#4. PERSONA 5 ROYAL
In 2017, Persona 5 managed to finally make this once-niche but always-beloved franchise break out in the mainstream. Where do you go from there? Atlus, as it turns out, had the answer. You go up, and that’s exactly what Persona 5 Royal does. It takes the incredible base that the original Persona 5 release provided, sands out its not-insubstantial flaws, makes changes where necessary, adds a whole lot of new stuff that enhances the experience further, and gets everything new that it attempts right on the first try. Strikingly stylish, with universally empathetic characters, and a theme of rebellion and taking charge of your own destiny that resonates with everyone, Persona 5 Royal takes a very good game, and polishes it into being one of the best ones ever made. It’s the work of a development team at their creative peak, and it is really hard to point to any flaws that remain anymore. As we’re sure you’ve noticed, most of this list is Sony first party games. For Persona 5 Royal to not just stand among those games, but tower most of them, says all that needs to be said about its quality. If you have not done so already, get out there and play this game. You’ll fall in love, and you’ll never see it coming.
