While Persona 5 Royal might have an added name in its title, it is essentially an enhanced version of Persona 5. They are different because Persona 5 Royal has added characters, dungeons, and items for players to encounter.
Differences between Persona 5 and Persona 5 Royal
The two characters added are Kasumi Yoshizawa and Takuto Maruki. The former's story is intertwined with the main character as another student at school and the wielder of the Faith arcana. She is also playable at some points in the game. Takuto's role in the game is a little different. He acts as the new school counselor well as the wielder of the Councillor arcana. The two provide the player with new gameplay experiences and dialogue options that weren't available before.
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Beyond those additions, players can also take advantage of the following changes in the Royal version.
- New Epilogue chapter.
- New location: Kichijoji (Unlocked after reaching level five ranking in the Faith Confidant).
- Additional Third School Semester (January and February).
- New Thieves Den area that acts as a gallery room.
- New Confidants: Faith and Councilor.
- New story events, additional cutscenes, and new "True" ending.
- New Personas and new enemies.
- Added holidays and holiday-related events.
- New items, armor sets, accessories, etc.
One particular change that some fans might be excited to learn is that in Persona 5 Royal, Morgana speaks to you less, regardless of the difficulty. Atlus listened when they heard that fans were all but thrilled at the number of times that Morgana interacts with you throughout battles. Realistically, players can enjoy Persona 5 through the best possible experience available to them in Persona 5 Royal.
For more Persona 5 Royal, check out Where to use the Beefcake Book in Persona 5 Royal only on Pro Game Guides.