Every Mainline Final Fantasy Ranked (Except XI) 

I just finished VI for the first time, and it was amazing! So much better than it had any right to be! I would give it a 10/10 for sure

I wasn’t originally going to leave a comment, but then sephiroth intervened.

Shocked to see 10 in your 8 spot. Especially since it usually ranks pretty high for people. So interesting how subjective these games are.

So awesome to see VIII and XII so high. Love both of them and replay them a lot as well. You really can't go wrong with the franchise for the most part as all games bring something great to the table. Nice list

Thank you so much for talking about 11!

Haven't seen the entire video yet, but already big compliments on the editing ✌.

Thanks for this awesome video ❤

Final fantasy XV was a gem in potencial. Bring the zones that are there but incomplete, re-use the old optional dungeons in the world of ruins and add more story to that section, help them rebuild before dealing with the bad guy. fix a few things with combat and you are done for a complete edition, you don't even need better graphics ( add raytrycing if you want), and put a few more deep to the story of lunafreya and his brother. and other side characters

Great video! I recently played through all the games for the first time. Mostly agree with you on everything. VI, XII, and VIII were the ones that really stuck with me

As someone who generally puts VI around the 6 or 7 spot, I’m usually waiting for the bomb to go from the fan base. Especially when they hear IV, V, VII, and VIII are above it. Solid list. Mine differs a bit but always nice to hear differing opinions on entries I don’t hold as high.

Very interesting takes! I really appreciate that your list is very different from most that I’ve seen. Also, thanks for putting the actual best final fantasy at the top. 9 will ALWAYS be my favorite!

I’m slowly making my way through the series, thanks to the Pixel Remasters. I have loved FFX since I was a kid (it’s my favorite game of all time), but only now am I truly loving the series as a whole! I’m going through chronologically and I’m currently on V, so I’m excited to watch the series as it progressed through time. I’m particularly excited to play the PS1 era games, all of which I’ve only played a bit of.

Damn good video, man. My list would be different (as would most people’s) but I can’t argue with the number 1 spot.

An amazing list! 9 is my favourite game of all time, so nice to see it celebrated! I agree with your thoughts on a remake - please don’t touch the story, square! Voice acting would be amazing though!

FFXIV may not be for everyone for a variety of reasons, but for those with the time and sub money to spare, they will experience one of the best stories in the entire FRANCHISE of Final Fantasy. It also has the advantage of standing on the shoulders of giants in the FF series and applying their strengths to the game. Also, controller gang #1!

great video. 11 is also the only one i havent played. our top 3 is similiar, except id probably put 10 up there instead of 7. subscribed

I disagree with a few things, especially 10 and 6, but overall, great list. A curiosity: When I played 12 during its release, I absolutely hated the game and never finished it. I only got back to the game when the zodiac remaster came out in the Ps4. I loved it, even got the platinum, and now it's in my top 5 as well. I think it's a complex game that hits different when you're a kid and just don't understand how the game really works.

awesome video man i hope you get more subscribers!

Great video Brandon! I never did finish FF9

Agreed with this list! I have to say FF10 took me by surprise… I loved it, amazing imagination, gameplay, and many poignant moving moments. I was surprised to see this low in the top 10, but that’s the beauty of different perspectives!!

Wasn't gonna comment BUT... this man is telling it like it is.

The only changes I want to 9 would be fully orchestrated soundtrack, remastered visuals and cut the load times before battles.

Ff9 is my favorite as well!

Easily my favorite franchise. My favorite is XII Zodiac Age, for the world and all the side content that adds to the freedom aspect. I also love XV. It has some flaws but the roadtrip feeling made it so addicting, I played it almost as much. VII is great, I prefer VIII though. From the Pixel Remasters, my favorite is V, easily. X is great and it was my entry into the series. XIII I really don't like, however its sequel XIII-2 is amazing. Currently in XVI, ha4d to rank for me, but it's definitely a lot of fun.

So gels of your Players Guides' in the video. Also big love for the FF 1&2, IV, V, and VI releases on GBA! I love em' too. Still have my copy of IV!

I appreciate the FFXI shoutout. best MMO ever! 9, 10 and 11 was the sweet spot of the series for me

I love FF1 and have played it a ton of times. I think it was awesome that the Black Belt is so much stronger unarmed than with a weapon. FFT is also an amazing game that I have played multiple times.

