Persona 5 is full of intriguing elements to it, but one of the most memorable is the soundtrack. When I think of the Persona series, I don’t always think of the fantastic characters, but, rather, the music.
There are even times when I’m working where I will jam to songs like Beneath the Mask rain edition, which is perhaps my favorite track in the JRPG. It’s for this song and many others that you should pay close attention to this Persona 5 vinyl guide.
Vinyls are the classiest way to celebrate a particular video game’s soundtrack. And you would be hard-pressed to find a series and game that has better music than Persona 5. This is the crown jewel of how to make a soundtrack that brings everything to life.
The world, the streets, shops, stations, cafes, characters, dungeons, and story beats are all affected by the music here. You can start to cement this music as part of your merch collection via this Persona 5 vinyl guide.
Bottom Line Up Front
When it comes to the Persona 5 vinyls out there, there are certainly some official versions. Thankfully, Atlus has been great enough to release official vinyl soundtracks in the past. In fact, there have even been several official versions of the soundtrack, depending on the game version.
For those who prefer the original Persona 5, there is vinyl for that. In addition, there is a soundtrack vinyl for the Royal edition of the game. I recommend the latter if you can only buy one, but collectors will likely want to pick up both since they look pretty different from one another.
Vinyl Buying Tips
Picking up one of the Persona 5 vinyls is a challenging situation. They aren’t cheap, and they are rather hard to find these days. This is what happens when a publisher releases official, already pricey merch and then leaves it to a limited stock for fans to pick up.
As such, I have a few tips for you when it comes to this tricky task of buying one (or all) of the official Persona 5 vinyls that exist currently:
- Check multiple websites. Below, you’ll find a link to buy these vinyls. But there is always a chance with different resellers and even sales that vinyl could be cheaper somewhere else when you’re ready to buy.
- Verify the source you’re buying from. I will only list stores that are usually considered reputable but still do your research. This goes doubly so if you are buying from a reseller marketplace.
- In the same vein, know the return and refund policy of whatever site you’re buying on. Places like eBay generally have protections in place but know your rights in case of unfortunate issues with the pieces of vinyl.
- Prioritize what matters to you more. There are a few official types of vinyl. Listen to the different soundtracks and examine their appearances. Since they are so expensive, prioritize the one that matters the most to you.
All Persona 5 Vinyls
Without further ado, let’s dive in and take a look at all of the official vinyl records that have been released for Persona 5 and the series as a whole. I should note that there are only three official vinyl that Atlus itself has created and distributed for fans to pick up.
If you find a vinyl that isn’t one of the following three, chances are that it is fake. Unless it is a new version that comes out years from the time of writing this, there is no other Persona 5 or Persona series vinyl other than these, so your mileage may vary on how those other vinyls turn out.
Let’s take a look at all of the ones that are available and where to buy them.
Persona 5 Official Vinyl
- Price: $300 (at the bare minimum)
- Discs: 4 vinyl discs
First up on this list is the original: the Persona 5 official vinyl set. This was initially released in early 2018, being the first of its kind for the Persona series. It came out nearly a year after Persona 5’s official release in the West and included records detailing most of the songs from the soundtrack.
If you want to hear classic themes from the battle background music to every Palace dungeon in the beloved game, this is the track to pick up. It comes with four discs, too, which makes it a bit more of a deal than the next vinyl set on this list.
Visual Appearance Is Decent
As with any record set, though, much of the love surrounding it comes from the presentation. The presentation here is decent. The box that the set comes in is alright, doing the primary job of capturing the Phantom Thieves in their full glory. No love for Goro, though, so there’s a knock against it for that.
The records are all different colors, including red, silver, transparent, and black. They also have a mask in the middle that represents four of the respective Phantom Thieves masks. Overall, it’s a solid vinyl set but certainly safe for Persona 5.
It is pricey, too, since it is several years old. Be careful with this one so you don’t get a banged-up used set or a fake one. That is why I included the Amazon set since it is one of the safer options out there in case of any issues that may arise.
Persona 5 Royal Edition Official Vinyl
- Price: $200-$300 (excluding any possible sales)
- Discs: 3 discs
If you want to add to your collection and get the other half of the Persona 5 vinyl set, it is time to pick up the Persona 5 Royal Edition collection. This comes with a few extra vinyl types, including many of the new tracks recorded for the Persona 5 Royal release.
You get tracks like the background music for the regular fights, exploration, the new dungeon themes, and even some of the new areas like the Kichijoji theme. I love the music in Royal, so for fans of that music, too, this is a vinyl set that you should absolutely consider.
What’s Included
However, it does come with some negatives that are worth noting. For one, there is the fact that it comes with three discs instead of the four that the original Persona 5 vinyl set had. You don’t get all of the tracks from both games in a single one of these sets and need both for the entire collection.
But, in general, if you want the most bang for your buck, the original Persona 5 set will offer more songs.
Presentation is Fantastic
That said, what the Persona 5 Royal Edition makes up for is in the presentation. The outside of the box is unbelievably gorgeous, showing off Ryuji, Ann, Morgana, Joker, and Kasumi.
The stunning logo and comic book panels look so well done. They once again snub my boy Goro but at least show him off in some of the inlets. Speaking of which, the inside of this vinyl set is commendable, too, showing sweeping views of Tokyo and the full calendar for the year.
