Square Enix is the house that built the JRPG genre. From the 8-bit origins of Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest through the PlayStation golden age and into the modern HD-2D revival, no other publisher has shaped what Japanese RPGs look and feel like more than this one. The merger of Square and Enix in 2003 brought two rival catalogs under one roof, and the combined library is staggering in both depth and range.
I have been playing Square Enix games since I borrowed a copy of Final Fantasy IV from a friend in the mid-90s, and the studio has given me more meaningful gaming experiences than any other. This ranking of the twenty-five best Square Enix JRPGs spans the full history and ranks them by quality, lasting impact, and how well they hold up today.
For more JRPG rankings, see our Final Fantasy ranking, the best JRPG stories, our soundtrack picks, or browse the complete best RPGs of all time and JRPG tier list.
25. Star Ocean: The Second Story R
Star Ocean: The Second Story R is an example for other companies when thinking of remaking a JRPG from the 90's. The game brings back a new version of a game on the PS1 which had one of the first real-time battle systems with new mechanics like spell interrupts. In the remake they integrate the real-time battle system with a new art style that is like a moving pop-up storybook. The dual protagonist system where you select Claude or Rena is still interesting 25 years later.
What specifically makes Star Ocean different from other action JRPGs is the Private Action system. When you enter a town, the party splits up while you track down individual characters. These individual characters also do different town activities which give rise to relationship-building scenes that impact the ending. These scenes are the predecessors to the social simulation systems that later defined the Persona series. The Second Story R uses all of the original interactions, in addition to adding voice acting and more scenario content. This is the perfect way to showcase the legacy of the title.
24. Trials of Mana
Among the franchise's offerings, Trials of Mana is arguably the most accessible. In addition to the gameplay being molded to fit a player's selection of characters, there are three from a possible six to choose from. Each of the six characters has their own lores and class evolution branch. Each character has their own disparate approach to the world and conflict, which means class is likely to be the biggest determiner of Multiplayer Online Battle Arena (MOBA) and role-playing game (RPG) experience. Players are likely to feel an urge to replay in order to experience every unique class. In terms of gameplay, class and character lore are the biggest and most awesome reasons to replay. Combat competent enough to go from class to class builds the right setting to play.
The story is not much good, winning no awards for writing, but that is not Trials of Mana's goal. It provides a fresh 20–25 hour action RPG, and makes good choices in the builds it provides. As a separate entity, SNK beat their competition (likely Square Enix) to the punch and turned out the Reloaded pack with a touch of polish. It definitely helped the revival of the series.
23. Romancing SaGa: Minstrel Song R
Romancing SaGa is the anti- final fantasy. Unlike final fantasy's linear format, where the story is direct and provides guiding objectives, SaGa simply has you choosing from one of eight characters, opens an expansive world, and has you attempt to craft a story. Quest markers are absent. There is no path that is better than the others. The combat mechanism is designed to gear you toward taking action (and losing) or winning) in order to earn experience as opposed to the traditional meant to motivate system of gaining experience. This results in a different character even in the same story choices after the first playthrough.
Minstrel Song Remastered is smoothing over some of the original PS2 version's rougher edges by adding some improvements to the quality of life features, but it still does not sand down the difficulty or the intentional obscureness. This game is meant for players who want to be challenged, not just in combat, but in the overall understanding of how the game works. This game is not for everyone, and the SaGa team has never pretended otherwise. Their stubbornness is what makes the franchise interesting.
22. Octopath Traveler
Octopath Traveller created the now standard HD-2D artstyle and that would be enough to get it a spot on this list. The mixture of pixelart, 3D environments, and moving lights creates something that looks like a SNES game, but modern. The eight character system gives each protagonist a discrete story with its own tone. The Boost and Break combat system adds some real tactics to every battle and is part of what makes the game so enjoyable.
The weakness is that the eight stories rarely cross paths in meaningful ways which gives the game a somewhat short story feel instead of a cohesive novel. The Boost system, where you enter and exit combat with a set number of points that you can use to control the pace of your attack to trigger Break System shields and windows and create multiple combat vulnerabilities, is one of the best turn-based battle systems created by modern era Square Enix.
