The latest Persona spin-off has arrived, sending P5‘s Phantom Thieves on a tactics-filled journey. But when does Persona 5 Tactica actually take place in the P5 timeline?
Note: The following will contain spoilers for the base Persona 5 and Royal, up to and including their respective twists and endings. Be warned!
Persona 5 Tactica is a follow-up to Persona 5
In the intro cutscene of Persona 5 Tactica, a conversation between the Phantom Thieves and some other dialogue makes it clear that this game takes place after Shido’s Palace in base Persona 5. It’s possible this includes the final-final battle of Persona 5 as well, but at the very least, the gang has dealt with the politician.
Given the entire Thieves crew is assembled, that adds extra weight to the timeline of when this happens. Considering Joker leaves for home at the conclusion of Persona 5, we can at the very least, assume this happens before that tearful goodbye.
As for where this takes place in regards to the events of Persona 5 Royal, that’s a bit murkier, due to the nature of Royal. Both Akechi and “Kasumi” have been confirmed for a DLC appearance. But that doesn’t really resolve where or how their role fits in with P5T. We’ll update this piece as we learn more.
A separate world
While the timeline question is interesting, it’s also worth noting that—in our experience thus far—Tactica doesn’t bleed into the main world of Persona 5 too much. While the Phantom Thieves are dealing with the strife in the Kingdoms, those events take place largely separate, in a way that can’t affect canon too much.
Similar to P5 Strikers and other spin-offs, it doesn’t seem like Tactica will be too critical to Persona 5 lore. Ultimately, it’s a side venture for those who want both tactics and some Phantom Thieves chill time. Persona 5 Tactica certainly delivers a heaping helping of each.
