Few video game franchises have been anywhere near as successful as Final Fantasy has, both in terms of sales and the impact that it has had on the industry in general. For more than three and a half decades, the series has played a pivotal role in shaping and defining an entire genre, with each new installment bringing a bounty of new ideas to the table.
The very best Final Fantasy games take this a step further, leaving a lasting impression not just on the industry, but also on the people who play them. Whether this be through their phenomenal soundtracks or their hard-hitting narratives, these games have touched the lives of millions of people and deserve to be celebrated every bit as much as some of the industry's other heavy-hitters.
Updated July 3, 2023, by Tom Bowen: After a long wait, Final Fantasy 16 is finally here and is proving to be one of the long-running franchise's most divisive installments to date. Though it certainly embodies the spirit of previous Final Fantasy games, its hack-and-slash style combat system and Game of Thrones-inspired storytelling have led to some people questioning whether it even counts as a Final Fantasy game. Granted, this hasn't stopped the game from achieving both critical and commercial success, but how exactly does it stack up when compared to the best Final Fantasy games of all time?
10 Final Fantasy 13-2
Had Final Fantasy 13 been released just a few years earlier or later, it would likely be remembered a lot more fondly than it is today. Sadly, however, it arrived at a time when just about every other big AAA game was an open-world adventure and was thus unfairly criticized for its somewhat linear approach. Granted, it did have its fair share of genuine problems, but it also got a lot of things right and introduced several interesting ideas to the franchise.
Final Fantasy 13-2 builds upon the foundations laid down by its predecessor to great effect, with the game's combat system being one of the best to ever grace a Final Fantasy game. At times, the presentation is truly breathtaking too, particularly when it comes to the designs of some of the towns and cities that the party visits. Simply put, Final Fantasy 13-2 is the best Final Fantasy game that most franchise fans have not and will probably never play.
9 Final Fantasy 16
As a franchise, Final Fantasy has never been afraid to try out new things. Some work, others don't, but it's ultimately this decision to innovate rather than simply iterate that has helped the series to remain at the pinnacle of RPG gaming for more than three-and-a-half decades. It's something that should be encouraged and celebrated, lest the industry becomes completely overrun with soulless open-world sandbox games, generic battle royale shooters, and cozy farming sims.
Yes; in certain areas, Final Fantasy 16 is completely unrecognizable from some of the games which came before it, particularly when it comes to its battle system and the implementation of its RPG mechanics. In terms of gameplay, it feels more like a God of War game than it does Final Fantasy, yet that's not necessarily a bad thing, at least when it comes to accessibility. There are plenty of familiar elements too though, with the story, setting, and characters all very much in keeping with the Final Fantasy games of old.
8 Final Fantasy 7 Remake
Credit, where credit is due, for most people, being tasked with remaking one of the most beloved video games of all time would be an incredibly daunting prospect, yet the bold design choices that helped to shape Final Fantasy 7 Remake would certainly suggest otherwise. Had the team announced in advance that they were planning to make changes to the story they would likely have been branded as heretics. However, most of these new plot points worked well enough that the majority of series fans were happy to accept them, or, at the very least, tolerate them.
It's difficult to make too many like-for-like comparisons between the remake and the original for the simple reason that the former only encapsulates around a third of the latter. It feels no less complete for only telling the beginning of a story though and some of the changes made to Midgar and the people who reside there almost certainly count as improvements, particularly the extra care and attention that went into fleshing out Jessie and the rest of Avalanche.
7 Final Fantasy 9
At the time of its release, some saw Final Fantasy 9 as a bit of a step backward, with its cartoonish art style coming as a bit of a curveball for those who'd been expecting the series to take yet another step toward realism. The game also returns to a more medieval-style setting, a stark departure from the steampunk and cassette futurism-inspired locations explored throughout the three previous Final Fantasy games.