21. Bravely Default II
Bravely Default II successfully implements job class mechanics from Final Fantasy V, making it feel modern. Players can experiment with customization and find the different 24 classes, each with special passives. One of the best risk-reward systems in turn-based combat stems from the brave and default system. Players are able to lose their defensives turns to gain future attack turns.
Unfortunately, characters and the storyline offer nothing special since the writing for the archetypes are lacking. Regardless, of the weak characters and story the job system overcomes it. For those players who enjoy testing combinations of abilities rather than continue the story, the game was designed for you.
20. The World Ends with You
The World Ends With You offers a vastly different experience from all Square Enix games. Taking place in Shibuya, players encounter Neku, a reclusive teen who must battle for survival in a game on the afterlife. The narrative pushes players to discover the importance of connection, empathy, and trust in others. Players must adapt to the art and music styles of Shibuya street culture, with a blend of J-Pop and hip-hop driving the soundtrack. The combat system on the Nintendo DS was innovative at the time. Players must use both screens which could cause disorientation in combat until the combat system finally makes sense.
The world ends with you is an example of how Square Enix can innovate and show that they have creativity and the vision to execute that creativity. This game has multiple systems that all integrate with and influence the story and the setting instead of one being bolted on systems. From the pin-based combat to the food systems to the ways that the various fashion brands that you can equip influence your stats. From start to finish, it is an example of pure creative vision executed with confidence and is one of the most unique JRPG's ever created.
19. Kingdom Hearts
Kingdom Hearts is an example of how to do the impossible. Disney and final fantasy characters teaming up to save the world and combat corporate greed by fighting along side one another sounds like a corporate fever dream and yet somehow, the first game in the series manages to achieve excellence. When compared to other action RPGs of this time, the combat is fast, responsive, and satisfying in a way that is almost unprecedented. Each Disney film gets a world which in turn creates a great variety of combat, keeps the pacing tight, and makes the game a joy to play for over thirty hours.
What makes Kingdom Hearts so good is that even though it has a solid Disney framework, the real good stuff is the original story and world that was built along with it. The mythology surrounding the keyblade, the heartless, and the nobodies is so much more complex than one would expect from a Disney crossover. The first game in the series was released 20 years ago and it still has that same complexity. It planted many of the ideas that have become the foundation for the entire Franchise. It also lets you fight along side Donald and Goofy which is really good.
18. Dragon Quest VIII
The game that made Western audiences finally take Dragon Quest seriously is Dragon Quest VIII. Level-5's cel-shaded graphics, based on the designs of Akira Toriyama, created a world that looks like a playable anime. The world is very colorful and expressive. The world is also very large, with many hidden treasures. There are monster arenas, and side stories in every corner of the map.
The pot alchemy system is one of the most addictive JRPG crafting systems. Discovering new recipes is a game that exists within the game, and experimenting with items can create the best weapons and armor aside from obtaining them from bosses. The story is typical for the Dragon Quest series, with an evil sorceress, a cursed king, and a group of heroes. However, the polished execution provides a comfort feeling rather than a cliche.
17. Valkyrie Profile
Valkyrie Profile is a unique JRPG on the PS1 that stands out from the numerous titles utilizing the era's standard formula by be basing its story on Norse mythology. You play as Lenneth, a Valkyrie. Your job is to collect the souls of warriors destined to perish in battle and prepare them for the end of the world. Each chapter has a set number of time units you can spend on activities. You can recruit and train soul warriors, known as Einherjar, and send them to join the army of Valhalla. You can prioritize exploring dungeons, recruiting souls, or preparing warriors. Since you cannot perform every activity, you must strategically choose which ones to do, making time management needed throughout the game.
In Valkyrie Profile, each of the four characters in your party is assigned to a face button and winning or losing fights is determined by the number of attacks that each character has performed. The combat is satisfying, and while the game has an accessible combat system at a beginner level, it has enough depth to keep you engaged for more than thirty hours. Valkyrie Profile doesn't hesitate to take the most ambitious and inventive design approaches to create a successor to the 90s era of JRPGs. It refuses to follow the time period's contemporary formulas.
