JRPG Christmas comes early as Persona 3 Reload and Granblue Fantasy: Relink both break street date

Persona 3 Reload
(Image credit: Atlus)

Persona 3 Reload and Granblue Fantasy: Relink have broken street dates, as physical copies are in the wild a week before their proper release dates.

Over the past day, posts such as the ones below began to emerge from players who received an early copy of the games before their release dates later this month. Granblue Fantasy: Relink officially comes out on February 1, with Persona 3 Reload following just a day later on February 2.

A tad early, can’t wait! from r/PERSoNA
I got lucky and received the game early! from r/GranblueFantasyRelink

Needless to say, spoilerific details will surely be circulating around the interwebs as we inch closer to release. Though for Persona 3 Reload, which is pretty faithfully remaking a 2006 story, spoilers probably won't be too drastic. Regardless, should you want to savor the experience with fresh eyes, it's best to avoid online spaces before any potential surprises crop up. Granblue Fantasy hopefuls have less reason to be worried since the recently detailed post-launch support should continue to keep the surprises coming for a while. 

I'm now comfortable declaring that JRPG Christmas is in full swing, following the release of old-school homage Crystal Story and the absolutely mammoth Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth, a game that our review called a "sublime RPG." 

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth then hops into the party on February 29, before Dragon's Dogma 2 enters the ring on March 22. That's about five 50+ hour RPGs coming out in the span of a few weeks, which is giving me untold levels of hype anxiety. 

Will any of the contenders break into our best JRPGs ranking? We'll know soon enough. 

Freelance contributor

Kaan freelances for various websites including Rock Paper Shotgun, Eurogamer, and this one, Gamesradar. He particularly enjoys writing about spooky indies, throwback RPGs, and anything that's vaguely silly. Also has an English Literature and Film Studies degree that he'll soon forget.

Read more
Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time
Animal Crossing meets Breath of the Wild meets an MMO? I can see why Fantasy Life i has been delayed so many times, but it's finally coming out soon
Year in review: Aerith and Tifa stand side-by-side in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth
From Dragon Age: The Veilguard to Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, here's the best RPGs of 2024
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth Aerith and Tifa suited
PC gamers really ate at The Game Awards: Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth PC release date finally set for next month
persona 3 reload year in review
Persona 3 Reload opened my eyes to JRPGs in 2024 and now I consider myself a reformed hater
Best JRPGs: the characters in the game Dragon Quest 11 S
The best JRPGs to play in 2025
Lunar Remastered Collection
Lunar Remastered Collection launches this April for $50, or about $150 less than the original PS1 JRPGs would cost you in 2025
Latest in JRPG
Suikoden
Konami spent over 5 years bringing an iconic JRPG series back to life as reviving Suikoden "would be over" before it began if they released a "half-baked product"
Final Fantasy 14: Dawntrail cinematic screenshot showing Alphinaud Leveilleur, an Elezen boy with short white hair
Final Fantasy 14's funniest speedrunning beef continues as runner who lost a world record to its original champ in just 1 day returns, beats record, is promptly dethroned again
Persona 4 Golden All-Out-Attack cut-in screenshot featuring Kanji, Yu, Chie, and Yukiko.
Persona 4's iconic singer confirms she's "recording for a new game," leaving JRPG fans wondering if a remake is finally on the cards
Nier Automata
Square Enix announces event for the Nier series' 15th anniversary, and fans are hoping Nier Automata will finally get a sequel after 8 years
Screenshot from Guns Undarkness
Persona and Metaphor: ReFantazio composer's new JRPG gets a Steam Next Fest demo, and it's basically a turn-based Metal Gear Solid
Goro Majima in his pirate outfit, leading his crew in Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii
10 years after Yakuza 0, Majima's swashbuckling return finally puts a bowline knot on decades of character growth
Latest in News
Dragon Age Inquisition
Dragon Age actor says the last time he played Inquisition, he upheld the RPG tradition led by Baldur's Gate 3 actors and romanced his own character: "Which is the best — the best"
Monster Hunter Wilds
Capcom promises "this is just the start for the next generation of Monster Hunter" as Wilds shatters sales milestones: "The Guild authorizes this celebration!"
Lester sitting at a computer in some artwork for GTA Online
Some GTA 5 players can't bring their characters to the new PC upgrade, and the open-world game's mixed Steam reviews are hammering FPS caps and a lack of text chat
Kamala Khan holds Jean Grey's body in an homage to the cover of Uncanny X-Men #136
45 years after the original Dark Phoenix Saga, Ms. Marvel Kamala Khan will travel back in time to save X-Men history
Assassin's Creed Shadows screenshot showing Yasuke kneeling and praying while wearing a traditional purple robe
Assassin's Creed Shadows is the first game in the series with "a fully customizable sandbox" as your base, which is where Yasuke and Naoe hang out and pet baby animals
Monster Hunter Wilds screenshot of spider boss Nerscylla
Monster Hunter Wilds takes an infamously rare and annoying material from the old games and absolutely buries you in it – and also buries you in tiny spiders