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Social Stats are a recurring gameplay mechanic in thePersonafranchise. While they don’t have an impact in battle, some social stats need to be at a specific rank in order to max out certain Confidants. InPersona 5 Royal, there are five Social Stats: Knowledge, Guts, Charm, Kindness, and Proficiency. The game gives plenty of time to boost these stats, but some may be worth more effort than others.
With some quality-of-life changes brought toPersona 5 Royal, Joker has new ways to level up Social Stats that by the end of a player’s first run, they should have most if not all the stats maxed out. With over half of the Confidants locked behind Social Stats, it’s important to know how to level them up and which Confidants are worth maxing out on a first playthrough.
Updated June 13, 2025 by Renri Seong: Persona 5 Royalplayers will quickly find that it’s much easier to max out the Social Stats on a NG+. Most Confidants inP5Rhave some sort of Social Stat requirement to start or advance to a later Rank. On brand-new files, it’s best to rent and buy whatever books, movies, and games that are available inRoyal. Reading, gaming, and watching moves will take up Joker’s afternoon or evening time, but the payoff will be worth it when a Social Stat reaches a new level. The following guide has been updated to include everything there is to know about the Social Stat-increasing books, games, and movies.
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Toughest Social Stats to Increase
Social Stats like Knowledge and Proficiency are easier to level up thanks to the classroom questions (Knowledge) andcrafting Infiltration Tools (Proficiency). Some of the Phantom Thieves need Knowledge and Proficiency to advance their Confidant, so it’s important to answer questions correctly and do part-time jobs (Beef Bowl) before more Confidants become available at night.
All Social Stats can be advanced by reading books and watching movies at home. At the bottom of the descriptions, it will say which Social Stat the book/movie will increase.
For increasingKindness:
Gutsis arguably the toughest of the Social Stats to level up, thanks to its limited methods.
To level upCharm, players have a few more options than Guts, but it still has less methods of ranking up compared to Knowledge and Proficiency.
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Confidants with Social Stat Requirements
The following Confidants need Social Stats to advance their rank, but there’s only a handful that players should really prioritize.
Guts level 2 (Rank 2)
Charm level 4 (Rank 8)
Guts level 4 (Rank 1)
Guts level 5 (Rank 8)
Guts level 3 (Rank 1)
Charm level 3 (Rank 3)
Knowledge level 4 (Rank 7)
Kindness level 2 (Rank 2)
Proficiency level 4 (Rank 6)
Knowledge level 3 (Rank 1)
Charm level 5 (Rank 6)
Kindness level 4 (Rank 2)
Proficiency level 5 (Rank 2)
Charm level 3 (Rank 1)
Knowledge level 5 (Rank 8)
Hierophant
Kindness level 5 (Rank 7)
On a first run, especially if players aretrying to getPersona 5 Royal’s True Ending, it’s recommended to max outallthePhantom Thieves' Confidants, including Goro Akechi and Kasumi Yoshizawa. This is because all party members will get their Third-Tier Persona in the third semesteras long as their Confidant is completed before confronting the final Palace Ruler.
The Phantom Thieves with Social Stat-required Confidants don’t have very useful benefits. However,Futaba will gain some abilities that can help in battleand she will occasionally map out a floor in Mementos. If players are struggling to max out Proficiency for Haru or Charm for Makoto, then at least work on Kindness to complete Futaba’s Confidant.
Other Confidants with Social Stats worth completing are:
Those with less-useful Confidant benefits such as Iwai, who offers Gun Customization, can be completed later in the story, or even on NG+. Prioritize the Social Stats linked to the better Confidants to make gameplay easier, and to carry over into NG+.
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Every Book, Movie, and Game in P5R
Most books/movies/games can be finished in two sittings, but some can take as long as three. There also books that will double the Social Stats gained from books, movies, and games. Therefore, it’s recommended to read them first before going to the theaters in Shibuya or Shinjuku or playing games at Leblanc.
Books in Persona 5 Royal
Players can borrow books from the Shujin Academy Library as early as4/18. The selection here all give experience towards one of Joker’s Social Stats. For more books, players can visit the Book Store atTaiheido Bookstore(Shibuya - Central Street),Hinokuniya Bookstore(Shinuku), andJinbocho. Shinjuku will unlock on its own as players advance the main story, and Jinbocho can be unlocked by readingMusty Pages(from Shibuya store) orduring Hifumi or Haru’s Confidant.
4/18
2 sessions
When Yusuke joins (early as 5/19)
6/20
7/1
1 session
8/31
Woman in the Dark
When Haru joins (during the events following 9/19)
10/29
1/12
5/18
6/1
7/17
8/3
2 session
9/1
10/1
Watch a movie (for the first time)
Work at the Rafflesia (part-time flower shop job)
Play darts (for the first time)
Fish at the fishing pond (Ichigaya)
Can use “Third Eye” ability when fishing.
Batting Science
Go to the batting center in Yongen-Jaya (for the first time)
Play a video game (for the first time)
3 sessions
Read all the books at Jinbocho
Shibuya Sports Shop - Play billiards for the first time
Unlock more Trick Shots while playing billiards
Raise Technical to Rank 3 at billiards
Unlock more Trick Shots
Factorization Guide
Trade MRE Ration to Trader Sakai in Kichijoji from 7/26 - 7/30
Gain more Knowledge when studying
Clean protagonist’s room
Unlocks Batting Cages and Bathhouse in Yongen-Jaya
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Games in Persona 5 Royal
Retro Games can be bought from the secondhand shop inYongen-Jayaor at theretro game store inAkihabara. Before Joker can play video games, he’ll need to purchase theCRT Televisionand theFamidrivefrom Yongen-Jaya’s secondhand shop (near the entrance).
Yongen-Jaya (secondhand shop)
7/26
+2 Guts
Movies in Persona 5 Royal
Players can rent movies from the Rental Shop Scarlet store on Shibuya - Central Street. Like games, players will need theCRT Televisionfrom the secondhand shop before they can watch movies at home. The annual subscription costs 4800 yen, but after that, players will have access to any DVD at the store.
There are also movie theaters that players can choose to see aloneor with a Confidant. This is a good way to increase both Confidant points and Social Stats. However, like in the real world, movies will only play for a certain amount of time, so it’s best to read up on what’s showing.
At the start
8/1
31
May 29th (Ryuji)
+3 Guts
N/A
Persona 5 Royalis available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
