Best Final Fantasy Games Tier List
VI, VII and X still hold S among the best Final Fantasy games, and nothing released since X arrived in 2001 has joined them. The closest newer entries sit one tier lower in A: Final Fantasy XIV, which Square Enix relaunched as A Realm Reborn in 2013, and the first two parts of the Final Fantasy VII Remake trilogy. Open any card to find the entry that fits how you like to play.
Final Fantasy VI1994
Final Fantasy VII1997
Final Fantasy X2001
Final Fantasy IX2000
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth2024
Final Fantasy XIV2010
Final Fantasy IV1991
Final Fantasy VII Remake2020
Final Fantasy VIII1999
Final Fantasy XII2006
Final Fantasy XVI2023
Final Fantasy V1992
Final Fantasy XIII2009
Final Fantasy XV2016
Final Fantasy XI2002
Final Fantasy1987
Final Fantasy X-22003
Final Fantasy III1990
Final Fantasy II1988
Final Fantasy XIII-22011
Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII2013What each tier means
- STop The entries that define what Final Fantasy means
- AStrong Series high points every fan should play
- BSolid Strong entries with one big caveat
- CSituational Worth it for fans, rougher for newcomers
- DBottom Loved by a loyal few, easiest to skip
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Board breakdown
Final Fantasy VI, VII and X are the three best games in the series, and each grows its heroes differently. VI teaches spells through equipped Espers, VII grants spells and commands through Materia slotted into weapons and armor, and X through the Sphere Grid, where you unlock stats and abilities node by node. If those systems click, try IX next: its equipment teaches abilities that stay with a character once learned.
The 1994 Super Nintendo entry is the peak of sprite-era storytelling, with a sprawling ensemble cast and a villain the series has never topped.
- Square's 1997 PlayStation debut made the series a worldwide name, and it is still the yardstick every remake and sequel gets measured against.
- The 2001 PlayStation 2 entry is the friendliest place to start the series: a linear journey, turn-based fights you can plan, and the first voiced Final Fantasy cast.
The PlayStation era is the strongest, helped by its pace: Square released four numbered games, VII through X, between 1997 and 2001. From the 8 and 16 bit games, play IV and VI, which are both in the Pixel Remaster collection on PlayStation, Xbox, Switch and PC. In the HD era, start with Final Fantasy XIV, whose free trial covers the base game and its first three expansions, through Shadowbringers, with no time limit.
- PlayStation era7 games
- 8 and 16 bit6 games
- HD era8 games
Play the 1997 original first if you want the whole story now, because it tells all of it in one game. Choose the remakes instead if you prefer real-time fights to turn-based menus. They split the story across a trilogy: Remake covers the city of Midgar and Rebirth picks up as the party leaves it, so play them in that order.
- FF VII to FF VII RemakeDown 1 tier
- FF VII to FF VII RebirthDown 1 tier
They are worth trying for their mechanics as much as their stories. Final Fantasy X-2 lets you swap dresspheres in the middle of a battle to change jobs on the fly, and it comes in the same X/X-2 HD Remaster package as X. XIII-2 lets you capture monsters and bring them into battle beside its two leads, Serah and Noel. Lightning Returns then closes the XIII trilogy.
- FF X to FF X-2Down 3 tiers
- FF XIII to FF XIII-2Down 2 tiers
- FF XIII-2 to Lightning ReturnsHolds D