16. NieR Replicant ver.1.22
The New Game Plus system is heavily utilized by the game NieR Replicant. During the first playthrough, the narrative is told simply. It is an action RPG experience about a father trying to save his daughter. The second playthrough allows for more player interaction as you can understand the enemies. This changes how you perceive boss fights. Instead of being victories, they become tragedies. By playthrough three and four, the game has picked apart the story so much that you are left with an ending that is only honest if you have to delete all of the save data to end the game.
Yoko Taro is the heart and soul of the game. Replicants gameplay, combat, and traversing the open world are all described as adequate. The side quests can be tedious and story can be weak, but the game draws you through all the mediocre sections to see the characters and the narrative. The characters Kaine, Emil, and Weiss are among the most memorable in not only the series but the entire company of Square Enix. Keiichi Okabe composed the music for the game and it is one of the best in the video game industry.
15. Dragon Quest V
Dragon Quest V tells its story across three decades and three generations. You start as a child journeying with your father, grow into a young man with a choice of a bride, and later battle alongside your own children. This unique structure allows the game to emotionally resonate at a level most JRPGs do not bother with. Character's marriages, deaths of close ones, and the passing of the family's legacy creates an epic feeling scale without relying on world ending threats for most of the game.
The monster recruiting system was innovated four years prior to the Pokemon games. When a monster is defeated, it can join the player's party and be trained. Some of the strongest characters in the game came from monsters that were recruited in the first act and carried through the entire journey, showing the depth of the system. Your monsters gain experience and strength that creates a powerful sense of continuity across the decades of in-game time. This feeling is one of the reasons that Dragon Quest V remains one of the greatest JRPGs of all time.
“The bride choice in DQV is still the most talked-about decision in the franchise.”
14. Live A Live HD-2D Remake
"Live A Live" is actually 7 games in 1. Each chapter is set in a different time period and is divided by unique settings, characters, storylines, and gameplay. The rawest and most unique chapter of "Live A Live" is the Prehistoric chapter. There is no dialogue, only commentary. Another unique chapter is the western themed chapter. Players defend troops from an attacking town in an active mission. The chapter set in the distance sci-fi future is a survival horror aboard a spaceship. The final fusing chapter is set in a "medieval" future. This chapter explains and fuses together all the previous storylines in the game to give players an even deeper understanding of the game than they have already engaged in while playing.
It has finally received the visual quality it has always deserved and the and localisation is outstanding once again. The real genius here, however, is the structuring of the game. Takashi Tokita designed an RPG in a clever way to help players understand and appreciate the genres ability to express a story and convey meaning no matter the time period, and the final medieval chapter fusion twist leads the game to be much more than a simple clever anthology collection. "Live A Live" very much deserved the 28 years of waiting for an audience that could truly appreciate the game.
“The medieval chapter twist made my jaw drop. Live A Live is the best kept secret in Square's catalog.”
13. Final Fantasy Tactics
Final Fantasy Tactics has one of the best stories in gaming history. The storyline of the conflict of the lions is about class disparity, manipulation of power, religion, and the impact of influential people with a huge social gap. It is a political thriller about the people that history records and the actual important people who were never recognized. Ramza and Delita, despite being on opposing ends of the class spectrum, start off as friends. They both then have to navigate a conflict where all the factions (Nobility, The Church, The Crown) all use manipulation in the most self-serving way to gain control.
FFT's superb tactical system of combat offers a combination of over 22 job classes with multiple unique abilities and divergent strategies all focused around reconfigurable grid maps. It is a game about conflict. Each face is its own mini game that requires dozens of minutes. The depth and complexity of the game is well worth the time. Square has never achieved the level of mastery when creating a tactical RPG as they have with Final Fantasy Tactics.
“Ramza is forgotten by history. Delita becomes king. That inversion is the most brilliant storytelling in any FF.”
“Twenty-two jobs, hundreds of ability combinations, and every fight feels like a chess match.”
12. Final Fantasy IX
In the franchise, Final Fantasy IX has the most charisma and charm of all its titles. Final Fantasy VII is known for its gritty and serious nature. Final Fantasy VIII is characterized by its darkness and deep emotional themes, while Final Fantasy IX is bright, uplifting, and cheerful. Zidane is a good-natured and generous thief, and has a tail. Vivi is a black mage who is also facing the reality of his own death. Steiner, a knight, is corrupted and blinded by his loyalty. The way the game is designed gives all of its characters the ability to accomplish their own personal goals, and all the characters in the game have their own personal story complete.