Finally XVI getting the love it deserves! One of the most (if not THE MOST) underrated final fantasy games

Oh boy! Remembering now how difficult the first final fantasys were - i got final fantasy 4 for gba but never managed to get a thing straight lol and after some years i tried the ds version and fell in love x)

On the topic of what a focused single player FF14 would look like, if I were to organize it, the focus should be on everything after the 7th Umbral Calamity all the way to the finale of Endwalker and call if something like, "Final Fantasy XIV: Design of Ancients" and release that as an 80 hour semi-open world campaign. Maybe have it be an evolved ATB system with and emphasis on movement and timing. Rough ideas, but that would probably be something that would work imo. I will probably never happen, but it would be cool.

1. Totally agree about the preference for the old XII licance board vs zodiac age, although the job's system does bring balance to the overall party dynamics! 2. Thanks for not dumping on VIII 3. Should we start adding tactics to the conversation or does that open up Pandoras box? Great video and good work trying to be as balanced as possible throughout! Not easy to do when it comes this of all series.

Since you like the job system of FF, have you tried Stranger of Paradise? Hopefully you liked it if you have. If not, try it one day

FF11 indeed forged bonds but its style would not work in our era of MMO. I have played the since the release of the PC version for a few years. it emphasis strongly on teamwork and it is one of the most time consuming and memorable MMO I have played. I had a lot of fun, made many friends which I even met in real life. One couple I knew met and got married through the game. FF11 till date is still my fav MMORPG

Great video. I appreciate these high quality deep dives into the games' history whilst ranking them We seem to disagree on a lot but one thing we don't disagree on is that FFIX is the absolute goat lol

With 9, I agree, graphical revamp and slight battle mechanic changes. However, I would also happily welcome a little bit more character development for Amarant and Quina as well as a better wrap up to Freya's arc which just fell flat in the end. Even if it was a late game optional quest tracking down where Fratley went travelling around the world leading up to Puck finding him with no memory.

Best for me is FF9 - Having played almost all the first 10 Final Fantasy games (yes including the original Final Fantasy on NES, not the PS1 Origins remaster), FF9 truly holds something dear to my heart❣ It's the most "Final Fantasy" game for me, with FFVI a close second. I would love a remaster of both of titles especially FF9, as well as Final Fantasy Tactics which is the best Final Fantasy game for me even though its a spin-off (but in the same world as FF9).

That's was a very interesting way to pronounce Zidane lol 😂

I am so excited to see someone rank FFXII so high. Its in my top 3 for sure, but I often see it near the bottom of these types of lists. I love it so much though!

i spent waaaaay too much time on blitzball. i failed to beat the game on 3 separate occasions because i got to blitzball and never moved on. i did eventually beat X though.

Nice list

I have not played the Japanese N-Gage exclusive "Final Fantasy Brandon".... Very surprised it's not on the list..... 😅 Great video my dude. Best FF for me will always be 7 but I do also love 8.

Yeah, you need to get to Vagrant Story, man!! It's amazing! One of the most unique games Square has made. That being said, it has some rough edges, mostly around the interface and how tedious it can get to swap weapons and manage inventory for crafting. A good remaster/remake would do this masterpiece wonders! Also, you will notice many references to Vagrant Story in FFXVI, as several of those devs also worked on it (and FFT). Not only that, Yoshi-P is a huge Matsuno fan.

I'm currently playing FFXI and it's really being an adventure, I'm really enjoying it and after having completed the second expansion yesterday, I think it could sneak into my top 5 favorite FFs if things get better

You talked so much about how much you love grinding, I was almost sure XII would be in the top 3 XII is my favorite especially because of the battle system and the ''drop system'', every area has enemies with amazing gear from the start, also it has my favorite cast of characters and story, and the best world of course. Yeah the pay-off is a letdown, but still a 10/10 game for me.

Very good list. #1 is the only true option. Final Overrated X still a bit too high bt I am already satisfied seeing it not enter Top 5.

Uh oh, you won't like it that I've never played a Final Fantasy game either 😅 Your editing, humour, and intelligence is SOLID my man, what a fantastic video! 🎉

There's so many good things about all these games. Like a lot of people VII and X were my favorites, but I'd put XII and XV up with them if XII had had less dialogue scenes cut, and if XV had been in all one piece between it's DLC and anime shorts. But development was shaky in the decade after the company merge, so it happens. IX has the most of that FF element. That journey went everywhere and it had perfect swan song effort from Sakaguchi. What a way to capstone PS1!