There is also something to be said about the discs themselves in this set. They feature gold, black, and deep crimson red discs. They all also have a couple of Phantom Thieves masks on them to show some love to the group members. This presentation is unmatched; it’s too bad that it couldn’t come with more songs, though.
You can get this one for sometimes even cheaper than the original Persona 5 set, such as the sale it has going on at the time of writing this.
Persona 25th Anniversary Deluxe Vinyl Box Set
- Price: $400 (could undoubtedly go up post-launch via resellers)
- Discs: 15 discs
Lastly, there is one final vinyl set for the Persona series and it is a doozy. If you are a dedicated fan with plenty of disposable income, consider the Persona 25th Anniversary Deluxe Vinyl Box Set. This is the most luxurious option that you could find for this particular type of Persona merch item.
What this Vinyl Comes With
In fact, it is the most extensive Persona vinyl set that you will ever find at this time. It is currently available for preorder and contains a whopping 15 discs for Persona fans out there. This is a 25th Anniversary set celebrating 25 years since the original Shin Megami Tensei: Persona launched on the PS1.
It comes with plenty of Persona 5 songs, as you might expect, but there is so much more to it at the same time. You also get pieces from every single game in the series, including Persona 1, Persona 2: Innocent Sin, Persona 2: Eternal Punishment, Persona 3, Persona 4, and Persona 5.
I don’t know exactly if this set comes with tracks from each version of these games, though, since it isn’t out yet. Since there are different versions for most Persona titles, they each come with their own track versions. For instance, there is the Persona 1 remake on PSP, Persona 3 Portable, Persona 4 Golden, and Persona 5 Royal.
It isn’t sure if this set comes with tracks from those versions that were exclusive to them or not. That said, what we do know is that this Persona 25th Anniversary collection has more than 8.5 hours of remastered music from all of these games for you to parse through and listen to.
That is unbelievably impressive and it comes down to the fact that there are a whopping 15 discs to collect in this box set.
Masterclass in Presentation
The presentation is rather nice, including a simple box with each main protagonist from the games shown off across the front.
The various colors representing each game are excellent, like purple for Persona 1 and blue for Persona 3. But it doesn’t stop there. If you break open the box set, you’ll find individual collections for all five mainline entries (bringing the Persona 2 duology together) that show off aspects of each of them.
Extra Goodies Explained
That is an equally impressive touch that makes this one of the best collector’s items ever made for the Persona series. You also get other extra goodies like sticker sheets, cards, and more. It is currently sold out even at its hefty price point of $400, but it hasn’t shipped yet.
There is always the chance that more sets will be sold in the future, but you may have to rely on resellers if that doesn’t happen. Given the collectible nature of this set and how massive it is, I presume it will cost a lot of money if you have to buy from a third-party seller.
Best Alternatives
Though these few vinyl sets are quite expensive, there are only a few of them. If you are a hardcore collector who wants to get as many video game-themed vinyl sets as possible, you’ll have to look elsewhere to fill out your collection. Here are a few alternatives that I think Persona 5 fans would appreciate:
- Shin Megami Tensei III Nocturne Vinyl Set: It comes with some classic themes that give a darker, moodier feel compared to the Persona games.
- 35th Anniversary Final Fantasy Vinyl Set: If you love turn-based games like Persona and its music, another fantastic related option would be this massive vinyl set for the beloved Final Fantasy series. If you want some of the most memorable JRPG music around, this is the one to get.
- Persona 3 Stand-alone Vinyl: While there aren’t any official standalone vinyl sets, people have made their own. For instance, this person seemingly took the Persona 3 section of the 25th Anniversary Collection and is selling it on its own for those who want it.
FAQs
Question: How many OSTs does Persona 5 have?
Answer: Persona 5 has two original soundtracks for the beloved JRPG. There is the first one, which is the original soundtrack for the base Persona 5 game. This is the one that is included in the original PS3 and PS4 titles.
But there is also a Persona 5 Royal Edition soundtrack that consists of all of the new tracks from that masterpiece of a version.
Question: Is the Persona 5 Royal Soundtrack Different?
Answer: Yes, the Persona 5 Royal soundtrack is different from the original Persona 5 OST. It doesn’t have some of the same songs as that version, plus it includes many of the new songs that were added to the Persona 5 Royal version. This consists of the new combat themes and exploration tracks.
Question: Is there a Persona 5 Vinyl?
Answer: Yes, there is a Persona 5 vinyl. In fact, there are three of them, technically. There is the original Persona 5 vinyl, one dedicated solely to Persona 5 Royal, and then a third part of the 25th Anniversary Collection. All are well worth considering adding to your Persona merch collection.
What Persona 5 Item to Pick Up Next
Persona 5 is one of the best games ever made and certainly among the top JRPGs of all time. As such, there are a lot of reasons why some Persona 5 fans would want to cement their love for the Phantom Thieves in a way that is apparent to everyone who walks into their humble abode.
One of the best ways to do that is to buy some of the Persona 5 vinyl soundtracks out there. There are only three of them, but just purchasing these alone will likely cost you well over $1000 in total when you deal with all of the reseller nonsense.
But these are also gorgeous sets that contain some of the best music ever made for a video game.
Now, I understand that the Persona 5 vinyl soundtrack might be a bit too much for some fans. It is pretty expensive, so it’s not even something that I would be able to splurge on right now, as much as I would like to.
In that case, if you’re looking for some merch items to show your love that is much cheaper, might I recommend checking out some Persona shirts? These can help to still publicly show your love while being much, much more affordable.
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