Everyone’s ranked the Final Fantasy games. However, these rankings all have one common problem: they’re wrong. Metacritic scores, fan reception, sales, yada yada. No, the existing Final Fantasy rankings are all wrong because they aren’t identical to MY list. And my list is objectively correct. So, without further ado, here is the objectively correct ranking of mainline Final Fantasy games.
Note: I’m not including the MMORPG titles (XIV, XI) because you catgirls and bunnyboys scare me and I don’t want the smoke. Please do not hurt me.
13. Final Fantasy XIII
Final Fantasy XIII holds a unique spot in my heart as the first game that ever disappointed me. Toriyama’s Lighting fanfiction somehow manages to upstage Kingdom Hearts as the most egregious abuser of jargon in video game history. L’cie, Cieth, Cacoon, what the fuck? What is any of this? Characters like Hope and Vanille make me want to take a bath in a meat grinder. Play FFXIII if you inexplicably crave walking forward down a straight hallway for 20 hours.
12. Final Fantasy XV
Final Fantasy XV caters to a dream we’ve all held since the dawn of humanity: chilling with the boys. Its action combat system is almost fun, and would go on to be genuinely amazing in the FFVII remake where you can finally press A to manually auto attack. Most of my problems with XV come from time constraints and upper management interference. The story feels gutted to sell DLC story packs and the game tapers into FFXIII-style hallways towards the end as developers rush to get it over with, but at least you can blame the idiot suits at Square Enix this time.
11. Final Fantasy VIII
I like Final Fantasy VIII. Hell, I’d happily replay any game on this list that doesn’t have Lighting as a main character. However, FFVIII’s Junction system ultimately creates an extremely erratic combat progression system that encourages saving your magic like a desperate bitcoin investor. The story also fails to meet the impossible challenge of having time travel makes sense.
10. Final Fantasy XII
Final Fantasy XII’s gambit system feels like an intro to coding class in the best way possible, and I could spend hours creating a team that beats the game on its own while I take a nap. The plot tackles political intrigue in a way most Final Fantasy games couldn’t dream of. So why the low placement? Vaan, the main character, is a comically irrelevant bystander who shouldn’t exist in the game. Most of the time, playing as Vaan in FFXII feels like watching someone else enjoy a stellar Final Fantasy title.
9. Final Fantasy 3
Final Fantasy 3 is an innovative game that introduced some of your favorite tropes, such as the second world map, dark warriors and dark crystals, and the awesome job system. This is where dragoons learned how to Jump, and thieves learned how to Steal. Before, thieves were just warriors with a lower bench press PR. It also introduced the Onion Knight, which is a very funny job title. FF3’s biggest flaw is that Final Fantasy 5 does these systems better, and FF3 doesn’t have any real story to lure you back to the past regardless.
8. Final Fantasy — That’s it. Just Final Fantasy
FF1 is fascinating. You can feel the DNA of the roleplaying genre coalesce in this title, and there’s a sense of gravity that comes with the game’s history. These aren’t warriors of light; these are THE Warriors of Light. Of course, FF1 also comes with infuriating antiquities. My personal least favorite tidbit is that FF1 inns use low threadcount sheets that can’t cure KO’ed party members. I guess you just have to find God. Oh, there’s also a poison area that would make Miyazaki piss white. But these foibles are part of what makes the game intriguing, and I recommend the pixel remaster to anyone who wants to see the start of tradition.
7. Final Fantasy 4
Final Fantasy 4 on the Nintendo DS was the first RPG I ever played, and I feel like a sinner placing in the bottom half of the list. FF4 is where Final Fantasy cemented its identity, with the first fully realized story and developed player characters. Cecil’s journey from dark knight to paladin might be the first character arc in a video game, and Kain is hot. The game is also where Square began experimenting with boss mechanics, such as Rubicante’s cape or Cagnazzo’s shell. Unfortunately, FF4 is also the most rigid Final Fantasy by far in terms of party composition which tanks replay value, and I’m getting real sick of Yang pretending to die while stealing my best gear.
6. Final Fantasy 10
Final Fantasy 10 is the best Final Fantasy that I don’t feel strongly about. The story is touching, personal, yet grand in scale. Is this the only RPG brave enough to suggest the church might be bad guys? I know you’ve all seen the clip of Tidus laughing poorly, but I swear he’s a good character, along with everyone else in your party. Except Wakka, the racist. Sphere grids are a great way to personalize your characters without a full job system. However, I softlocked myself in childhood when I couldn’t beat a boss and the game didn’t let me leave to grind, so this game sucks. 0/10.
5. Final Fantasy 2
I know you disagree with me. Too bad. I love this game so much. Final Fantasy 2 removes the EXP and leveling system. Instead, you gain stats based on your actions in battle – taking damage boosts HP, casting spells boosts mana, etc. This system is awesome and you are all cowards for not loving it. Thankfully, this method of character growth lives on in the Romancing SaGa series which you should totally play. The story is also surprisingly mature – the Emperor absolutely razes multiple cities, and your Sasuke-type childhood friend stays shitty ‘til the end. If you want to see an alternative universe where Final Fantasy could have gone, try FF2.
4. Final Fantasy 7
The first disc of Final Fantasy 7 is the best RPG, period. Midgar is a fascinating microcosm of an RPG, Sephiroth feels like the Reaper himself, and you just can’t ignore the sheer shock of turning on a Final Fantasy game to immediately commit ecoterrorism. Cloud, Sephiroth, and Tifa are all much more interesting characters than their famous stereotypes would have you believe. The rest of FF7 is an amazing sci-fi fantasy too, but it suffers the Elden Ring problem: you’re never gonna hit the highs of Limgrave.
3. Final Fantasy 5
You’re sleeping on Final Fantasy 5. FF5 is much more lighthearted and adventurous compared to every other melodramatic opera made by Square, and it makes the serious moments hit that much harder towards the end. The job system is flexible and revolutionary, which is reflected by the FFV Four Job Fiesta events still being held to this day. Galuf is the Aeris before Aeris, and I insist that Gilgamesh would be the single most loved character in Final Fantasy canon if this game was ported to the West.
2. Final Fantasy 9
Final Fantasy 9 was a return to traditional fantasy after the creeping industrialization of Final Fantasies 6 through 8, and this bet pays off. Rather than introducing crazy new elements, like, God forbid, the fal’Cie, Final Fantasy 9 sticks to a classic fantasy world and imbues the characters with so much heart and nuance that you don’t even notice the lack of gunblades and motorcycles. Seriously, the characters are out of this world, and everybody has their unique abilities, struggles, and perspectives. FF9 is the game you want to play when you crave a classic RPG experience.
1. Final Fantasy 6
Final Fantasy 6 is the best Final Fantasy game. The entire cast is excellent, and everybody is viable in any type of build due to the flexibility of magicite. Terra is the lead character, and an excellent one at that, but you spend significant spans of time without her while the rest of the crew shines through. Kefka is a villain for the ages, and FF6 has the chutzpah to pull the trigger and let Kefka sink the world into ruin halfway through the game. FF6 is a fitting last note to the sprite-based Final Fantasy era. The only reason Final Fantasy 6 isn’t the best RPG of all time is that Chrono Trigger, the actual best RPG ever made, somehow came out on the exact same system.
