Top 10 Best Final Fantasy Games

The Top Ten
1 Final Fantasy VII

I play this on the PC a lot. This game has an emotional and compelling story, a plethora of good characters who make the experience more enriching, philosophical value, excellent plot twists, a plethora of amazing summons (my favorite so far being Bahamut ZERO), a vast world to explore, fun missions, an easy to hate villain, and an easy to hate organization of villains who think that they are doing good.

Nothing could possibly beat this. I can't believe that I didn't play this game sooner in my life. This was the first Final Fantasy game that I have played myself, but from what I have seen from other Final Fantasy games, this one gets the golden cigar.

2 Final Fantasy VI

Ranked #1 on nearly every critic's list out there, and by far the purest FF experience of any of the games in the series, this one walked the perfect balance of futuristic and medieval settings. With the exception of this one, fans of the series are quick to point out the flaws that each of the other FF games have. There's a reason for this. Can anyone think of anything truly wrong with this game? FFVII and X routinely score higher than they deserve on lists for FF games because of the high number of younger fans they attracted who hold them in higher esteem and nostalgia. But while neither is by any means a bad game, the real aficionados will always place FFVI higher.

3 Final Fantasy X

The first Final Fantasy game to feature voice acting, it had amazing graphics for its time, superb music, an extremely compelling story (coming from someone who doesn't usually enjoy stories in games), an amazing return to enhanced traditional turn-based combat, and tons of content. This game is lightning in a bottle, and we will never have anything like it ever again.

First off, disclaimer: I have not played VII, so my opinion of putting this as my favorite should be taken with a grain of salt.

Now that that's out of the way, this game may just be one of my favorite video games of all time. DK64 is probably my favorite, but clearly, there are a lot of good games out there I have yet to play. Between two save profiles in this game, one last played in 2010 or so and the last one in 2015 (PS2, not HD remake), I have over 300 hours in this game alone, and I still could play more. The story can make the player attach emotionally to it to the point where you wish you could change certain twists, while at the same time, you wouldn't want it any other way.

I wish I could explain more coherently, but this game just consumes me.

4 Final Fantasy IX

The ninth game of the series is probably what we can call perfection. Some of the strongest characters, in terms of personality, come from here, and the story is the best one in all the games of the series. The characters are complex. The story is complex. The best character ever of the series is here. Everything is perfect.

This game also wins for having the most perfect character of the series: Vivi, the most complex person in any FF game. Even though FF IV and VI come close, ranking second and third respectively, I have to give it up to IX, which is perfection.

5 Final Fantasy VIII

I have played most FF games, and FF8 is definitely in the top 3. The music is my favorite, and the character development was the best. My wife loved the love story between Squall and Rinoa, and I could really relate to Squall's introverted side.

My only complaint would be the draw system was boring and made the game too easy if you had the right magic. Enemies would level with you, so it was pointless to level up. I believe I beat the game at level 16 on my second playthrough.

One of the best ever in the franchise. I especially enjoyed Squall's growth as a character. From being an antisocial, doesn't-give-a-damn-about-anything type of teen, he grows into a young leader, starts caring for the well-being of his friends, and overcomes his fear of being left behind. Gameplay-wise, I rather enjoyed the R1 trigger, the Limit Breaks, and the girlfriend casting.

6 Final Fantasy XII

Final Fantasy XII remains my favorite game of all time. The game as a whole breaks away from so many of the clichéd pitfalls that the other Final Fantasies fell into, such as random encounter turn-based battles and the overdone end-of-the-world storyline. Its graphics were top-of-the-line at the time it came out and continue to amaze me (though graphics are not what make a game). The storyline is undoubtedly the most developed and surpasses the rest in the series. It was so excellent that Square Enix hired professional actors to voice all of the characters, ensuring that the plot received the justice it deserved. Not to mention, the characters are all so well expressed and realistic.

The gambit system was a stroke of brilliance, both very challenging and an excellent way to break away from random encounters and turn-based gameplay. Playing it, I loved leading a revolution against an overpowering empire and unraveling the mystery behind everything.

Just as a side note, I believe FF XII is the reason the "Ivalice Alliance" came to be. As big a success as it was, making more games set in Ivalice was undoubtedly called for.

7 Final Fantasy IV

Best storyline and characters, in my opinion, better than VII or VI. The only thing I wish it had was the ability to customize your party, instead of it being totally dependent on the plot. I would love to have Edward at Level 40 fighting Zeromus with a harp that spews 5000 HPs of damage, or something like that.

I don't believe this should be number one, but this entry definitely deserves a top-three spot. The ultimate story of redemption is poured into the world of Cecil the dark knight. Never to be forgotten.

Playing this game was one of the most fantastical experiences of my life. Going across the world, going under it, and going to the moon in a whale ship. There is no better game.

8 Final Fantasy Tactics

This game is the most underrated thing I have ever heard of. The immensity of perfection that this game has is crazy.

1. The job system is the best I have seen in any game by far. It's understandable, well animated, unique, and really gives the creation of a character from a simple squire to a dark knight a story. Every character you create has personal fulfillment.
2. It has the dragoon class.
3. The skill sets are amazing with the JP system and mastery system.
4. The characters are awesome, with people like Ramza, Delita, Agrias, CLOUD STRIFE! And many more, each having a detailed and fulfilling story.
5. The storyline has such great meaning.
6. The whole game is set in old English, which is just awesome to read and makes the experience more unique.

