Persona 5 Royal and other games in the franchise are more than turned-based role-playing games—they’re also daily life simulators. One of the most important aspects of this part of the Persona franchise is social stats. Social stats affect which events are accessible to you (including Confidant events and jobs), allowing you to accomplish more things.
There are plenty of ways to raise your social stats in Persona 5 Royal, one of which is by reading books. The right book can also unlock locations you can take your Confidants to for a boost in affinity and other activities. Here’s a list of every book in the game, their effects, and where to find them.
Persona 5 Royal Book Locations
Café Leblanc Attic
When you first move into Sojiro’s café, there are two books you can find almost immediately.
| Book | No. of Chapters | Effect | How to unlock |
|---|---|---|---|
| Social Thought | 2 | Knowledge+3 | Clean the attic |
| Yoncha Walker 04 | 1 | Unlocks shortcuts to the Bathhouse and Batting Center in Yogen-Jaya | Clean the attic |
Shujin School Library
The books in the Shujin School Library can be borrowed anytime. Some books are unlocked later in the story. You can only borrow one book at a time.
| Book | No. of Chapters | Effect | How to unlock |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pirate Legend | 2 | Guts+3 | Available from the start |
| The Alluring Dancer | 2 | Charm+3 | Available from the start |
| The Great Thief | 2 | Knowledge+3 | Available from the start |
| Zorro the Outlaw | 2 | Kindness+3 | Available from the start |
| The Gallant Rogue | 2 | Guts+3 | Unlocks after Yusuke joins the team |
| The Illusory Popess | 2 | Kindness+3 | Unlocks after Makoto joins the team |
| Cry of Cthulu | 2 | Proficiency+3 | Unlocks after Haru joins the team |
| Dressed in Ashes | 2 | Charm+3 | Unlocks after Kasumi joins the team |
| The Hero with a Bow | 2 | Guts+3 | Unlocks after Akechi joins the team |
| Speed Reader | 1 | Allows you to read more than one chapter per session | Unlocks after 7/1 |
How to rent books in Persona 5 Royal
To rent books in Persona 5 Royal, speak with the Student Librarian in the room. You don't need to search for the books off the shelves.
Related: All Test Answers in Persona 5 Royal
Books can also be purchased in Bookstores around Tokyo. Talk to the Bookstore employees to see the current selection. Unlike the library, you can buy more than one book at once.
Taiheido Bookstore on Central Street
| Book | No. of Chapters | Effect | Price | How to unlock |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buchiko's Story | 2 | Kindness+3 | ¥700 | Available from the start |
| Playing the Game | 2 | Charm+3 | ¥700 | Available from the start |
| The Art of Charm | 2 | Charm+3 | ¥700 | Available from the start |
| Tidying the Heart | 2 | Proficiency+3 | ¥700 | Available from the start |
| Vague | 1 | Unlocks Harajuku | ¥1,800 | Unlocks after 5/18 |
| Medjed Menance | 2 | Knowledge+3 | ¥1,200 | Unlocks after 6/1 |
| Nightlife Hotspots | 1 | Unlocks Odaiba Seaside Park | ¥1,800 | Unlocks after 6/1 |
| Wise Men's Words | 2 | Knowledge+3 | ¥700 | Unlocks after 6/1 |
| Ghost Encounters | 2 | Guts+3 | ¥700 | Unlocks after 7/1 |
| Aquarium-a-Day | 1 | Unlocks the aquarium at Shinagawa | ¥700 | Unlocks after 7/17 |
| Fishpond Spotter | 1 | Unlocks Ichigaya | ¥1,800 | Unlocks after 7/17 |
| Night Skies | 1 | Unlocks Ikebukuro | ¥1,800 | Unlocks after 9/1 |
| Musty Pages | 1 | Unlocks Jinbocho | ¥1,800 | Unlocks after 9/1 |
| Tokyo Shrines | 1 | Unlocks Meiji Shrine | ¥1,800 | Unlocks after 9/1 |
