8 games like Persona 5 Royal you can play on Nintendo Switch

Persona 5 Royal, an updated and enhanced version of the 2017 JRPG classic, is coming out for PS4 on March 31. Gamers love Persona 5 for its memorable style that blends demon-taming with dungeon-crawling. The story is full of engaging characters and set mostly in a Japanese school, so it winds up feeling like you're the hero in some kind of anime. Royal is essentially a remake of a sort that introduces new characters, locations, and a whole lot more.

Unfortunately, neither Persona 5 nor Persona 5 Royal are available on Nintendo Switch despite the fact that Joker is a DLC fighter in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. For anyone who wishes they could play a Persona game on the Switch, you'll have to whet your appetite with one or more of the following games.

8. Pokémon Sword and Shield

For fans of Persona 5 Royal who love ... the monster-collecting mechanics and anime style

Everyone's aware of the classic Nintendo franchise full of pocket monsters. Pokémon Sword and Shield are already some of the Nintendo Switch's best-selling games despite the game being out for less than six months. Set in the England-inspired Galar region, this latest generation of Pokémon games obviously focuses on capturing and befriending tons of interesting creatures, just like Persona. Sword and Shield also allow for more character customization than ever before. If you wanted to make your Pokémon trainer look like they're from a Persona game, that would probably be easy to pull off.

If you are a Persona fan who owns a Switch but missed out on the Pokémon craze, Pokémon Sword and Shield is worth giving a shot. Expansions will be released later this year and new Max Raids are shuffled in and out monthly, so it's a game you'll be able to play for quite a while.

7. Catherine: Full Body

For fans of Persona 5 Royal who love ... the interpersonal drama in the story and all the romance options

Catherine: Full Body isn't out for Nintendo Switch quite yet, but was confirmed for a release date of July 7 during March 26's Nintendo Direct Mini. Mixing visual novel and puzzle elements, this game follows a man named Vincent who is torn between settling down with his high school sweetheart Katherine for a beautiful new woman named Catherine who may or may not be literally out of this world. The daytime segments of the game involve Vincent chatting with people and hanging out with friends in a bar, but every night he must complete a challenging block puzzle with him dreams or risk never waking up.

Catherine and the Persona series were made by some of the same developers and originally released for Xbox 360 and PS3 in 2011. Catherine: Full Body is a remaster that adds plenty of new scenarios, many of which center around a new girl Qatherine (or Rin) who makes her way into Vincent's life. If you can't wait until July, Full Body is already available for PS4.

6. Dragon Quest XI S: Echoes of an Elusive Age — Definitive Edition

For fans of Persona 5 Royal who love ... turned-based fantasy combat and other classic JRPG elements

While that title is certainly a mouthful, this is a port of the latest entry in the long-running Dragon Quest series. Even if you've never heard of it, you can thank the original Dragon Quest for helping to create the turn-based JRPG formula that's been so prevalent in gaming over the years. Dragon Quest XI S: Echoes of an Elusive Age — Definitive Edition specifically follows a "Chosen One" Hero on the run after his home Kingdom begins to hunt him down.

Games in this series also have that quirky charm similar to games like Persona 5 Royal, and its turn-based mechanics should be palatable to anyone who has spent many hours stealing hearts in Persona 5 or Persona 5 Royal. Remakes of the first three Dragon Quest games are also available on Switch if Dragon Quest XI piques your interest.

5. Xenoblade Chronicles 2

For fans of Persona 5 Royal who love ... summoning characters to help them in JRPG battles

Xenoblade Chronicles 2 was released on Nintendo Switch in December 2017 and follows a boy named Rex who is trying to navigate through a war in the land of Alrest. His ultimate goal is to reach an important place called The World Tree. While Xenoblade Chronicles 2's combat takes place in real-time, players still have to summon Blades for help in battle. In execution, this is pretty similar to how Personas are summoned in Persona 5 Royal.

If you're looking to expand the kind of JRPGs that you like to play, Xenoblade Chronicles 2 has enough similarities to Persona 5 Royal to be a solid Switch game to hop to after beating Atlus' latest. It'll also prepare you for Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition, which comes out in May.

4. Octopath Traveler

For fans of Persona 5 Royal who love ... character-driven narratives with strong backgrounds

Octopath Traveler is straightforward JRPG with clear influence from games like Dragon Quest. That being said, it's most notable for its stunning pixel art graphics and the fact that it features eight distinct playable characters for players to explore the lives of. You can choose who to start as and who to recruit next, learning the compelling motivations as to why each character wants to go on an adventure.

Having a memorable party member is one area where both Persona 5 Royal and Octopath Traveler succeed, and Octopath Traveler is only available on Nintendo Switch and PC as of March 2020.

3. The World Ends With You: Final Remix

For fans of Persona 5 Royal who love ... wacky supernatural adventures with teenagers in Shibuya

The World Ends With You is an underrated Nintendo DS cult classic, and it was re-released on Nintendo Switch by Square Enix as The World Ends With You: Final Remix in 2018. It follows a boy named Neku who is trapped in a deadly game by supernatural forces where he must complete various missions or risk death in the real world. It's set in Shibuya, like some of Persona 5 Royal.

The World Ends With You features real-time battle mechanics that utilize the Switch's motion controls and touch screen, so it's quite a different gameplay experience from Persona 5 Royal in that regard. Still, it has an amazing story and a similar setting, so Persona fans should find a lot to enjoy in The World Ends With You: Final Remix if it's the overall aesthetic of Persona 5 that you love.

2. Fire Emblem: Three Houses

For fans of Persona 5 Royal who love ... the clashing tones of school shenanigans with deadly combat

Unlike Persona 5 Royal, Fire Emblem: Three Houses is a strategy game. But there's a close resemblance in that they both have players oscillate between school-based learning and fighting deadly battles. Just like in Persona, focusing on the right things during these school sections will have noticeable benefits on the field.

Fire Emblem: Three Houses has you select from one of three Houses, and each character has just as much personality as the cast of Persona 5. So there are four main story paths, which means you'll be spending hundreds of hours in this game. Fire Emblem: Three Houses clearly took a lot of cues from Persona 5, so for Switch fans yearning for something similar to Persona, this should be one of the top games you look into.

1. Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE Encore

For fans of Persona 5 Royal who love ... intense drama and memorable characters with summoning-based combat

Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE Encore is a crossover between the Shin Megami Tensei and Fire Emblem series by Atlus, but the result is much closer to feeling like a Persona game than either of the aforementioned titles. Swap out the demons in Persona 5 Royal for Fire Emblem characters and the school setting for one focused on pop idols, and you have Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE Encore.

The game was initially released on Wii U in 2016, but Nintendo gave it new life on Switch in January 2020. Until Atlus decides to port Persona 5 Royal to Nintendo Switch, this is the closest that Switch owners will get. Thankfully, that's pretty darn close.