head to head
Neither is harder. They score identically on all four axes, so the difference between them is in kind, not degree.

Optimization · Pure Optimization
Stylish JRPG where phantom thieves steal hearts on a tightly optimized school calendar.

Optimization · Pure Optimization
Scheduling training, decay and skill counters in a solvable management loop.
Persona 5 leans Optimization (Pure Optimization); Punch Club leans Optimization (Pure Optimization).
Same score on execution - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
Persona 5
Stylish menus, not reflexes
Punch Club
Fights resolve automatically; you never throw a punch
Same score on reads - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
Persona 5
Palace enemies use fixed weaknesses
Punch Club
Opponents are stat blocks with fixed styles, not minds
Same score on variance - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
Persona 5
Fusion alerts and negotiation rolls
Punch Club
Fight dice rolls and event pop-ups add noise
Same score on optimization - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
Persona 5
Confidant calendar routing and baton-pass weakness chains
Punch Club
Stat decay scheduling and skill-tree counters are the entire game
A matching score does not mean a matching test. Two games can both sit at 10 on execution and demand completely different things of you - which is why the reasoning above matters more than the number beside it.