| Nakano Walker | 1 | Unlocks the Nakano Shopping Mall | ¥1,800 | Unlocks after 10/1 |
Hinokuniya Bookstore in Shinjuku
| Book | No. of Chapters | Effect | Price | How to unlock |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ABCs of Crafting | 1 | Doubles the number of tools you can craft | ¥2,000 | Craft an infiltration tool |
| Batting Science | 1 | Unlocks Third Eye while batting | ¥2,800 | Use the Batting Center in Yongen-Jaya Backstreets |
| Essence of Fishing | 1 | Unlocks Third Eye when fishing | ¥2,800 | Fish in the Ichigaya fishing pond near Shinjuku |
| Game Secrets | 1 | Unlocks cheat codes when playing Retro Video | ¥2,800 | Play Retro Video* on your Famidrive *You need both the Famidrive and CRT Television from the Second-hand Shop in Yongen-Jaya to do this |
| Learn PRO Darts | 1 | Unlocks Third Eye when playing darts | ¥2,800 | Play darts* in Kichijoji *Unlocks after Madarame confesses |
| Flowerpedia | 1 | Unlocks bouquet hints when working in the Flower Shop | ¥2,800 | Apply for a part-time job in the Flower Shop* in the Underground Mall, Shibuya Station *Needs Charm Rank 2 |
| The Craft of Cinema | 1 | Increases social stat gains when watching movies and DVDs | ¥2,800 | Visit a movie theater (found in Shibuya, Shinjuku, and Yongen-Jaya) |
Nagiuri Bookstore in Jinbocho
| Book | No. of Chapters | Effect | Price | How to unlock |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Master Swordsman | 3 | Guts+4 | ¥8,000 | Available from the start |
| Call Me Chief | 3 | Kindness+4 | ¥8,000 | Read "Master Swordsman" |
| Heroic Revelations | 3 | Knowledge+4 | ¥8,000 | Read "Master Swordsman" |
| The Art of Automata | 3 | Proficiency+4 | ¥8,000 | Read "Master Swordsman" |
| Reckless Casanova | 3 | Charm+4 | ¥8,000 | Read "Call Me Chief" |
| Knowing the Heart | 1 | Unlocks more Technical combos | ¥12,000 | Read all the above books |
| Speed Reading | 1 | Allows you to read more than one chapter per session | ¥12,000 | Read all the books from Naguiri Bookstore |
Next Ace Sports Store in the Underground Mall
| Book | No. of Chapters | Effect | Price | How to unlock |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Expert Billiards | 1 | Unlocks trick shots when playing billiards, Increases Technical Rank to 2 | ¥3,500 | Play billiards* twice in Kichijoji *Unlocks after Madarame confesses |
| Billiards Magician | 1 | Unlocks more trick shots when playing billiards, Increases Technical Rank to 4 | Free | Unlocks after reaching Technical Rank 3 |
Trader Sakai (located in Kichijoji)
| Book | No. of Chapters | Effect | Price | When to get |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Factorization Guide | 1 | Increases Knowledge gained when studying | MRE Rations (obtained from the gatcha machine in the Airsoft Shop) | Only available between 7/26 and 7/30 |
Mementos
Finally, there are a couple of books that you can only obtain from competing missions in Mementos.
| Book | No. of Chapters | Effect | How to get |
|---|---|---|---|
| Theme Park Escort | 1 | Unlocks Destinyland | Complete "We Aren't Just Your Slaves"* *Unlocks after part-timing at Crossroads bar twice |
| Chinese Sweets | 1 | Unlocks Chinatown | Complete "Part-time Job, Full-time Hell"* *Unlocks after Moon Confidant Rank 4 |
| Shita-machi Reborn | 1 | Unlocks Asakusa | Complete "Who's Muscling in Yongen-Jaya"* *Accessible via IM on 8/29 |
Related: Read about the Best Persona 5 Royal PC Mods on our sister site, The Escapist.
For more guides on Persona 5 Royal and other role-playing games, check out some other articles here at Pro Game Guides.
Published: Oct 27, 2022 12:09 am