The Best Final Fantasy Games

We’ve all had an argument with our fellow gamers. Its become a battle almost as old as the gaming industry itself. With the release of the latest trailer for Final Fantasy XVI, that timely argument is only to come back around. Which Final Fantasy game is the best?

While everyone has their favorite, there are some that are argued for more often than others. However, we are going to do something a little different with this list, beyond your usual rankings. We will take the five with the strongest arguments and let you know why people love them so much.

Since the franchise exceeds the mainline games by copious amounts at this point, only mainline games will be included in this article. We will also leave out Final Fantasy XI and XIV, because a massively multiplayer online RPG just seems too dense a topic for simple paragraphs. Clearly, it’s a beast you can get lost in for thousands of hours. Without further ado, let’s dive into the Five Final Fantasies that have a special place in so many gamers’ hearts.

Final Fantasy XII — The Dark Horse

Regardless of one’s top five, there will likely always be at least one controversy. For me, it’s going to have to be Final Fantasy XII edging out the rest. Others might rank the experimental Final Fantasy VIII or the first example of complex narrative writing in that of Final Fantasy IV, but Final Fantasy XII fights for its place. It’s championed among many for being the last great innovative mainline series game.

Its real-time battle system is still used today in recent series games. Also, its “zodiac job system” was an early version of the skill trees we see in every RPG now. FF12 really started setting the bar for the current era of RPG gameplay. Along with a sprawling massive narrative and scope, and dense locations almost to the scale of an open world, FF12 really perfected ideas that had been at the forefront of what a FF game was for the last few mainline releases. Not to mention FF12 has a top 5 cast of characters with memorable designs.

Some see the easy-to-use battle system and less developed main character as glaring flaws. However, with a subtle improvement to the gameplay in the Zodiac Age edition, FF12 has finally come to the table to prove its staying power and recognition.

Final Fantasy X — The Crowd Pleaser

For many gamers, Final Fantasy X represents more than just a great and beloved game in a franchise series. Touted as the truly last great FF game by some, Final Fantasy X represents not just a possible peak in the series, but a peak in gaming. In the early 2000s, at the peak of the PS2 topping sales worldwide and the edge of what is considered the most important ‘gaming boom’ in industry history, FFX released at a time when all of gaming was at its best. So naturally, many FF fans found 10 to be at the top of innovation, game design, character and narrative scope, and of course overall experience.

It is also one of the first modern JRPGs to popularize the now inescapable isekai (another world) trope. Main character Titus transports to a world not his own and must piece together the mystery of what happened to his world and how to get back. One might even say there are enough similarities between FFX and the year later released Kingdom Hearts.

FFX for many people has a powerful sway of both nostalgia and a perfect storm of what being a gamer was all about back then. Colorful landscapes and the perfected format of the battle system used since the beginning has kept FFX in the minds of gamers of many generations. Even if that darn ‘Titus laughing’ meme just won’t go away.

Final Fantasy IX — The Perfect Final Fantasy

It may come to some gamers’ surprise to hear that not all Final Fantasy fans love FF8, FF7, or even FF6 as much as other diehards do. With that in mind, many consider FF9 a perfect return to form. To some, FF9 just did everything right. For those turned off by the mechanics of FF8, FF9 was streamlined and had flawless combat. Is FF7 too much in the wrong direction? FF9 is simpler but endearing while having an endless cast of loveable characters that never took from the story. Only FF6 rivals FF9 as the purest Final Fantasy game in terms of story, feel, and gameplay for many. Although, FF9 has the advantage of more modern and advanced gaming software and graphics for its time.

FF9 goes down in history as being an effortless masterpiece. It is one of the few FF games many say they can turn on, run through, complete, and come back and do it all over again. FF9 gets the unique honor of carrying all the 8 games before it in itself with pride. From the simplicity and warmth of the first 5 games, it recreates that first feeling of Final Fantasy. The entertaining battle mechanics and ideas of the ambitious previous three are also implemented more gracefully. FF9 is the perfect sum of its parts for the first half of the series.

Final Fantasy VI — The Pure JRPG

The Great Debate usually comes down to two games above all others. You can check any other list, other sites, chances are FF6 and FF7 are in the top 2 slots. What is it about FF6 that it manages to sometimes edge out a much more globally dominant FF7? For many fans, it was the first game to truly solidify Final Fantasy as THE premier JRPG series in Japan. You could say the world, but arguably FF7 did that much better.

FF6 took everything FF4 improved on to become the first truly great and complex FF game. It also fixed the missteps of FF5 considered by many. All this to create — at the time — the perfect JRPG. Fast-paced battle gameplay for its time would have been enough, but the level of narrative and character development was unprecedented. FF6 set a new standard for what RPG storytelling was all about.

It not only had likable and in-depth characters, but FF6 was the first game in the franchise to give us a truly beloved villain. Even with a dense narrative and intense character writing, no one was expecting the level of appeal that was in villain Kefka Palazzo. From his design, dialogue, personality, and the fact he SUCCEEDED in his evil plans, Kefka will always remain the first truly great FF villain. In fact, he may be one of the greatest in all of RPG history.

Final Fantasy VII — The Magnum Opus

Of course, then there’s the granddaddy of them all. Even if you happen to find this massive, original 3-disc titan bloated or overhyped or over-loved, there is no denying that Final Fantasy VII’s impact has lasted the test of time. Whether by intent or design, nothing has come close the cultural impact of FF7. Maybe it was how big the game was, or how streamlined the battle system had become. The introduction to Materia is still a fan favorite choice of in-game mechanics. However many can see the biggest appeal was the risk and ambition of both the world design and depth of storytelling.

Perhaps you can call it overrated now, but for its time, no one character was quite like Sephiroth. His icon status knows no bounds, they even put him in Smash Bros. He can’t take all the credit though. As they say, you can only measure a great villain by his deeds, and what a deed. Aerith’s death will ironically live in infamy, and it’s all thanks to the maniacal ruthlessness of the one-winged angel. Nothing to that effect had ever existed in gaming history to that point. The cinematic nature of the FF7 cutscenes really did add to the level of scope as well.

Limit Break is a very poetic choice to name the ultimate moves for the characters in FF7. Because FF7 aimed to break the limits of what Final Fantasy and all of JRPGs were capable of. An undeniable cast of characters, good and bad, an ambitious and complex story of death and revival, and fast pace gameplay truly made FF7 a force to reckon with. Many games have attempted to emulate or surpass what FF7 accomplished. It is likely many more will continue to try for decades to come.