I'm still mad at the pixel remaster that did'nt include the extra content in all the games =/ I'm still waiting for the final edition of final fantasy VI

it's hard to rate ff11 nowadays, since it's now soloable and you'll never get the same experience that was given back in the day, unless you play horizon XI, but it's classic ff11 75cap era, meaning you will take FOREVER to do simple stuff. I played it 10 years between 2005 and 2015. I gotta say the story is BRILLIANT specially on 2nd expansion and onwards

Great video man! i enjoyed watching it all, but not including the FF7 Remake/Rebirth as seperate games from the OG FF7 is crazy man, especially FF7 Rebirth is propably one of the best games of all time, let alone one of the best FF standalone games.

Hello! Until when do you think Square will keep supporting FFXIV on PS4?

XIV and IX in the top two...the list checks out.

I've only played 3, 7 & 10. I've only beaten 3, so that's my fav.

I feel like most of these games are biased to your nostalgia. But nah.. who am I kidding... FF9 is my favorite game of ALL TIME even outside the series because it was during a really dark place in my life and it resonated with me a lot so I guess I'm using nostalgia too lol.

I was going to give you grief about calling this the "ultimate" mainline ranking despite excluding one of the mainline games, but your segment on XI at the beginning was good enough where I'll give it a pass, hahaha. If I'm ranking base XI, it's towards the bottom of the mainline games. If I'm ranking all of FFXI, it's towards the top. I made a 2 hour overview of all of XI's expansions you might want to check out, as it's a good overview of the whole story without major spoilers. I played XI for the first time 2 years ago so I'm not a veteran of the game, just a fan of the series like yourself. I did 10 hours of video essays ranking the games, but long story short, my top tier games are VII, IX, IV, X and XI (if we include all expansions). I like the controversial games (II, VIII, XIII, XV). I'm mixed on VI. XIV and XII are my least favorite of the mainline games, though I've only beaten ARR up to this point, whereas I beat all of XI.

This was a fun walkthrough! For me FFXIV is my favorite, such an amazing journey!

While I would play the heck out of a 1:1 remaster of VII, the Remake project (especially Rebirth) has surpassed the level of enjoyment I would have gotten out of a straight nostalgia trip.

Anyone who is a massive fan of the franchise should seriously consider getting a switch. The entire franchise up until ff12 is available on it physically. + Crisis Core and World of FF games run very good on the system as well. Not to mention Sephiroth and Cloud are playable in Smash bro’s. And I have a strong feeling we’ll get Remake on switch2 also. Ofcourse if your budget is limited to 1 console, get a ps5. Rebirth is 🔥

They'll release a single player version of FFXI when players finally beat the remaining master trials :p (There is still an undefeated boss fight after 3 months and like complete mad lads, they're releasing another extremely difficult fight in a few days)

FF9 is my all time favorite too!!! I hope the remake won't go too far from the original.

Ff8 is number one for me. I think it was over alot of ppl's heads tho

This video is just more proof that the most underrated mainline game in the franchise, is FFXI.

I've been playing through all of the games and so far FF13 is easily my favorite and really hope it's gets a trilogy remaster similar to X/X-2 with some graphics updates and quality of life stuff the sequels brought

I think what people prefer is generational. I grew up on Final Fantasy IV, VI, VII and VIII. IX came out right around the time I began college. My main problem with it was Tetra Master and Jumping Rope. The former had no purpose and the latter is just painful. And if you ever saw the Prima Strategy Guide for that game that came out around the time, it was unbelievably bad. It was a lot of pictures and then URL's to actually get the information. Awful guide design. I think Final Fantasy IV, VI and X are my favorites. I also liked III and V a lot (played III pixel remaster about a year and a half ago for the first time, and was surprised at how good it was). I agree with your assessment of XV. I didn't play the Royal Edition, but played all of the other DLC. A lot of that content needed to be in the base game. Episode Gladiolus and Prompto were not great, but Ignis and Arden were much better. I have not played XII or XIV, the latter because I can't handle MMO's. Playing in moderation is not a thing for me. My sister loves it though.

Yeah I think the only place IX's story really fell kinda flat was with the final out of nowhere villain.

1:47 “sweet sweet Sakaguchi Saw an…(Sakaguchi San) I see 👀 what you did there….!

Yes! Someone who appreciates XII!

