Summary

  • Despite Persona's popularity, Shin Megami Tensei games are the foundation of the series.
  • SMT games offer engaging narratives and challenging difficulty levels for hardcore JRPG fans.
  • The SMT series has a dedicated fanbase, with some titles not available in English.

Though the spin-off Persona series is undoubtedly more popular, the 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Shin Megami Tensei games served as the foundation 🍌before many players even discovered that the Persona games existed. A storied series with a good amount of games in its catalog aဣlong with a healthy amount of spin-offs, the SMT games are known for their engaging narratives and challenging levels of difficulty.

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Despite being overshadowed by the success o♉f the afor🎐ementioned spin-off series Persona, there are still tons of dedicated SMT fans. Being a fairly old franchise, some titles are not only hard to get a hold of, but simply not available in English – as not everything can be localized. Still, there are ways around that. Rankin🌼g the Shin Megami Tensei games is a✱n immense challenge since there are so many great entries, but this series has something for every hardcore JRPG fan out there.

Updated on July 17, 2024, by Jouanna Bondakji: The Shin Megami Tensei series birthed the first ever Persona game, despite not being as popular. Though they're similar in some aspects, the SMT games have always been on the darker, more philosophical side. With the release of Shin Megami Tensei 5: Vengeance out as an update to the latest SMT game, we've updated this list.

12 Shin Megami Tensei NI𝔍NE

SMT: Nine characters in the streets of Tokyo next to demons

Release Date

December 5, 2002

Platforms

Xbox

Though far from being the best SMT game, SMT: NINE is notable for a couple of reasons. Aside from having never received an official English release, SMT NINE was released as an Xbox exclusive back in 2002.

The console never really took off in Japan, so seeing it get such a big name property to itself is a little weird. The game’s sales started out pretty lukewarm and only got worse from thereꦉ. The reception was mixed and though its visuals ꦐwere praised, the combat was confusing and made battling feel like more of a task than it should have.

11 ꦏ Shin Megami Ten🤡sei 2

Shin Megami Tensei 2 Cover Art depicting a group of characters an an archangel above them

Release Date

March 18, 1994

Platforms

Super Famicom, PlayStation, 𒉰Game Boy Advance, iOS, Android

In some cases, the sequel does it better, and in others, it just fails to hol❀d a candle to the original. You can chalk Shin Megami Tensei 2 upꦡ as belonging to the latter category. Though it did do some things right, this title is lacking in almost every aspect.

While the original SMT was notable for its unforgiving level 𝓰of difficulty, its successor toned those elements down. Too much in fact, as🐓 it just seemed like all the challenge had been taken out of it. It was just too similar to its predecessor while lacking in several key areas.

10 Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey ♌ 𒀰

Shin Megami Tensei Strange Journey art showing a woman in red, a blonde-haired woman on the beach, and a series of other characters

Release Date

October 8, 2009

Platforms

Nintendo DS, Nintendo 3Ds

One of the more modern mainline SMT games, Strange Journey may have very well sparked interest in the series here in the west once again. It’s a solid effort, but not the best the 🌸series has to offer.

The game’s 🐬battle mechanics are solid and well-balanced. It doesn’t overwhelm you but also allows you to be challenged. However, the demon fusion doesn’t feel as in-depth as it has in previous entries. Des❀pite this, it is one of the longer SMT games and some players do rank it as one of the best SMT games.

9 🔯 Shin Megami Tense✅i

The three main characters of Shin Megami Tensei standing next to each other in front of a backdrop of demons

Release Date

October 30, 1992

Platforms

Super Famicom, CD-ROM, Mega-CD, Playstation, ☂Game Boy Advance, iOS💃, Android

The game that started it all, th♚e original Shin Megami Tensei never actually got a release in the West. Well, unless you count the iOS version that was released back in 2014.

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The game is a great introduction to the series, and though there may not be any official releases worth playing, there are ways around that. It has its faults, like frustratingly high e💮ncounter rates and the potential to get lost too easily, and does look like a product of its time for the most part, but can still be a fun and challenging adventure.

