Final Fantasyis, fundamentally, a great video game franchise. Ever since the originalFinal Fantasyreleased for the Famicom on July 17, 2025, the series has released hit after hit. Not all of the games are made equal, but even the lesser entries have fans. The series has sold over 160 million units as of June 2021, over 24 million of those coming from the various releases and remake of the wildly popularFinal Fantasy 7. Whether dealing with turn-based gameplay, action combat, a hybrid of the two, ortwo different flavors of MMORPG,Final Fantasyis always doing its best to please players and draw in newcomers as well.
However, with so many different takes on theFinal Fantasyformula, as well as some serious deviations from that formula, debates as to which game is best have become commonplace. Many fans are adamant that their favorite is the best, and it is rather difficult to sort each and every game by quality. However, with almost thirty-five years of playing and watching these games under the fandom’s belt, some general agreements have been reached.
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S Tier: The Final Fantasy Essentials
To no one’s surprise, the best games in the series are the mainline entries that have been generating nonstop discussion in recent memory.Final Fantasy 7is an evergreen title, with a classic narrative full of characters who defined what the JRPG genre would be for the next few years. It was the game to beat, and now thatFinal Fantasy 7 Remakeand various other newCompilationgames are coming out, it’s back in the public eye. The onlyFFtitle to rival it for many years was its immediate predecessor,Final Fantasy 6, which many would say rivals it in terms of storytelling and customization. Whatever one’s opinion, these two games embody the spirit of classicFinal Fantasy.
Meanwhile,Final Fantasy 14embodies the spirit of modernFinal Fantasy. While the game initially launched to derision,A Realm Rebornrevitalized the game andHeavenswardmade it more than worth the price of admission. Now that the game up to the end ofHeavenswardis free-to-play and thenext two expansions,StormbloodandShadowbringers, are two of the most acclaimedFinal Fantasytitles ever, it’s safe to sayFinal Fantasy 14is a powerhouse. When one is talking aboutShadowbringers’ writing elevating it to where it stands now, it’s hard to ignore the medieval drama present in the first Ivalice game,Final Fantasy Tactics. There’s a good reason why its fans are anticipatingProject Triangle Strategy, which looks to be cut from the same cloth.
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A Tier: All-Time Great Final Fantasy Games
The step down from the best games is where things start to get contentious. A lot ofFinal Fantasygames could be argued to be in this category, but the top of it has to go to the otherFFbrought up by a small crowd in every “bestFinal Fantasy” debate:Final Fantasy 9.FF9is a game driven by emotion, charm, and old-fashionedFinal Fantasyfanservice, which has endeared it to many. For a real dose of that classic formula, one needs to look no further thanFinal Fantasy 5. Considered by some to be the peak of NES/SNESFinal Fantasy’s gameplay due to its robust job system,FF5takes players on a lighthearted journey across worlds somewhat similar to9. With the Four Job Fiesta still going strong,Final Fantasy 5is primed for a revival with its upcomingPixel Remasterrelease.
Final Fantasy 10gets a fair bit of debate as to its story quality, but generally speaking it is a compelling tale of a tightly-knit group of friends travelling across the world to save it. Its running plotlines are well executed, and the plentiful combat along the way is considered to be a solid evolution to traditionalFinal Fantasyturn-based combat. Set apart from theFF10and the other games of its caliber isDissidia 012 Final Fantasy, an arena fighting game featuring heroes and villains from throughout the series. While the story suffers somewhat due to largely being a recreation of the other games’ plot beats,Dissidiaexcels in its high-flying gameplayand content offerings.
B Tier: Lesser But Decent Entries
Many of the mainline entries past the usual suspects have their fans, but few would argue that they’re the best the series have to offer.Final Fantasy 8was controversial in its time, but has become a fairly well-regarded entry that fans love to mess around with.Final Fantasy 4is a very influential entry in the series and still holds up, but5and6do everything better.Final Fantasy 12is an oddity because of its gameplay andStar Wars-like story, but it’s still fondly remembered for its interesting world and plentiful quests.
Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearerssuffered from alack of sales on the Wii, enough to put its sub-series on ice for years. However, it’s a creative linear action game that makes good use of the Wii’s motion controls and offers tons of activities alongside its main story.World of Final Fantasyis the most recent big-name consoleFinal Fantasyspin-off, and while it’s not particularly amazing, it is a solid, fanservice filled monster-collecting game.
C Tier: Messy Yet Charming Final Fantasys
The oldestFFgames,Final Fantasy 1andFinal Fantasy 3, were fair for their time, but are very basic by even the standards of an SNES RPG.Final Fantasy 11andFinal Fantasy Explorersare similarly competent, but don’t really stand out as MMOs or hunting games, respectively.FF11does still have its fansinside and out of Square Enix, however, so it has persisted long past its expiry date.
Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo’s Dungeonmight be more of a stand-out mystery dungeon game, but that genre is already held in contention. No matter how much fanservice is packed into it, it just isn’t for everybody.Final Fantasy 13-2, another monster-collecting game, is similar; it has the gameplay chops, but not everyone will enjoy its story or world.
D Tier: Final Fantasy Games That Don’t Hold Up
At the bottom of the tier list is where the problem children lie. It’s definitely toFinal Fantasy’s credit that all of these games still meet a certain quality standard and avoid being truly bad, but they are seriously flawed regardless.Final Fantasy 2is often pointed to as the timeFF’s experimental nature went horribly wrong.Final Fantasy 13andFinal Fantasy 15are both maligned for their rough stories and gameplay, and while13struggles to expand its world beyond a hallway,15has trouble filling its open worldwith compelling content. Their main parties tend to be considered the saving grace.
Final Fantasy 10-2andLightning Returns: Final Fantasy 13have a different problem. They aren’t lacking in content, and their gameplay is arguably good enough to raise them up to B tier. They are the spiritual sequels toFinal Fantasy 5andValkyrie Profilein that regard, and their fans love them for that precise reason. But the reason they ended up at the bottom of many fans' lists is because their stories and general tone are disliked.Final Fantasy 10-2suffers from bizarre writingfor an unclear audience and an abundance of uncomfortable titillation, andLightning Returnsseemingly fails to understand why anyone originally liked13’s characters and world. Throw on a time limit, and it’s no wonder why many fans stay away from theseFinal Fantasygames.
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