Oh wow, I've been saying Yuna is the main character from FFX for so damn long, glad to know you see it too! Loved the video bro :)

Swap 9 and 7, also swap 6 and 12 I would agree with you list

FF16 is my Final Fantasy! It’s my number 1

15 lower than 13?? Oh wooow! Didn’t expect this

7, 10, 8, 13, 15, 16, 9, 12.

original ff11 was the ultimate mmorpg that had absolutely zero respect for your time 😂 the tradeoff was that any progression you made had such massive weight to it. It may be a dead idea currently, but needing a proper party to do literally anything is the truest form of an mmorpg. unpopular opinion but as im playing ff14 right now, i prefer both the menu-style combat and the levelling style of original ff11. id rather grind difficult regular mobs with a full party in the open world then grind instanced levelling roulette dungeons 😅

Every Mainline Final Fantasy Ranked (Except the best one) That is like being a RE fan like......."Hey, I gonna play all the RE's except 2....." XI was the most profitable FF game for a reason kids, do the work or turn in your FF card, simple.

ff9 and 10 are the best

You know, i think you're right, I'm kind of done with seeing remakes of great games, they are great for a reason, FF15 deserves a remake, it had so much potential, it has on of my favorite stories (when i think about it, not when i play it exactly) and if in five or ten years we can achieve what we saw in those initial trailers (leviathan battle) and they can refine and consolidate the fractured story into a cohesive thing, then i think it deserves a remake more than any of the other FF's (except 11 maybe)

Time and money for 14? You can play hundreds of hours for free?

7 best no cap

FF9 at #1, you cooked brother. I grew up with the PS1 trilogy and 9 will always be my favorite game of all time. Btw my MySpace song wasn't Blink, it was "what you know" by T.I.

I finished FF6 few days ago and I was so hyped for the game but it was just meh`to me! Second half was so boring, almost empty. I did like Sabin.

Wow am i the only one that thinks and says that he looks like James hetfield the singer from Metallica i cant be the only one right btw that is ment as a compliment btw Metallica rules

My List: 1. FF7 2. FF8 3. FF10 4. FF6 5. FF9 6. FF13 7. Crisis core 8. FF12

I like the effort put into this. I don't think mine would be terribly different, with one or two exceptions (V and XII). N/P - Not played - XI and III 14 - II ; I can't stand the grind or progression system, but it's still a fine game. 13 - I ; fun enough, don't have much to say. 12 - XIII ; a decent game, just ho-hum by FF standards, though the cast can be rather irritating. 11 - XV ; sliver better than above, doesn't do enough to earn the response it wants me to have from some story beats (even having seen all the peripheral animations / movie), but does in others. Gameplay is underwhelming though. 10 - IV ; I feel bad seeing it this low because it's probably quintessential FF, just others hold my attention more these days and the story hasn't aged as well. 9 - XII ; mixed feelings, story kind of doesn't know what it wants to do after the first big chunk, gameplay and customisability fairly fun, some areas a bore to get through, but hunts are good...its ability to hold my attention yo-yos so much. 8 - VIII ; combating nostalgia on this one, but I think most of us agree it's a great game in spite of its flaws which have been documented exhaustively at this point. It's a very odd game, but the style is too cool. 7 - XVI ; a big departure, but I appreciate the laser-focused narrative and direction, it actually knows what it wants to be which can't be said of most modern FFs. Better side content would elevate it. 6 - X ; it's a game I find hard to replay because of the slow pace, and the x character beats y enemy random encounters for the majority of the game, but it's by far one of the most memorable FFs with a masterful story which sounds like complete nonsense on paper but is stunningly beautiful in practice. 5 - VI ; I'll share the burden of your controversy :P . It is absolutely great for sure, especially at the time it came out, it just slips a bit because I'm not keen on how very few of the character's unique combat traits mean anything in the long run, the pacing is a bit off, and actual world-building / story setup is surprisingly slim even if it does go all in on the devastation that occurs. But absolutely a top tier game. 4 - V ; I will die on this hill, because it's super replayable and fun with its job system. The story gets an unfair rep because it's almost as dark as VI, and would be if it focused more on the characters; many places just get wiped off the map. Challenging but not unfairly so. Most under-appreciated soundtrack. V supremacy. 3 - XIV ; those who know, know. Once clear of the baggage of the failed release, when the team got to add their own touch to the game with the expansions this became easily one of if not the greatest stories in the franchise, using its unfair MMO longevity / expansion powers to do so. It also does a great job of making your main character feel more than just a puppet that gets events moving. 2 - VII ; firstly, Uematsu's magnum opus despite the funny and oft-used oboe sound. Secondly, no matter how much its popularity influences peoples' thoughts on it, whenever I settle down and it's just me and this game, it's always a fun time. Another out-of-the-park story, a fun and flexible battle mechanic, absolutely unforgettable. 1 - IX ; what he said. IX is a funny one for me, because I don't think it's really got the best gameplay, but the sum of its parts just makes it difficult for me to not like it the most. The world map treasure hunt is great fun, and there are so many little easter eggs. And the SCRIPT, oh my goodness the English script dialogue for this game is a witty, charming, and genuinely entertaining triumph. Very relatable themes. If the combat was just a tad more exciting and it had Triple Triad instead of Tetra Master it would be utter perfection.