While playing for more than 40 hours, you develop a connection to the characters, and the final act's emotional weight pays off. It dives deep into existential questions regarding the story's driving force. What does it mean to exist, and how can you be alive when you are meant for someone else's purpose? It streamlines the learning and trance abilities and makes the systems simpler. Unlike earlier Final Fantasy titles with Materia and Junction systems, FFT makes its characters do the heavy lifting and carry the experience.
“Vivi's arc is the most human story in any FF, and he is not even human. That is the genius of FFIX.”
11. NieR: Automata
Yoko's writing truly shines with the structure of NieR: Automata. It's a game set in a post-apoc earth and features androids battling in a proxy war, and uses its premise to ask "What is the purpose of living?" "What is consciousness?" and "What questions should we ponder when we are alive?". The story is revealed in layers over three complete playthroughs. Each run is different, ending E leaving the player to sacrifice themselves in a sense. While the fourth wall break is incredibly manipulative, it also is a powerful moment.
What NieR lacked, goes to the original Automata, and the superb combat from PlatinumGames puts it over the-top. Responsive and fluid sword combos spliced with different genres including action RPG, Twin-stick Shooter, and Side scroller break up the combat in a fun way. The boss fights are also great. What makes Automata such an excellent game is when you cross into Route C. Until then, the game has been fun, and this moment makes it powerful. This is why Automata deserves to be rated as one of the best games ever published by Square Enix.
“Ending E is the most powerful moment in gaming. The only time a game made me cry by asking me to delete my save.”
“The combat is PlatinumGames at their best. The story is Yoko Taro at his best. The combination is historic.”
10. Dragon Quest XI S
The long-running Dragon Quest franchise has demonstrated that it does not need to reinvent the wheel to be relevant, and where other franchises have opted for new gimmicks, DQXI remains as true as could be to the series’ formulas for success. DQXI’s combat remains as traditional as traditional can be. DQXI’s story is that of a chosen hero gathering companions to combat an evil of times long forgotten. The art is the usual pure Toriyama. The execution, however, is flawless; every system is polished to be the best that it can be, every character is given the space they need to develop, and the post game twist shows that a story can continue to develop even after the game's main objectives have been completed.
This, of course, is not to say that all versions of the game are deserving of the same accolades. The Definitive S edition is the version that earns this ranking. The new party member's backstories, especially Erik’s and Sylvando’s, fill the gaps that other versions left open. The new orchestral soundtrack replaces DQXI S’s version’s contentious MIDI tracks, and now those orchestral arrangements are finally worthy of the scale of the adventure. DQXI S is deserving of these accolades, and as DQXI S is also the most complete Jrpg available, it deserves to be praised as the best game available in the series. DQXI S is also the best game for new players of the series to experience.
“Act 3 is the most ambitious postgame in JRPG history. It reframes the entire story.”
9. Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers
Final Fantasy XIV is known for having one of the worst launches in gaming history, and one of the best comebacks. Square Enix completely shut down and rebuilt the game so it could be released again as A Realm Reborn. By the time Shadowbringers was released, FFXIV was regarded as the best story-driven MMORPG.
The most compelling reason for Shadowbringers to be included on this list is because of the character Emet-Selch. Emet-Selch's character is described as having a 12,000 year long journey marked by grief and loss as he watched civilizations rise and fall. Emet-Selch is noted as one of the best-written characters in the entire Final Fantasy franchise. This is also true for his dungeon from the Amaurot area. Shadowbringers successfully delivered an emotional experience even though it was an MMORPG. This was accomplished with strong writing that was comparable to the single-player games in the series.
“Remember us. Remember that we once lived. No other MMO has ever made me feel this way.”
8. Final Fantasy IV
Final Fantasy IV's main character is Cecile. Cecile's character arc as a dark knight turned paladin is one of the first instances of a true character arc in JRPG history. This story describes an individual who is driven by guilt and redemption and chooses to detach from his powerful role as a dark knight in order to assume the identity of a paladin. This is an iconic moment for character arcs in JRPGs and is known as the Mount Ordeals scene where cumstances and his dark self compel him to draw the sword of a dark knight.