However, for most players, this all came as a huge breath of fresh air, particularly after the more serious approach taken with Final Fantasy 8. This is because 9 offers a very different experience tonally, with the narrative feeling a lot more whimsical thanks to the writers' excellent use of levity. It was the perfect palate cleanser, in that regard, and one of the last truly great Final Fantasy games.
6 Final Fantasy 5
Without Final Fantasy, it's difficult to imagine what the JRPG genre might look like today. The long-running franchise has contributed so much over the years, from its mastery of turn-based combat to the role that it played in establishing many of the most prominent JRPG tropes. However, it's perhaps the series' iconic job system that stands out the most, and no game does a better job of showcasing this than Final Fantasy 5.
Building upon the work of its predecessors, the 1992 classic finally managed to perfect the job system, providing players with a highly customizable experience that can cater to just about any play style. Granted, the story and characters are far from the best that the series has to offer, but that's not to say that there's not still fun to be had with Bartz, Lenna, and Faris.
5 Final Fantasy Tactics
Final Fantasy Tactics borrowed a lot of its ideas from Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together, which at the time was generally considered to be one of the best tactical RPGs on the market. Whether or not Tactics really does enough to surpass it is perhaps a matter for debate, but it's a must-play for fans of the Final Fantasy franchise nonetheless.
The battle environments are wonderfully well-designed and the gameplay is top-notch too, offering up one of the most accessible tactical RPG experiences of its generation despite the occasional difficulty spike. The world-building and narrative are every bit as good as one might expect from a Final Fantasy game, and serve as the proverbial cherry on top of what is already a beautifully decorated cake.
4 Final Fantasy 14
A lot of people seem to overlook Final Fantasy 14 when they're discussing the best Final Fantasy games of all time, perhaps due to it being an MMORPG rather than a single-player experience. However, to ignore this fantastic title would be doing both the game and its creators a massive disservice, as it is one of the most content-rich and well-put-together titles that the genre has to offer.
Granted, the experience on offer here is very different from the one that series veterans have become accustomed to, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. Though it may be different, Final Fantasy 14 still does a fantastic job of capturing the wonder and overall sense of grandeur that led to so many people falling in love with the franchise in the first place. Better still, it manages to do so in a way that feels both accessible and unique.
3 Final Fantasy 7
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The release of Final Fantasy 7 was a watershed moment for both the series itself and JRPGs in general. To be clear, both had found relative success in the West leading up to this point, but it was not until Cloud and Co arrived on the scene in 1997 that the franchise and the genre really began to make their way into the mainstream outside of Japan.
Its blocky 3D graphics may not look like much by today's standards, but at the time marked a huge leap forward for the franchise. Among other things, the increased capacity of PS1 discs allowed for higher-quality audio files and improved textures, while the narrative introduced and explored some of the series' most iconic and most complex characters to date.
2 Final Fantasy 10
There's a strong argument to be made for Final Fantasy 10 being the best Final Fantasy game of all time. For starters, it boasts one of the very best soundtracks in gaming history, as well as an incredible narrative that tackles a wide range of complex and relatable themes and one of the best main parties in the series' long and illustrious history.
These things alone would be enough to make this a truly fantastic game, but it's the way that they all blend together so seamlessly that really sets Final Fantasy 10 apart. The quality of the storytelling deserves a special mention too and is only elevated by the introduction of voice acting: a first for a mainline Final Fantasy game.
1 Final Fantasy 6
With so many great games to choose from, trying to decide which is the best Final Fantasy game is no easy task. However, Final Fantasy 6 arguably does just enough to edge out the competition, with the 1994 classic building upon the solid foundations laid out by its predecessors to provide players with what many consider to be the quintessential 2D JRPG experience.
Kazuko Shibuya deserves a lot of the credit here, with her incredible sprite work helping to shape and define the game's loveable cast of characters; most of whom have their own iconic theme or melody and an important role to play in the story. The game also boasts one of the best Final Fantasy villains of all time in Kefka, whose maniacal laugh is every bit as memorable as the cataclysmic consequences of his unquenchable thirst for power.