Every Mainline Final Fantasy Game Ranked
Script written by Aaron Brown
“Final Fantasy II” (1988)
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Released almost a year to the day after the first game, Final Fantasy II was a sequel that was never expected to be made and therefore had no connection to the original title that preceded it except in name alone. While much of what made the original game so great still remained, the new and highly exploitative level system that didn’t actually level up your character, instead focusing on leveling up their attributes, held the sequel back from the same standard as the first. The story of a group of young runaways who became heroes rising up to save their kingdom was a tried and true tale that still managed to keep players engaged throughout the game with dialogue options making their first introduction in this title. Final Fantasy II also marked the very first appearances of series staples Cid and the ever adorable Chocobos.
“Final Fantasy XIII” (2009)
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Final Fantasy XIII is by far one of the most polarizing titles in the beloved franchise. The game tells the story of Lightning, a soldier acting against her government to save her sister and their journey with their companions to escape the world of Cocoon. Featuring jaw dropping graphics for the time, it became the second entry in the series to be given direct sequels. While the game managed to sell over 6 million units and was received well by critics and fans, a large vocal community called out the game’s extremely linear nature compared to other entries in the franchise and that many of the elements that fans have come to expect from a Final Fantasy game, such as side quests and mini games, were almost completely absent until well into the final stretch of the game.
“Final Fantasy” (1987)
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The one that started it all. So named because it was publisher Square’s last chance to develop a successful game before shutting their doors for good. And thankfully, their fantasy wasn’t as final as they feared because who could imagine the gaming landscape without the influences to the genre this series has provided. For those wondering why anyone would want to kill Chaos, that started here. So many of the series staples for the next two decades were already laid out in this first entry as well, from the expansive exploration areas, to the combat system, and even the series' battle music started here. While the series would continue to improve on many of these original ideas, the fact that so much of the groundwork started from a title that could have been the final work of a world renowned game publisher is anything but a fantasy.
“Final Fantasy XI” (2002)
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For Final Fantasy’s 11th entry, Square made their biggest departure from their previous entries yet, by taking the world of Final Fantasy online, allowing gamers to bring friends along on the adventure in what had traditionally been a single player experience. Square also made gaming history by being one of the first developers to allow gamers around the world, no matter the region, to play online together on the same server. XI returned to the job system of the past with all new factions and races to play as through Final Fantasy’s most expansive world up to that point. Numerous expansions, millions of players, and 3 full console generations, and even with the servers for PS2 and Xbox 360 finally being shut down in 2016, Final Fantasy XI is still going strong to this day and is even receiving new story content and character progression options in 2021.
“Final Fantasy V” (1992)
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Even though Final Fantasy IV was a market success in the west, Final Fantasy V would remain only in Japan until the end of 1999. Final Fantasy V was also the first game in the franchise to receive a fan translation before the game was available overseas. The story followed an amnesiac character and his newfound party members as they traversed not only multiple continents but the areas above as well as below before eventually ending up in an entirely new realm altogether. Final Fantasy V was the first entry to allow players to combine jobs to suit their preferred playstyle and with over 100 combination possibilities, there was something for everyone. Five also marked not only the first time one of your main party members could be killed and gone forever, but also multiple endings depending on who you had in your party at the end of the game.
“Final Fantasy VIII” (1999)
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With the leap to PlayStation hardware with 7, the creative team behind the series was finally able to capitalize on their artistic vision in a way they never could before. Final Fantasy VIII’s graphical leap from the blocky sprites of 7 to the more realistic Squall, Rinoa and their companions in such a short amount of time are a testament to the talent behind the franchise. The realistic nature of the graphics also lended themselves well to the more mature story centered around the relationship between Squall and Rinoa at its heart. VIII also deviated from past games by introducing “Junctioning” that allowed for greater customization, leveling up your characters and assigning spells, but many players felt it overcomplicated the process. One of the most beloved additions was the card battle game “Triple Triad” which was actually required to play in order to obtain Squall’s legendary weapon.
“Final Fantasy XV” (2016)
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Originally unveiled as Final Fantasy Versus XIII, the game would go almost completely dark before finally making its reappearance at E3 2013 under the mainline title of Final Fantasy XV. One of the longest developments for a Final Fantasy title, almost a full 10 years, the game saw numerous changes including hardware, a brand new battle system, and the story itself being almost completely rewritten. The story follows Noctis, the boy king and his companions Gladiolus, Ignis, and Prompto, whose individual stories would be fleshed out with additional DLC. The group accompany Noctis in an impromptu bachelor party fashion to Noctis’ wedding before hearing news of a coup in Noctis’ kingdom. The game was well received by fans and critics and eventually re-released as the Royal Edition complete with all DLC and small but meaningful changes to the much despised Chapter 13.
“Final Fantasy IV” (1991)
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Released as Final Fantasy II in the United States, and the first entry on the Super Nintendo Console, the 4th entry in the franchise was once again helmed by the creative team that brought the franchise to life only 4 years earlier. Final Fantasy IV told the story of Cecil, a dark knight stripped of his rank for defying the king’s orders to attack innocent civilians and his subsequent journey for redemption. And long before Destiny did it, Final Fantasy IV sent a wizard from the moon to wreak havoc on the world unless the heroes could stop him. Four also introduced the active time battle system which would remain the gold standard for the series for many entries to come. The move from the NES to the SNES also gave the characters and environments far more detail than ever would have been previously possible on Nintendo’s first console.
