Persona 4 Golden follows the tradition of many great JRPGs in having multiple endings with different implications. While it’s far from the 1995 masterpiece Chrono Trigger’s diverse array of endings, Persona 4 Golden has some conclusions that range from uplifting, to dreadful and dark. It encapsulates the range of emotions present in the game, but some conditions for it can be tricky, especially if this is your first playthrough. If you read on, be mindful of spoilers, we’ll do our best not to ruin any surprises!
How Many Endings Are in Persona 4 Golden?
There are 7 possible endings in Persona 4 Golden, with 3 particularly “bad” endings if you make poor choices near the end of the game. To achieve all possible endings, you’ll need to max out several key Social Links, with one having a tricky deadline, and another being crucial to unlocking one of the best endings and additional story content. These endings are the following:
- Bad Ending 1
- Bad Ending 2
- Bad Ending 3
- Normal Ending
- True Ending
- Accomplice Ending
- Golden Ending
These endings can vary in terms of player satisfaction, with the Golden and True Endings typically being at the top of this meter. Some result in dark, depressing conclusions that accelerate you to the final days of the game, while others lead you to entire new portions of the game otherwise unavailable.
The Bad Endings
Achieving the bad endings in Persona 4 Golden is predictably easy for the most part, aside from the Accomplice Ending, which is certainly among the worst possible ways to end the story. For this, you’ll need to choose the following dialogue options for a key exchange on 12/03 in the game. We’ll keep any names spoilered in case you’re not that far into the game, but you’ll know the context when you reach this point, as it involves a dark choice the protagonist is given.
Bad Ending 1
When asked by Yosuke what you wish to do with a certain character on 12/03, choose either “Push the bastard in” or “I can’t stay here.”
If you choose the first option:
- Say “Do it already.”
If you choose the second option:
- Say “…push him in.”
This ends the game on an incredibly dark, unsatisfying note, very abruptly. Any discerning player will ask whether things could have gone differently.
Bad Ending 2
Instead of the options present for Bad Ending 1, when Yosuke asks what you wish to do, select “I can’t stay here.” and then “Don’t do this.”
This results in you concluding that you don’t wish to make any more dark choices, but revert to a time when your responsibilities weren’t so heavy.
Bad Ending 3 (Spoiler Warning!)
On 12/03, when in the confrontation like in the other endings, select the following responses as they present themselves:
- “Wait a second here…”
- “We’re missing something”
- “[Spoiler]’s true feelings”
- “Something’s been bothering me”
- “We’re missing something…”
- “Calm the hell down!”
On 12/05, you’ll meet outside with Naoto. You’ll go over all the possible suspects for the case, and you’ll want to pick any three who are not the culprit. Your safest bet if you’ve not figured it out by now, is to select anybody you know for sure isn’t the killer, and pretty much any friend you’ve made from school, for instance, is a safe bet. Avoid pointing out the sketchiest person in this guide, and you’ll successfully achieve Bad Ending 3.
This is an overall less dark ending, but with grim implications because a killer is still on the loose, and the problems plaguing Inaba never truly went away.
Accomplice Ending (Final Spoiler Warning!)
It should be noted that we’ll go into specifics for this ending. Avoid this if you want to figure out the identity of the killer for yourself. On 12/03, choose the following dialogue for Bad Ending 3:
- “Wait a second here…”
- “We’re missing something”
- “[Spoiler]’s true feelings”
- “Something’s been bothering me”
- “We’re missing something…”
- “Calm the hell down!”
On 12/05, after choosing not to throw a previous suspect into the TV, you’ll speak to Naoto about possible suspects. Choose Tohru Adachi, making sure you’ve achieved at least a Rank 6 with his Jester Social Link, but also choose not to tell your friends, thus protecting his identity.
This unlocks a disconcerting ending for you as the protagonist because you’re then forced into a blackmailed contract of sorts with the killer. You leave Inaba, but the evil specter walks among the rest of the populace and has you at their beck and call.
The Good Endings of P4G
The good endings in Persona 4 Golden range from satisfying to genuinely uplifting, which is what you want from a game you’ve invested potentially over 100 hours in. These endings include the following:
Good Ending
For this ending, refer to the Accomplice Ending, and instead choose to tell your friends about the killer once you’ve confirmed their true identity. Complete the rest of the game as it opens up for you. There will be a time skip to 3/20, and you will be prompted to return to your house to prepare for your journey, simply select “Yes.”
This ending is not quite as satisfying as the others but is certainly a fitting conclusion to your journey and ties off loose ends as much as you’re aware.
True Ending
Affectionately called this a holdover from the original Persona 4 days on the PS2, and it’s nearly identical to the Good Ending. You’ll need to have your bond with Adachi raised to at least Rank 6 for this but once you’re prompted on 3/20 to go home, select “No.” Return to Junes, use the elevator, and meet with the gang, where they make a shocking revelation. Be sure to respond with “There is something…”
Head to the Samegawa Flood Plain Riverbank to speak with Dojima. After this, go to the Velvet Room, and you’ll get the Orb of Clarity. Then, go to the Shopping District, speak to the attendant at the gas station, and keep persistent with your dialogue choices here until you find out the truth. From here, you’ll be given access to the Yomotsu Hirasaka dungeon, and the True Ending.
This process is convoluted and the gas station segment sounds more or less like the Mew Under the Truck legend, and that’s amusingly accurate. But you’ll not regret seeing it through, we promise. It reveals the truth behind the story and the forces behind the scenes of the game’s plot.
Golden Ending
You can achieve this ending while getting the True Ending, with the simple conditions of having maxed your Social Link with Marie in December and completing the Hollow Forest dungeon this unlocks for 2/13. This completes the story arc of Marie, a character introduced in the Golden version of the game, and caps off nearly a year’s worth of gameplay and Social Link investments.
Completing all of the endings of Persona 4 Golden can be a bit tricky, and chances are you’ll want to keep careful track of multiple save files. But it’s also a demonstration of the subtle ways the story can change with a few key choices, and serves as a massive return on investment for you playing the game.
Persona 4 Golden was released worldwide for PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S on January 19, 2023, as well as already being released on PlayStation Vita and PC.
