I'll just give you a proper breakdown of each Persona and where they stand. Get ready for a long post!They are the main games in the series, am I right?
I see that there is a Persona 4 Arena, Persona Q, and dancing games in the wiki
Persona 1
Shin Megami Tensei: Persona came out on PS1
Persona PSP is just a PSP port of the original Persona with some new music and widescreen support
Persona 2
Persona 2: Innocent Sin came out on the PS1, and a PSP port with the same name released on PSP with widescreen support and enhanced music
Persona 2: Eternal Punishment is a sequel/part 2 to Persona 2: Innocent Sin and released on PS1. It also got a PSP port of the same name with widescreen support and enhanced music, but that only released in Japan
Both games are essential as, as far as I'm aware, Persona 2 was always meant to be two games.
Now here's where it gets confusing.
Persona 3
Persona 3 came out on PS2
Persona 3 FES is an enhanced version of Persona 3 which also released on PS2, it has a new 30-40 hour mode taking place after the main story
Persona 3 Portable is a cut-down version of Persona 3 FES with some enhancements (such as a girl protagonist and some quality of life improvements to battle) and it released on PSP, but doesn't have the Persona 3 FES after story and the story presentation is cut-down to visual novel style rather than full 3D and FMV cutscenes
Persona 3 Dancing in Moonlight is a Persona 3 dancing game that doesn't have a proper story and is just a celebration of that game's music - it released for PS Vita and PS4
Persona 4 Arena is a fighting game sequel to Persona 3 (and 4) which released on PS3 and Xbox 360
Persona 4 Arena Ultimax is a fighting game sequel to Persona 4 Arena which released on PS3 and Xbox 360
Persona 4
Persona 4 released on PS2
Persona 4 Golden is an enhanced version of Persona 4 which released on PS Vita and PC
Persona 4 Arena is a sequel to Persona 4 (and 3) that released for PS3 and Xbox 360
Persona 4 Arena Ultimax is a fighting game sequel to Persona 4 Arena which released on PS3 and Xbox 360
Persona 4: Dancing All Night is a sequel to Persona 4 and released on PS Vita and PS4 (but the PS4 version is only available as a special promotion with the P3 and P5 dancing games)
Persona 5
Persona 5 released for PS3 and PS4
Persona 5 Royal is an enhanced version of Persona 5 which released for PS4
Persona 5 Strikers is a sequel to Persona 5 which is due to release for PS4, Switch and PC
Persona 5 Dancing in Starlight is a Persona 5 dancing game that doesn't have a proper story and is just a celebration of that game's music - it released for PS Vita and PS4
Persona Q
Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth is a 3DS spinoff RPG that features the characters of Persona 3 and Persona 4 working together in a mysterious world (it's canon, but doesn't impact the main games for reasons)
Persona Q2: New Cinema Labyrinth is a 3DS spinoff RPG that features the characters of Persona 5 working together with the Persona 3 and 4 cast in a mysterious world (again, it's canon, but doesn't impact the main games for reasons)
In terms of must-play titles for each mainline Persona game right now (I'm discounting the rumoured P3 remake as we don't know what's going on with that)...
Persona (PSP)
Persona 2: Innocent Sin (PSP)
Persona 2: Eternal Punishment (PS1) - there's no Western PSP version, so unless we get a fan translation...
Persona 3 FES (PS2) or Portable (PSP) - there is no definitive version of Persona 3 yet so deciding which version to play is difficult
Persona 4 Golden (PC or Vita)
Persona 5 Royal (PS4)
You can ignore the original Persona 3, Persona 4 and Persona 5 games unless you really want to see what the originals were like. But the enhanced versions generally improve on the originals in every meaningful way, and the added story content is always optional and gated so you can get something very close to the original games on the enhanced versions if you wish.
As for the other games...
Fans of Persona 3 and/or 4 will enjoy Persona Q, but it's not essential.
Fans of Persona 5 will enjoy Persona Q2, with some nice (if more limited) fanservice for fans of Persona 3 & 4, but again it isn't essential.
Persona 4 Arena can be skipped nowadays. Persona 4 Arena Ultimax has a DLC story for the Persona 4 Arena story, so just play that one. It is a sequel to Persona 3 & 4 so play both games before jumping into this. I'd say the Arena games are inconsequential and you can probably ignore them if Persona 3 & 4 were enough.
Persona 4 Dancing All Night is the final story in the Persona 4 canon, and should be played last. It's a farewell to the characters and isn't essential - just some fanservice fluff.
The Persona 3 & 5 dancing games are just for people who enjoy those title's music.
I don't yet know where P5S sits as far as sequels go. I thought P5R was a fine game on its own and it doesn't really need a sequel, just as P3 & 4 didn't, so it's probably going to be an enjoyable sequel for fans more than anything else.
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