“Final Fantasy III” (1990)
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Although Final Fantasy 6 would be labeled as the 3rd entry in the West, Final Fantasy III would not even be available for US audiences until it was finally re-released on the Nintendo DS in 2006, a full 16 years after its initial release. The story revolved around a group of orphans who stumbled upon a crystal that granted each of them jobs like mage, knight, and so on. What separated this title from previous entries was the ability to assign jobs and level them up with much more freedom than previous entries thanks to a return to Final Fantasy 1’s experience points system. This was also the first entry to introduce series mainstays such as the walking save point moogles and summons and ultra powerful allies such as Shiva, Ifrit, and Odin, that could be called in during battles to assist the player against the tougher enemies and bosses throughout the game.
“Final Fantasy XII” (2006)
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Final Fantasy XII is notable for the longest gap in a mainline Final Fantasy title since the series’ inception, coming 4 years after Final Fantasy XI. Final Fantasy XII shared not only a world but returning characters and settings from spin off titles Final Fantasy Tactics, Tactics Advance, and even Vagrant Story, with many of the same creative teams taking the lead on XII. XII represented the biggest shakeup for the series to date with its MMO inspired battle system and the fact that the player character of Vaan is not the main character of the story, instead focusing on the plight of the princess Ashe and her quest to reclaim her kingdom. Gone were random encounters, with all enemies now visible on the battlefield for you to choose freely whether or not to engage in battle and for the first time, players were finally given full control of the game’s camera.
“Final Fantasy XIV A Realm Reborn” (2013)
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No one ever said you can’t start over again. After the original release of Final Fantasy XIV in 2010 was a critical and commercial disaster, the decision was made to start from scratch and have a new team attempt to salvage what they could and try to save Final Fantasy XIV from the state that it was in. Released as Final Fantasy XIV A Realm Reborn, the new release featured a brand new engine, improved gameplay and story elements as well as a complete overhaul to the game’s servers. The new version of XIV was met with critical praise from both journalists and fans and has received countless updates in addition to four massive expansions to date. The game continues to only grow stronger with each expansion and has even been upgraded to take advantage of the new Playstation 5 hardware.
“Final Fantasy X” (2001)
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With the release of the PlayStation 2, Square had the opportunity to introduce elements to the series that would have been either too difficult or simply not possible on previous hardware. One of the biggest additions was undoubtedly the series’ first steps into fully voiced characters. For better or worse. A romance once again took center stage as star crossed lovers Tidus, a Blitzball player from Zanarkand and Yuna, a summoner from Spira, fell in love on their journey to ultimately defeat the devastating and world ending force known as Sin. Gone was the large and expansive world map, but in its place were fully rendered 3D environments with sweeping cinematic camera angles to show them off. Final Fantasy X was also the first game in the series to receive a direct sequel that still managed to leave an important question unanswered: Is Blitzball fun?
“Final Fantasy VII” (1997)
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Arguably the most well known entry in the series, Final Fantasy VII marked the end of the series’ run on Nintendo consoles and the start of a partnership with Sony that would continue well into the future. Final Fantasy VII also left behind much of the series' trademark “Fantasy” settings and fully embraced a more modern/futuristic take on the franchise. The entry’s diverse cast of characters Cloud, Tifa, Aerith, and Sephiroth are almost household names and the most heartbreaking story moments are known even by those who have never played the game before. A benchmark title for the new PlayStation console, and the most cinematic entry up to that point, FFVII was the face of a brand new generation of JRPGs in the 3D era. The entry is so beloved it spawned numerous spin-offs, a sequel film, and even has an acclaimed remake on modern consoles.
“Final Fantasy IX” (2000)
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The swan song for the PS1 era of Final Fantasy games, after 2 entries in a more futuristic setting, IX returned to the series’ fantasy roots. The story followed Zidane and his theater troupe as they attempted to kidnap a princess at the start before uncovering a massive plot that involved war with all the kingdoms. The jobs system returned with Vivi the mage and Steiner the knight being prime examples. A more streamlined leveling system was implemented and an improved version of VIII’s card game, now called “Tetra Master”, became instantly addictive. IX also showed just what the aging PS1 hardware was capable of with gorgeous CGI cutscenes, and highly detailed backdrops and characters showcasing how far the series had come, while maintaining what made the original games so iconic. Final Fantasy IX returned the series to its roots and remains the highest rated entry in the entire series to date.
“Final Fantasy VI” (1994)
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Final Fantasy VI was the culmination of all of Square’s work on the series up until then and it did not disappoint. VI gave you more freedom than previous entries to customize your party by offering 14 different characters that could accompany you, and could not only learn every magic spell through Espers, but were all critical parts of a branching narrative that would routinely split up your party. Final Fantasy VI’s villain Kefka, is rightfully among the series’ best, and was also the series’ first character with spoken dialogue, even if it was just his malicious cackle. Kefka also managed to be the first villain in the series to succeed in ending the world. And that was only the halfway point of the adventure. Gorgeous artwork, smart and heartfelt storytelling, and one of the series’ best villains, Final Fantasy VI is still the benchmark for the entire series even today.
