, they result in a Mysterious Man coming into the interrogation room and shooting the protagonist in the head. The game will then rewind by a week, allowing the player to try again.
The final bad ending from the original Persona 5 can be unlocked on December 24 by agreeing to a pact with the false god. This allows him to take control of the world, though he does make it so the Phantom Thieves are viewed as heroes by the people of Tokyo. Unlike the other bad endings, this one leads to a version of the end credits featuring the song “Freedom and Peace” from the Depths of Mementos.
Vanilla Persona 5 Ended on a Hopeful Note
Likely familiar to those who played the original Persona 5, this ending involves the protagonist surviving the events of the interrogation room, then taking on one more palace and the Depths of Mementos alongside the Phantom Thieves, then defeating the false god instead of siding with him. After some additional events that ultimately result in the protagonist’s criminal record being cleared, it’s time for him to return home from his probation, which involves one last trip with the former Phantom Thieves.
To unlock this ending in Persona 5 Royal, you’ll need to avoid maxing out the new Councillor confidant, as doing so unlocks the third semester and all the new story content that comes with it. The deadline for this is November 18, so those want to unlock every ending without playing through the entire game may want to create a separate save file around this date where they don’t reach Rank 10. This ending unlocks cutscenes and music in the Thieves Den.
The Persona 5 Royal Bad Ending Is Unsettlingly Nice
There are two ways to unlock Persona 5 Royal’s new bad (or ideal) ending. All you have to do is unlock the third semester by maxing out the Councillor confidant, avoid the original bad endings, then accept the offers made to you on either January 9 or February 2. In a way, this “bad” ending is actually pretty nice, as it involves all of the characters getting things that make them happy — though none of that happiness is real. Like the December 24 bad ending, this one will also lead to the end credits, this time with a version of “Ideal and the Real” that is otherwise not heard. It also unlocks more images that can be viewed in the Thieves Den.
Failing to Complete the Final Palace Leads to a Bad Ending
Perhaps Persona 5 Royal’s darkest ending, this one will occur when the player rejects the deal on January 9 and chooses to take on the third semester palace, but fails to complete it by the February 2 deadline. Unlike the other deadline-based endings, this one involves the Phantom Thieves questioning their decision to fight the false reality and the protagonist losing his rebellious will in favor of sleeping, with the cobweb-filled Leblanc attic implying he’s been there for a very long time.
Persona 5 Royal’s Best Ending Is a Bittersweet Goodbye
Persona 5 Royal’s true ending requires players to reject the deals offered during the third semester and take on the final palace and boss. The result is, ultimately, bittersweet. While the Phantom Thieves don’t get their ideal reality, they have the freedom to forge their own paths and the resolve to make their dreams come true for themselves. Each ends the game with a goal or path in mind. As for the protagonist, he heads back to his hometown with his criminal record cleared, this time taking the train. This ending even reveals what happens to Royal’s sympathetic final antagonist.
There is a bonus moment to the post-credits scene that players had the opportunity to unlock by getting to Rank Eight of the Justice confidant in 2022. Doing so would’ve cause the final two Ranks to unlock automatically via story progression and would’ve caused a short scene to play before the regular post-credits scene that throws one character’s fate into question.