8 Shin Megဣami Tensei: if...

shin megami tensei if ideo hazama bowing down with a spotlight on him

Release Date

October 28, 1994

Platforms

iOS, SNES, Playstation

Another title that was never brought over from Japan (and one many players don't know about), SMT fans have been begging for an official iflocalization for a good long while. Though that’ll probably never happ▨en, the game can still be played if you’re dedicated enough and is worth the effort.

The game is probably most notable for its high school setting, something Atlus would take notice of and apply to the very first Persona game. Though the series has changed considerably, all you Persona fans should check this title out.

7 ꦦ Shin Megami Tensei 5🍌

Shin Megami Tensei 5 Nahobino looking up towards the viewer with a serious look on his face

Release Date

November 11, 2021

Platforms

Nintendo Switch

There's a lot to like about Shin Megami Tensei 5. The look and feel of the game are the most smooth and refined yet. This title truly brings the SMT series into the modern generation. Most fa♏ns are just happy to get a new mainline SMT at all after so many years between SMT ꦿ4 and this.

Though it does fall short in certain areas, and the story is far from the highs the better entries on th▨is list manage to hit, and the gameplay requires way too much grinding at certain points, it is still an overall enjoyable title for fans of the series.

6 Shin Megami Tensei 4: Apocalypse ✨ 🌄

shinmegamitensei 4 apocalypse showing many characters of the cast against a murky green background

Release Date

February 10, 2016

Platforms

Nintendo 3DS

The SMT games have always gone for a higher stakes apocalyptic setting that’s generally gone over well with fans and really given the series its identity. Apocalypse gained favorable revie🧸ws from🧸 critics and fans alike and sold very well.

The game is one of the best JRPG experiences you can have on the 3DS, and it’s got a solid narrative and adds in a ton of great features and improvements to the base mechanics from SMT 4. It’s a game that you should play regardless of your interest in the SMT series.

5 ꦐ Shin Megami Tensei 5: Vengeance

The Nahobino awakened to their new power in Shin Megami Tensei 5 Vengeance

Release Date

June 14, 2024

Platforms

Nintendo Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|🌳S

Despite SMT 5 being an upgrade from previous games in some respects, it noticeably lacked in other departments. Namely, its story and 🧸characters were pretty weak, and its framerate issues could annoy even the most easygoing gamer. Vengeance puts in a lot of effort to fix those issues while adding so much more to the original.

There's a whole new storyline you can experience, and not only is there a new character, but the current ones also get more fleshed out. A ton more demons also make their appearance, and you can hang out with them in 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:the all-new Demon Haunt. These things, plus aಌll the other tweaks and cool additions to the game, make SMT 5 feel much less rough around the edges and much mor🐓e put-together. It's still not perfect, but it's much closer now.

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4 🍬 🍎 Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor 1 & 2

The cast of Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor Overclocked posing alongside the game logo.

Game

Devil Survivor

Devil Survivor 2

Release Date

January 15, 2009

July 8 2011

Platforms

Nintendo DS, Nintendo 3DS

Nintendo DS, Nintendo 3DS

The Devil Survivor games were sleeper hits for the DS (and later remastered for the 3DS). Unlike other SMT games, they are 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:strategy RPGs with traditional combat blended in. Despite the strategy RPG elements, you still get to enjoy a lot of the series' conventions. For instance, the game still revolves around a gang of young adults in Tokyo, and allying yourself with powerful dem🍨ons is still a key component of the gameplay.

There are admittedly some brutal difficulty spikes, but you have a lot of control over your party and what strategy you use. The story is tantalizingly dark, revolving around the characters having visible numbers over their heads that൲ denote how many days they have left to live. Your decisions can affect which characters live and die. Both games are of a similar caliber, and both games are worth any SMT fan's time.

3 ♛ Shin Megami 🎃Tensei: Strange Journey Redux

Shin Megami Tensei Strange Journey Redux the protagonist standing between two demons in a dungeon

Release Date

October 26, 2017

Platforms

Nintendo 3DS

Atlus has really taken a liking to launching enhanced versions of their games, usually not all too long after their initial release. It happens a lot with Persona, and it seems as though they took that formula and applied it to SMT as well.

Released nearly a decade after the original, Redux proved to be a wonderful improvement over it🦩s predecessor with some quality content added in. The new content only bolsters what made the original so great, and is as accessible to newcomers as it is to veterans of the series.