This game introduced the Active Time Battle system, which revolutionized turn-based combat for all the games to come. Rather than having the player leisurely decide which action to choose, they must choose quickly, because they could lose their chance to act while the enemy's ATB fills. FFIV also introduced the rotating cast party system, where party members leave and rejoin due to story events. This set the FF games apart from their contemporaries, as it provided a storyline momentum that was absent from games with fixed party compositions. This is the starting point for everything the franchise would eventually become.
“The paladin transformation is still the most powerful class change in any RPG. Cecil earned it.”
7. Kingdom Hearts II
In the action RPG genre, KH2 has some of, if not, the best boss fights. The data battles with Organization XIII are some of the hardest fights in the game, as they require a mastery of everything the game has to offer, including all of the magic, drive forms, guard timing, and spatial awareness. The superboss Lingering Will is a ten minute test of endurance, and requires nothing short of perfection. Kingdom Hearts II is proof that combat in a JRPG can reach the same level of sophistication as a dedicated action game.
Not much comes close to the amount of scope, depth, and breadth of writing effort that went into Xenogears, spanning over 10 thousand years of history, and multiple disciplines, including but not limited to: jungian psychology, Gnosticism, freudian analysis, revolutions, and then puts that in a JRPG with a turn based mech combat and martial arts combo system. The effort alone puts it leagues above the competition, and that most of it worked, outside of Disc 2, that had to be a visual novel due to budget constraints, is a miracle.
“KH2 Final Mix critical mode is the best action RPG combat system ever made.”
6. Xenogears
I first played this in 2002 and spent a month afterwards reading all the analysis documents. The narrative moment where the protagonist confronts the multiple personalities created by childhood trauma is the greatest moment in JRPG history and the therapy scene in Fei's mind is no exception. Combine that with the fact that JRPG's rarely, if ever, attempt anything this structurally complex, and then treat the questions it raises about the nature of identity, purpose, and God with a philosophical depth that most games would not even come close to. That's what makes Xenogears so unique and exactly why it is so imperfect.
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is one of Square Enix's greatest feats as it sets new benchmarks in ambition for modern JRPGs. The open world has plenty of fully immersive regions such as Grasslands, Cosmo Canyon, and Gold Saucer. They provide great rewards for players as they explore the open world, avoiding the classic deadly checklist design. The Synergy system is new combat mechanics that provides tactical choices that the Remake didn't have, while boss fights are multi-phase, combat-system demanding encounters.
“You need a flowchart to understand Xenogears. But once you do, nothing else in the genre comes close.”
“Disc 2 is unfinished and it is still the best JRPG story ever told.”
5. Final Fantasy VII Rebirth
Rebirth is taking a great risk with FFVII's storyline, leading to divisive opinions. The ending and Cosmo Canyon scenes are emotional, while the ending is emotionally impactful. By the time players get to the end of the trilogy, their opinions on the game may differ compared to beginning, however, Rebirth is one of the most JRPGs that are content-rich and technically impressive out there.
Final Fantasy X is a game that embodies walking towards the end with the anticipation of loss. During the pilgrimage, Sin must be defeated and it is Yuna's duty to end the fight. However, this is a covenant that the summoner must die - leading to the end of true peace of the fight against Sin and transforms the journey into a farewell to all of her companions. With the emotional weight that has built up in the game, when the truth comes out, it elicits the emotional response that the game has been building towards. 30 hours of gameplay has led to this emotional response.
“Cosmo Canyon in Rebirth is the best single area Square Enix has ever designed.”
“80 hours and I still had not done everything. Rebirth respects completionists.”
4. Final Fantasy X
The Sphere Grid makes for a great character progression system. Players navigate a physical board to unlock stats and abilities. Players have the option to go down branching paths for specialization and cross-class flexibility. Each battle can be considered a puzzle with the objective being to manipulate speed and exploit weaknesses against the enemies. This is all possible because the game has a system called Conditional Turn-Based Battles where players can see the turn order and the enemies do not have Active Time Battle timers. Final Fantasy X is the last mainline game in the series to have fully turn-based battles and it proves that the system does not need to be updated.
