Top 10 Final Fantasy Games, Ranked (2024)

Final Fantasy games are some of the most diverse and beloved RPGs out there. Everyone and their Chocobo has their opinions on the best entries among the mainline Final Fantasy games, including popular titles like Final Fantasy 15. On this ranked list, we are turning our attention to some of the spin-offs that extended the franchise as well.

We are ranking Final Fantasy games by the quality of their combat mechanics, plot depth, character development, and overall gaming experience. Whether you're here for strategic warfare or deeply woven narratives, this list is here to guide you toward some of the most compelling and influential titles from within the Final Fantasy universe.

10 Final Fantasy 15

Engaging Action And Close Party Relationships

• Ignis, the group's chef, will prepare delicious cooked meals for the group. These feasts will give you advantages in battle, such as increased attack damage, enhanced defense, and boosted experience. Party members themselves, as such, are tied into the crucial mechanics.
• Noctis can Point-Warp away to a safe location, dodging powerful attacks and repositioning for a counterattack. Using this ability, he can also close the distance between himself and his target fast, making for versatile and exciting combat.

Two of the most talked about features of Final Fantasy 15 are its large and visually stunning open world and its bold combat. Eos is so beautifully designed, with breathtaking views and different environments, but many gamers have been surprised by just how empty this world really feels. Large distances between key locations can make for areas that are deprived of meaningful content.

The combat in Final Fantasy 15 is a thrill, with fluid, stylish action sequences featuring Noctis and his friends executing dramatic, choreographed attacks that showcase the game’s impressive graphics and dynamic battle system. While the stylish and responsive combat of the party members' different weapons and abilities really spices things up, the overall feeling of emptiness and lack of interactivity within Eos more broadly are why we're placing Final Fantasy 15 in the first spot in our countdown.

9 Final Fantasy 12: The Zodiac Age

Exploring The Unknown And Forging Unbreakable (If Limited) Bonds

• The Bazaar System allows players to sell specific loot combinations to unlock items that aren't available in regular shops, lending a new twist to an RPG trope.
• Players can use the Gambit system to program characters' actions, subject to specific conditions, enhancing the possibilities of customization.

With the added x2 speed button in The Zodiac Age, the flow of battles and exploration in Final Fantasy 12: The Zodiac Age is significantly faster than in the original, making gameplay more dynamic and engaging. This feature effectively addresses the first game's slower combat pace. Additionally, the job system offers deeper customization and strategic options, enhancing the overall experience.

Set in the richly detailed world of Ivalice, the game’s narrative is filled with rebellion and the quest for freedom (and some rather dastardly boss fights). However, its grand scope can be a shortcoming, due to the focus on political intrigue and world-building at the expense of character development and emotional connections. Despite these issues, the improvements make The Zodiac Age a notable upgrade.

8 Final Fantasy 8

Customize Your Path To Power

• Players can challenge NPCs in the game to matches of Triple Triad, a deep and involved card game that can add tens of hours to a playthrough if collecting a full set.
• In battle, you have to choose whether you're going to use a turn to attack the enemy or draw magic, as there is no MP in the game. Junctioning the best spells for specific stats is a complex process.

Final Fantasy 8’s junction system provides extensive customization options by allowing players to equip spells to character attributes. This offers incredibly unique layers of strategic depth. This mechanic allows characters to be tailored for various combat situations, but junctioning can become repetitive as well as challenging for some players. The junction system can be a hassle due to the high frequency at which spell management is required, which results in a much more tiring and less intuitive experience.

Squall’s journey, filled with emotional depth and intricate narrative elements, adds significant appeal. He and his friends confront their personal struggles while unraveling a time-traveling plot that twists their fates. Although the intricacy of the junction system affects its ranking, the game’s strong characters and compelling plot make it a standout entry in the series.

7 Final Fantasy 7 Remake

Iconic Characters Reborn

• Final Fantasy 7 Remake includes a variety of minigames for the player such as darts, bringing a ton of extra content for those who saw everything in the original title.
• Fully voiced dialogue brings beloved characters fully to life, though a divisive tale is told.

The Final Fantasy 7 Remake is acclaimed for its modern graphics, a refurbished story, and a new action-packed combat system, a significant shift from the original's iconic turn-based mechanics. That transition to an action-based approach to combat, however, has received mixed reactions from some long-time fans, with some feeling it lacks the original’s magic. The story changes, meanwhile, cause even more of a divide within the community.

Even with these mixed feelings, the Final Fantasy 7 Remake still impresses with its visual upgrade and the newly refreshed experience it holds. With the success of the sequel and the anticipation towards the third title in the trilogy, the impact of this first installment of the remake project is only amplified. It secures its place at seventh on our list.

6 Final Fantasy 10-2

Battling And Singing To Save Spira

• The party consists of only female characters (Yuna, Rikku, and Paine), and emphasizes themes of friendship and empowerment.
• Each Dressphere you collect unlocks new skills for the party to learn, opening up a world of possibilities for unique strategies.

Final Fantasy 10-2 strongly departed from its predecessor through its refined combat system. The ATB system brought fast and strategic brawling featuring the Dressphere and Garment Grid mechanics, creating quite an engaging and pleasant combat experience for fans. However, its light-hearted nature and playfulness turned away some people, who were looking to get something more serious and emotionally intense, similar to its predecessor.

