Persona 3 Reload vs. Portable and FES: All P3 Version Differences

Persona 3 has seen many iterations over the years. Its most recent is Persona 3 Reload. With four different versions in total, each version of the game differs slightly, but what are the differences exactly? Here, I’ll go over all of the Persona 3 version differences.

What are All of the Versions of Persona 3?

There are four different versions of Persona 3: Persona 3 (2006), Persona 3 FES (2007), Persona 3 Portable (2009), and Persona 3 Reload (2024).

Persona 3 

The original Persona 3 was released in 2006. You play Makoto Yuki, a high school student who joins the Specialized Extracurricular Execution Squad (SEES) after he figures out he can summon manifestations known as Personas. You’ll have to navigate a complex social life with social links as you experience Makoto’s daily high school life. However, there are monsters known as Shadows you’ll have to defeat and uncover the mystery of the Dark Hour. 

Persona 3 FES

The first remake of P3 was FES, which is short for festival. The most significant addition to this version was a brand new epilogue called “The Answer.” This new epilogue adds over 25 hours of extra gameplay. FES also introduced a Hard Mode, new costumes, and new weapons to synthesize.

Persona 3 Portable

P3 Portable makes the base game the most out of any remakes. This Persona 3 version is more of a visual novel without animated cutscenes. This was meant to make the game more accessible and portable, as the name suggests. There are plenty of new additions to this remake, too. Portable introduced a brand new playable female protagonist, and although the gameplay mechanics stay the same, she has a different set of social links you can interact with. 

Portable also revamped the combat system. You can now command every member of your party in battle. This adds more strategy and control; gone are the days of worrying about what your partners will do. 

Persona 3 Reload

Reload is a remake of the original version of P3. This means it has none of the additions from FES, and the female protagonist from Portable is also missing. However, it has brand-new visuals and fully voice-acted cutscenes. 

The social links have also been revamped as interactive cutscenes. You can also interact with your fellow SEES members more than the original version. There’s a new sense for all your favorite characters to get to know them better. 

One of the most prominent features introduced is the ability to return in time. You’re allowed to rewind time a few days back. This will enable you to get something you missed or if you made a mistake during a social link that you want to fix. 

The combat system has been updated yet again in Reload. The combat takes heavy inspiration from Persoana 5 with a very familiar UI design. So if you’ve played 5, you’ll feel right at home here. Those are all Persona 3 version differences. If you’re interested in P3, check out our dedicated guides hub for topics like What are Spurious Books in Persona 3 Reload? and What is Merciless Difficulty in Persona 3 Reload?