Chrono Trigger does not have any wasted space in the game. This is true for every dungeon and every side quest that develops a character. The time travel system cleverly ties in with the plot and the thirteen different endings provide an organic reason to replay the game in addition to the time travel mechanics. The game has more replay value than a game that would be considered completist. In total of twenty-five hours the game has more memorable moments than most other JRPGs have in eighty hours.
“The ending of FFX is the only time a JRPG made me ugly cry. And I have played this game four times.”
“The Sphere Grid is progression done right.”
3. Chrono Trigger
Chrono Trigger utilizes Dual and Triple Techs which allows for individual members to do a combined attack. Because of this, it gives players a reason to switch their party again. Charcters can be seen due to no random encounters. You can choose to fight or avoid each character. Yasunori Mitsuda and Nobuo Uematsu created what can be considered the best soundtrack for an JRPG game. Akira Toriyama brought fantastic art to the game. It's been thirty years and Chrono Trigger hasn’t aged a day.
Final Fantasy VII focused the Western world on JRPGs for the first time. The characters Cloud, Sephiroth, Aerith, and the location of Midgar became cultural phenomena during 1997, and have remained iconic for almost 30 years now. The Midgar plates do a great job of telling a story of class division and the fight between upper and lower class without the need to say any lines or use dialogue. The simple use of colored orbs that can be slotted in to gain different spells and abilities are what makes the materia system so great.
“I replay Chrono Trigger every few years and it never loses its magic. That is the definition of timeless.”
“Three of the greatest minds in Japanese gaming made one game together and it was perfect.”
2. Final Fantasy VII
Aerith's death remains one of the most talked about events in the history of JRPG's and gaming as a whole. This is because she is the only character who is permanently removed from your party. Because of the powerful emotional effect the developers understand that having her equipment and materia removed from your inventory is essential. This is a unique element because most games that kill off characters as a plot device will remove a character from your party but won't have any additional mechanics to assist the emotional experience. Final Fantasy VII showed the gaming industry that powerful emotional events could be achieved in games to the same level as books and movies.
“Midgar is the greatest opening sequence in JRPG history. Eight hours that hook you for forty more.”
“The materia system is proof that the best game mechanics are the simplest ones.”
1. Final Fantasy VI
Final Fantasy VI is the greatest JRPG ever made. That is not a controversial statement — it is the consensus of thirty years of critical and fan evaluation, and it has survived the arrival of every game ranked below it on this list. FFVI succeeds because it does everything well. The ensemble cast of fourteen characters, each with a unique combat ability and a complete story arc. The opera scene, which remains the most ambitious artistic setpiece in 16-bit gaming. The World of Ruin, where the villain succeeds and the entire second half of the game is about rebuilding from the ashes.
I have played Final Fantasy VI four times across the SNES, GBA, and Pixel Remaster versions, and what strikes me every time is the balance. No character dominates the story — Terra, Locke, Celes, Edgar, Sabin, Shadow, Cyan, and the rest each carry the narrative at different points, and the game trusts you to find all of them in the World of Ruin at your own pace. Kefka is the only JRPG villain who actually wins, and the question the game poses in its final dungeon — why do you keep fighting when everything has been destroyed — is answered not through cutscenes but through the characters you chose to save.
The music by Nobuo Uematsu — from Terra's Theme to Dancing Mad — is the finest score in SNES history. The Esper system gives you freedom to customize every character while preserving their individual identities. And the World of Ruin remains the most ambitious structural choice in any JRPG — splitting your party across a ruined world and letting you reassemble them in any order was a design gamble that no other game has matched. FFVI is not just the best Square Enix JRPG. It is the standard that every game on this list is measured against.
“Fourteen characters. An opera scene. A world that actually gets destroyed. And it all works.”
“Dancing Mad is a four-movement symphony about a clown ascending to godhood.”
“Thirty years later and no JRPG has matched FFVI across story, characters, music, and gameplay simultaneously.”
Square Enix built the JRPG genre, and this list is proof of their range. For more JRPG content, explore our best JRPG stories, the best JRPG soundtracks, or browse the full best RPGs of all time.