The July 31 Nintendo Direct Partner Showcase contained a surprise for Atlus fans, asPersona 3 Reloadwas announced for the Switch 2. As one of the top remakes of 2024 and considered one of the Persona franchise’s best entries by fans,Persona 3 Reloadwill be heading to the Switch 2 later this fall.
Originally released in July 2006 for the PS2,Persona 3is a turn-based JRPG that puts players in the perspective of a high school transfer student who eventually joins the Specialized Extracurricular Execution Squad (SEES). The group’s mission is to investigate a phenomenon called the “Dark Hour” and a mysterious tower called Tartarus, which is home to monstrous Shadows. In January 2024,Persona 3was remade for modern consoles and Windows PCs with the release ofPersona 3 Reload, which went on tobecome one of the highest-rated video games of 2024.Persona 3 Reloadwas developed using Unreal Engine 4.
Over a year afterPersona 3 Reloadwas launched on multiple platforms, the Persona franchise makes its return on Nintendo’s latest hardware. As revealed during the July 31 Nintendo Direct Partner Showcase,Persona 3 Reloadwill launch on Switch 2 on Thursday, October 23. Pre-orders of thedigital version ofPersona 3 Reloadare now available on the Nintendo eShop, starting at $59.99 for the standard edition. The digital deluxe and digital premium editions ofPersona 3 Reloadare also available for $69.99 and $89.99, respectively. The former upgrade also includes access to the digital art book and soundtrack, and the latter also adds in cosmetic DLC outfits based on otherPersonaentries. Atlus released an extended trailer forPersona 3 Reload’s Switch 2 port following the Partner Showcase.
However, the Episode Aigis DLC is currently not listed on the Nintendo eShop in the US, so it is unclear ifPersona 3 Reload’s post-game expansion will be available at launch or at a later date. Despite being listed as a 25.4 GB download, physical copies ofPersona 3 Reloadwill be distributedvia Game-Key Cards on the Switch 2. Given that Game-Key Cards require Internet access to download, install, and play various titles, the format has been a contentious sticking point for gamers.
Between the upcoming Switch 2 port ofPersona 3 Reloadandcontinued development ofPersona 4 Revival, fans of Atlus' games will have plenty of content to enjoy over the coming months. It remains to be seen how successfulPersona 3 Reloadwill be on Nintendo’s latest console.
