The best Final Fantasy games, ranked from best to worst

Final Fantasy VIII is probably the weirdest and boldest entry in the Final Fantasy franchise. That’s a big reason why we love it and why it’s slotted so high on this list. Because it’s so weird, VIII never lived up to the legacy set by VII and VI, despite being one of the most unique games in the series. Time brings perspective, though, and that’s true for Final Fantasy VIII. With a remastered version on PS4, Xbox One, Switch, and PC, now’s a perfect time to give it a shot. We’ll never forget Final Fantasy VIII, which reinvented the active time battle wheel without completely abandoning the series’ roots. The new junction system replaced armor and other accessories for customization, and each main character had a set weapon that drastically affected their combat style. The biggest change, however, was the increased emphasis on summoning. Throw in a neat collectible card game and a radically different scaled leveling system, and Final Fantasy VIII felt like the first really bold step in a new direction. All of these gameplay changes worked in incredibly interesting ways, allowing players to choose how they wanted to approach the experience. The planet — a futuristic set of five landmasses based on Europe — had a level of detail we hadn’t seen in a Final Fantasy title thus far. While Final Fantasy VII introduced 3D models, Final Fantasy VIII significantly refined their designs so we could see Squall (one of the best leading protagonists) and friends in better detail. We’re happy that Square Enix is finally showing VIII some love, too. All of the mainline games above and below it have received ports or remasters for modern consoles. The same is now true for Final Fantasy VIII. We wouldn’t recommend playing it as your first game, though. Final Fantasy VIII is dated, even with its spiffy new remaster. It’s an extremely complex game, and if you’re not prepared to handle its idiosyncrasies, it could turn you off to the entire franchise. Our picks directly above and below are far better starting points.

While some iconic franchises produce memorable classics out of the gate — Mario, Zelda, Mega Man, etc. — others, like Final Fantasy, take a few entries to hit their stride. While Final Fantasy was somewhat revolutionary at the time in 1987, featuring a relatively large overworld, strategic turn-based combat, and an epic story following four Light Warriors, it has languished in relative obscurity ever since. It’s a grand RPG by NES standards, but there wasn’t enough customization or variety to keep it from devolving into tedium at times. If you’ve never played it before, you might want to check it out to see where the franchise started, but it doesn’t hold up super well and was quickly outshined in the ’90s. The easiest way to play Final Fantasy without using an emulator is to buy it for iOS or Android.