In its combat, Final Fantasy 10-2 has loads of versatility, and multiple endings making it very replayable. Yuna's journey toward solving the mystery of Tidus' return and her personal growth through the story create emotional depth. While the playful tone may not work for everyone in this game, its fresh mechanics and engaging combat system keep it in sixth place on our list.

5 Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy

An Engaging Spin-Off Fighter With Unique Combat Mechanics

• Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy covers the events of the 12th great war between Chaos and Cosmos, while Dissidia Final Fantasy covers the 13th. It's an engrossing tale that series fans will appreciate.
• A deep, stylish, and strategic title that deviates from the series formula while remaining uniquely Final Fantasy.

Dissidia Final Fantasy revitalizes combat with unique fighting mechanics. Instead of traditional RPG elements, it features a system where Brave Attacks build up Brave Points to allow for the dealing of HP damage, requiring balance and offering a striking, fast-paced experience. The fast and flashy action is a major highlight, though its unconventional format may not suit all traditional RPG fans.

Even with its unconventional style, Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy builds upon the original with more characters and content, dazzling and fascinating with ingenuity in gameplay and storytelling. Square Enix diligently crafted Dissidia into the underrated magnum opus it turned out to be. It has exciting action and depth of strategy combined with recognizable and iconic Final Fantasy characters, making both games a must-have in any PSP collection.

4 Final Fantasy Tactics

Plan Your Moves And Dominate

• The original Final Fantasy Tactics brought the series into a new realm of turn-based strategy in style.
• Final Fantasy Tactics offers deep combat mechanics and extensive customization options with gender-specific jobs, but cuts down on access to and use of such roles.

Final Fantasy Tactics is celebrated for its grid-based tactical RPG combat. The game's design requires players to plan and think strategically about class abilities, terrain, and positioning, setting it apart from any other turn-based or action-oriented installment in the series. The job system (seen throughout the series and notably in Final Fantasy 14) makes the game very versatile, although, at times, too slow for some gamers.

Final Fantasy Tactics delivers deep strategic combat where positioning is everything. Broad customization accompanies an extensive job system that enhances tactical depth. Then there's the dense political intrigue fleshing out and adding layers to the narrative. Its depth and makes it an iconic classic of the Final Fantasy series and ensure its place on our list.

3 Final Fantasy 7: Dirge of Cerberus

A Dark Chapter In The Final Fantasy 7 Saga

• Vincent Valentine utilized firearms, magic, and melee attacks to terminate enemies in this worthy addition to Final Fantasy 7 lore.
• Though not present in the international release, the Japanese version of Final Fantasy 7: Dirge of Cerberus included a multiplayer mode with online battles and co-op missions.

Final Fantasy 7: Dirge of Cerberus introduces a third-person shooter format with RPG elements, focusing on Vincent Valentine. This rightfully earned third-place departs from the traditional Final Fantasy formula with its fast-paced gunplay for an action-packed experience. Even though it lacks some deeper RPG mechanics, it's engaging and full of fun.

Vincent's crusade against the soldiers of Deepground teaches us more about his past and creates extra layers to this tale. The fusion seems to be a perfect blend for Final Fantasy veterans seeking more action and a deeper dive into the Final Fantasy VII lore, as well as for new players just starting their Final Fantasy fascination. Dirge of Cerberus is a good gateway game in that sense.

2 Final Fantasy 9

A Royal Rescue Mission That Changes Everything

• The Trance system is an interesting twist on Limit Breaks. Steiner's Attack, for instance, triples while in Trance mode, but he doesn't get any special abilities like the other party members do. If a party member is under any negative status effects when they enter the Trance mode they will automatically be dispelled.
• Full of classic elements of the early series entries, with its own distinct storybook flavor.

Final Fantasy 9 harmonizes the best elements of earlier games with innovative mechanics, winning over players, critics, and long-time fans. It ranks as one of the best entries in the series, emphasizing character roles and introducing equipment-specific skills to encourage strategic equipment choices and new strategies.

The engaging narrative, featuring Zidane and his friends on a quest to stop warfare consuming the world of Gaia, adds nostalgic charm and enormous stakes to the action. The Active Time Event system enhances storytelling and strategy. These elements, combined with the story’s emotional depth, make Final Fantasy 9 a standout, landing it in the second spot on our top ten list and making the choice between first and second place difficult.

1 Final Fantasy 7

A Beloved World On The Brink

• Final Fantasy 7 had an incredible cultural impact, inspiring numerous spin-offs and even a movie.
• Bosses are integral to the story, providing plot developments and emotional moments of undeniable impact.

Final Fantasy 7 sits at the top of many lists for its mix of real-time and turn-based elements, the innovative Materia system, and its implementation of cinematic summons and Limit Breaks. Final Fantasy 7 was set apart as a technical marvel with previously unseen rich environments and 3D graphics. The emotionally heavy moments connect players to the characters and their stories, proving that RPGs can combine complex gameplay with vibrant storytelling and stunning visuals.

The game features the groundbreaking Materia system for extensive customization and strategic depth. Its ATB system blends real-time action with turn-based mechanics for dynamic combat. Filled with unforgettable characters and emotional moments, Cloud Strife’s quest to thwart the Shinra Corporation and Sephiroth became iconic. Final Fantasy 7 revolutionized the RPG genre and remains a landmark title, solidifying its place at the top.