Final fantasy 13 was my first final fantasy game and it killed any interest i had in the series for years, i just didn't understand anything and the battle system wasn't my thing, later i would play 14 and loved it (failing school a bit because of it) and 15 which was ok. When i decide to go back and play older games i was looking at 7-10 and out of those 4 games, 9 was the one that stood out to me the most (its visuals and characters just spoke to me) and it became one of my favorite ff game and games in general so i was really happy seeing it be number 1

It’s refreshing to see someone else agree with me that FF2 is better than 1. Both games are a mess, especially by todays standards, but at least 2 had a story and characters 😅

I didn't watch the entire thing but I agree with #1

Ugh, when I saw your ranking for 8 I realized you didn't actually enjoy these in order and really think your ranking is way off. it's not top 10, and I agree with so many others 6,7,9,10,4 are top 5. Shame you got started with 8 most ppl who start there don't appreciate the rest as they think they must all be dumpster fires. Well, I'm glad you played them in the end.

My favorite final Fantasy games are vii viir viir2 viidoc viicc ix x x-2 xv and xvi

Confession...I too haven't played any Final Fantasy games...

Final Fantasy X number 8??? whaat??

FF12 is so under appreciated. Such a great game.

I must be older because I would have my top few more like… 1-FF6 2-FF4 3-FF9 4-FF7 Realm Reborn was ok but don’t like MMO style games much. Would probably but tactics as my 5 if it were a main line game

Final Fantasy 9 is an excellent game all the way around but its to short and its not that hard…the story is just as engaging and 7 “ahem” Vivi❤ excellent charachter development is to easy you get a weapon and learn a ability or skill and storyline but its not that long Im playing it right now and almost done been playing for a couple of weeks…to short but final fantasy 7 is everything and ever crisis sucks

I have never played a mainline FF. The only FF games I used to have were the FF 12 DS sequel that I got stuck on and never finished. And Ring of Fates that had very weird gameplay and I certain that i did not beat the final dungeon like I was supposed to and it also had some weird postgame or just other mode where you can pick a character and just play some dungeons. I don't remember. But yeah, the mainline FF games turn me off, due to the gameplay and the minigames. And I prefer watching other people play the game for me. I am not a huge fan of job systems actually. I also just prefer Trails and Ys. And Fire emblem. I want that FE 4 Remake. I hope we get it one day at least.

FFX is so much more than number 8.

FF X at 8 and not even to 3? cap. FF 9 at the top? yeah ok i can live with that. FF 14? yeah no.

My list would for mainline and mainline adjacent 25 Final Fantasy IV The After Years 24 Final Fantasy IV 23 Final Fantasy XII 22 Final Fantasy XIII 21 Dirge of Cerberus Final Fantasy VII 20 Final Fantasy XV 19 Final Fantasy II 18 Final Fantasy XII Revenant Wings 17 Final Fantasy XI 16 Crisis Core Final Fantasy VII 15 Final Fantasy XVI 14 Final Fantasy VI 13 Final Fantasy 12 Lightning Returns Final Fantasy XIII 11 Final Fantasy X-2 10 Final Fantasy XIV 9 Final Fantasy VIII 8 Final Fantasy IX 7 Final Fantasy X 6 Final Fantasy III 5 Final Fantasy XIII-2 4 Final Fantasy VII Remake 3 Final Fantasy VII Rebirth 2 Final Fantasy V 1 Final Fantasy VII

You're wrong, and your opinions are wrong. But I'm sure you were expecting comments like this. Thanks for the video!

Yeah im not to big on 10 neither not to say its not a good game but its the Sphere Grid system I'm not a big fan of and don't get me started on those Colster Trials which slows down the pace of the game if you ask me and the game forces you to play a mandatory Blitz game which can take forever!!!.. Like I said not a bad game but it wouldn't be high on my list neither I put it at like 7 or 8...

No, and you know why