The Best Final Fantasy Games Ranked

Arguably the most recognisable JRPG franchise on the face of the planet, Square Enix’s Final Fantasy saga has captured the hearts and minds of millions since its inception, way back in December 1987. With well over fifteen core entries, we’ve decided to rank the best Final Fantasy games from worst to best. So strap in and see where your favourite Final Fantasy lands in our ranked list.

The Best Final Fantasy Game – Final Fantasy VI

Not only the best Final Fantasy game to not receive a remake (so far) but also the best Final Fantasy game full stop, Final Fantasy VI quite rightly holds an immovable place in the hearts of franchise and JRPG fans everywhere. Widely considered to be one of the best video games of all time, Final Fantasy VI employed the series heady mixture of turn-based combat, a sprawling overworld map and a hugely epic narrative that really, *really* goes places. 

Tethered to an incredible world that is deeply influenced by steampunk design which feels a 1000 times fresher than the shopworn fantasy setting of previous games, Final Fantasy VI boasts 14 different playable characters – the most the series has ever seen. A meditation on what it means to be human with themes of nihilism and control sprinkled throughout, the plot of Final Fantasy VI is widely regarded as one of the series best. As if that wasn’t enough to sell you on the greatness of arguably the best Final Fantasy game in existence, Final Fantasy VI also has a boss fight in which you get to suplex a phantom train which is attempting to kill you with ‘evil toots’. Told you.

The Next Best Final Fantasy Game – Final Fantasy VII

It’s impossible to take stock of the JRPG resurgence of the late 1990s without directly crediting Final Fantasy VII. Representing a massive leap in broad scope storytelling and production values, Final Fantasy VII arguably brought the genre kicking and screaming into the modern era.

With a cast of deeply memorable characters on a quest to save the world from a nefarious, world-destroying company all the while a shadowy evil lurks in the background, Cloud, Tifa, Aerith and Barrett are all practically household names at this point, such was the success of Final Fantasy VII in reinvigorating interest in the JRPG genre in the west.

From the melancholic streets of Midgar to the bubbly hubbub of the Golden Saucer and everywhere in-between, Final Fantasy VII’s superb story and cast of characters is matched only by the locales that you’ll find them in. Given the sheer breadth and ambition of Final Fantasy VII, it’s little wonder that its contemporary remake is such a protracted and expensive undertaking to say the least.

Final Fantasy Games Ranked – The Best (And Worst) Of The Rest

So Final Fantasy VI and Final Fantasy VII are, in the opinions of this scribbler, the first and second best Final Fantasy games of all time respectively. What about the rest of them though? Well, starting from worst to best, here’s how the rest of them stack up in our Final Fantasy games ranked list seen below.

16) Final Fantasy XIII

15) Final Fantasy XV

14) Final Fantasy II

13) Final Fantasy

12) Final Fantasy IV

11) Final Fantasy XI

10) Final Fantasy V

9) Final Fantasy X-2

8) Final Fantasy XII 

7) Final Fantasy IX

6) Final Fantasy X

5) Final Fantasy VIII

4) Final Fantasy VII Remake

3) Final Fantasy XIV

---