9 Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII

Just an AMAZING game. I recommend this game to those who want to have fun and want a great (unforgettable) story - which is not just in any game. Final Fantasy VII Crisis Core is one of the best and most unforgettable games ever made for any PlayStation, and it's one of the best games from the Final Fantasy franchise.

This is a great game. I have recently played Crisis Core before I started replaying VII and then moved on to watch the movie Advent Children. The story of how the Buster Sword came into Cloud's possession is remarkable, to say the least.

10 Final Fantasy V

This game has a great job system and humor. Shame that it didn't come over as a SNES game.

Why is this so low on the list? This game was by far the best when it came down to music and gameplay. I played it twice just to see the final boss as well.

Not the best FF game, BUT this beauty is so underrated that I want to give it my vote. Job system! Gilgamesh! Battle on the bridge song! Deep customization! A challenge in difficulty! RESPECT FF 5.

The Contenders
11 Final Fantasy XIII

I don't care if people think this game is bad or has a crap storyline! I think the storyline is amazing and beautiful! The characters are amazing and unforgettable, and I can really connect with them! I love Lightning so much. She's proof that women can be strong-minded! Also, with the best battle system I've seen in a Final Fantasy game, and with all the choices of what style you want to fight with, it makes it easy to find the style to suit you! And to top it all off, the game has an amazing soundtrack! I can listen to one piece of music from that game for five hours straight!

12 Final Fantasy XV

I've played VII, IX, XV, and have started the X/X-2 PS4 remaster (really looking forward to playing VI and XII). Of the three I have played, I don't know which is my favorite, but XV does not deserve to be this low. The characters and story are engaging, believable, and well told with exceptional music (standard for the franchise), but the production value is out of this world. Graphics aside, the incredible detail put into the design, from the reflection on the Regalia, to the way the characters behave out of cut scenes, down to the way they run, all scream personality (I will take this opportunity to mention Noct's limp as he runs out of stamina). This game is 100% worth the 10 years it took to make and deserves to be up there with VII, IX, X, and the rest.

13 Final Fantasy XIII-2

Even if it's kind of new, it was a HUGE improvement over the last game, and the storyline wasn't as hard to understand as well. Great game, beat it in about 30 hours (not counting optional stuff).

Wow! So much better than XI! This is definitely better than a lot of the games that are higher. FFIV twice? You've got to be joking. This one's the best!

14 Final Fantasy III

Amazing Famicom game that really pushed the system to its limits. It kept amazing me time and time again with what they managed to pull off on such limited hardware. It's really too bad it was never released outside of Japan. This game definitely deserves to be way higher on this list, despite its simplicity compared to the later parts in the series.

I hadn't even mentioned all the cool concepts this game introduced! An evil Djinn that turned people invisible against their will? A huge flying tree? An endless ocean with that beautiful background music that just screams "grandiose" as you're flying over it? It's incredible.

15 Dissidia Final Fantasy

Great graphics, awesome story, and incredible characters, and much more.

012 is better, but listen... it's a game where you choose Final Fantasy 1 through 10, and you fight each other raw. And it's not even cheap gameplay. It's one of the best, actually.

16 Final Fantasy

Everyone seems to forget that, without this game, there wouldn't be Final Fantasy. It was a last-ditch effort. It is also truly great how the first enemy you face is also the last. I thought he was just a tutorial enemy, while he is Chaos. I'm pretty sure no one knew who Garland really was. One word for this game: EPIC!

The start to the epic franchise!

17 Final Fantasy VII Rebirth
18 Final Fantasy IV DS

The best Final Fantasy Remake, in my opinion. The story is awesome, and the characters are lovely and unforgettably awesome. For me, it is the best Final Fantasy game on Nintendo DS and is one of the "graphic highlights" of the Nintendo DS.

19 Final Fantasy X-2

To me, Final Fantasy X-2 was the best FF game ever, with amazing graphics, awesome characters, and emotional music. This game should have more credit than what it's given right now. This game is the reason it makes me love FF. It makes me cry every time. Not to mention the story is the best of any FF game.

20 Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift

This is the best strategic game ever!

21 Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII

By far, this game has undeniably the most amazing graphics, in battle and out of battle, to the pleasant cinematics. The storyline is absolutely thrilling and engaging, and I loved that Lightning was happy in the end. A brave new world, eh?

22 World of Final Fantasy
23 Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn

It has multiple elements from past Final Fantasy games and really brings you into its world with its setting and story. Forget the original, crap release of XIV. FFXIV: ARR is an amazing title, and you should check it out!

Great story, beautiful setting, awesome music, fun gameplay. Yes, this game has it all. It really is underrated.

24 Final Fantasy VII: Dirge of Cerberus

Everyone is crazy for forgetting about this game. I say "forget" because no one in their right mind would rank XIII, X-2, and Tactics higher.

25 Final Fantasy Legend III

Final Fantasy Tactics Advance is one of the underrated gems of the series. The story was heartfelt, moving, and fairly complex. The gameplay wasn't without faults, but it does nothing to take away from the playability. The graphics and music were great, considering the platform it was on. The characters were engaging and believable, and the message of the story was one worth taking note of: it's okay to escape from your problems for a while, but someday you have to stop hiding and face them. Even today, I'll still pop this gem in and do a playthrough.

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