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Persona 3 Reload leads a surprisingly strong batch of Xbox Game Pass additions

By Tomas Franzese January 16, 2024

A character uses a bow and arrow in Persona 3 Reload. — Atlus

Microsoft unveiled the next batch of new Xbox Game Pass titles, which are dropping between January 18 and February 8. Of the seven new titles coming to the video game subscription service over that time span, four are new games being added on the day of their release. The most noteworthy of those games is Persona 3 Reload, Atlus’ highly anticipated remake of an RPG classic.

Persona 3 was first released for the PlayStation 2 in Japan in 2006 and came to North America just a year later. While its sequels would go on to garner a bit more immediate acclaim, Persona 3 provided the solid foundation that they all built on. It is darker than those future entries, though, as you’ll go from living your life as a Japanese teenager to shooting a gun at your own head to summon a Persona in stylish turn-based battles. Persona 3 is considered one of the best RPGs of its generation, and this remake brings the experience to modern platforms with a visual overhaul that makes it look more like Persona 5.

Digital Trends’ Giovanni Colantonio recently went hands-on with the remake and said it was a “solid way to revisit a classic RPG with a modern sheen.” It’s one of the highest-profile game releases of the first half of 2024, so it’s a significant day-one addition to the Xbox Game Pass catalog. This is the full list of games coming to the service, including strong indies like Brotato, over the next couple of weeks.

Turnip Boy Robs a Bank – January 18
F1 23 – January 18
Palworld – January 19
Go Mecha Ball – January 25
Brotato – January 30
Persona 3 Reload – February 2
Anuchard – February 6

The second batch of January 2024 Xbox Game Pass games — Microsoft

Microsoft also used this blog post to confirm that the Hitman: World of Assassination trilogy will leave Xbox Game Pass on January 31. These are some of the best modern stealth action games, so definitely check those three games out before they leave the service’s catalog at the end of the month.

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Tomas Franzese is a Staff Writer at Digital Trends, where he reports on and reviews the latest releases and exciting…

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Persona 3 Reload will release during a surprisingly packed February 2024

A character uses a bow and arrow in Persona 3 Reload.

Atlus announced when players will finally be able to get their hands on the Persona 3 Reload remake, and it's coming out during what's currently looking like a surprisingly packed month for new game releases.
Persona 3 Reload — Meet the S.E.E.S. Trailer | Xbox Game Pass, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Windows PC
Specifically, Persona 3 Reload will launch on February 2, 2024, which is less than three months after strategy game spinoff Persona 5 Tactica. The release date was revealed at the end of a new trailer that introduces the main cast of the JRPG, who make up the Specialized Extracurricular Execution Squad, or S.E.E.S. All in all, it looks like Reload is really shaping up to be a faithful remake of the original version of Persona 3, which first released for the PlayStation 2 in Japan in 2006.
That February 2 release date makes Persona 3 Reload one of 2024's first major game launches, but also places it in a month that's getting surprisingly crowded with games now that the early 2024 game release calendar is taking shape a bit more. It will launch just one day after Granblue Fantasy: Relink, another long-awaited RPG from a Japanese studio that just got a release date at Gamescom Opening Night Live.

Games like Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, Nightingale, and Homeworld 3 are also expected to come out in February, and the month's release lineup will probably only continue to beef up as it gets closer. Although not quite as crowded as this October, which is ridiculously packed with games, February 2024 could end up being one of the busiest months for the video game industry next year.
Persona 3 Reload launches for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S on February 2, 2024.