My Final Fantasy Tier List 

Glad to hear XIV made it to "S Tier". I grew up playing FFX and FFXII and those were my intro to video games that were something more than just mindless entertainment. They had stories, lore, voice acting, beautiful music and so much more to offer. Games could make you feel emotions. Excited, scared, sad. It was such a new feeling for me. When I started playing FFXIV it brought back all of that childhood nostalgia and wonder. It is by far the best game I've ever played in terms of content, lore, music, characters, and story. I've made lifelong friends and met my now-longterm partner through that game. FFXIV really means a lot to me and it makes me happy to see others feel the same about it.

Boo on the XII rating. That music is effing FIRE! It’s also the last game in the series that Uematsu was the main composer on, he only was a contributing composer for later games. I’m a recent convert though, I didn’t like it quite as much originally.

Just replayed 10 (to get the awful taste of 16 out my mouth) after 20 years and it's now my favourite of the series. I was really blown away wow

FFVIII was my favorite FF game for the longest time. I actually started playing the FF series with VII. I never played RPG's on the Genesis or SNES when I was younger. Once I got into 7th-8th grade I was introduced FFVII and got my own playstation. Once I played through FFVII I was hooked on the series. I was super hyped for FFVIII and I loved that game. I love Triple Triad, I loved the characters and I loved the junction system. I know a lot of people don't but man I really enjoyed it. I can understand why people don't, but for me, it's one of the best.

2 I rank about the same as 1 personally, the leveling system is really derpy but I think it evens out with the better story and whatnot, plus it did introduce us to Chocobos which is pretty cool. Also it introduced Mp which imo is a better way for magic than FF1s more D&D style. But the level system is pretty annoying, but makes it super easy if you milk it properly (pro tip: start off with fists and attack each other with a weak ass goblin chillin, great way to level up fast)

6,7,10, and 9 (and Tactics) are my top FFs. Never played the MMO entries. Solid list

FF9 became my favorite just barely passing up 6. FF9 sort of had a Disney-ish touch to it when I don't know how to feel but after 7 and 8, 9 was the last time we got a throwback to the classics. Plus, Vivi is my favorite character

Come on ff13 is not that bad I have finished it maybe 6 times and it’s really great I admit the story can be overwhelming but the world, combat system and the characters are all worth playing even in 2023 the game looks really beautiful .

Thank you for recognizing FFV! It’s truly underrated.

FF6 is arguably the best FF games ever. The gameplay is so smooth and fun and the game is chalked full of content that feels significant. FF7 is great as well, but FF6 is just a little more powerful. The final dungeon and battle with Kefka is the ultimate final fantasy experience. Final Fantasy Tactics is also amazing, but in a different way. It's a lot more regulated and difficult, but it's meaningful. FF6, FF7, and FFT are my favorites.

Omg you’re on the road to 4K! Woohoo! 🎉

My list. I mentioned every FF I played. If it isn’t on this list I didn’t play it. -(S) FF7, FF7R, FF6, FFT -(A) FF7CC, FF10, FF9, FF8, FF16, FF4 -(B) FF12, FF5, FF7EC, FFTA, FF13LR -(C) FF13, FF7DC, FF3, FFBE, FFMQ -(D) FFT0, FF2, FF15, FFX-2, FF1 I have no idea how you put 12, 13 and 15 on the same level. 13 and 15 are way worst than 12. But to each their own. Great video!

Omg I was waiting for Tidus laugh 😂 Ive only played VII and X but never finished either one. I really enjoyed both games and would love to go back. At that time I didnt have Playstation and a good friend of mine was kind enough to let me borrow his ps2 for me to play these classics. An informative video as Im already interested in playing other FF games. I would love to see you doing more of these types of videos. The Legend of Zelda personal tier list video would be awesome!

You and me share the same opinions on 13. I want to love it. I want to play it. I hear after 20 hours it's great. There are shows to watch, games to play, videos to make, books to read, and life to live. I don't have 20 hours of bored free time to reach the greatness I hear about it.

I appreciated FF8's combat system way more once I imposed a couple of restrictions on myself in order not to break the battle system. You dont need OP characters in this game basically. The only real tough enemy is Omega Weapon and even for him what you really need is real specific preperations rather than max stats/builds. FF8 is my favorite one, easily S Tier. The art design (world, graphics, music, style) is just so good I can easily overlook its flaws . The only FF prior to 16 and 7R with a strong combat system is FFX anyway.

XIII is really good imo. It was another I didn’t like at first but later on have really appreciated. That said, even if someone just could not stand it even the 2nd time around, I still highly recommend 13-2, it’s imo the best “sequel” Final Fantasy game there is and addresses a lot of the problems that 13 had. It will also catch you up to the story of 13 in a pretty good and concise way. I think what I liked most about 13 is the characters and battle system, both of those elements imo are some of the best from FF games. Lightning Returns is a snooze fest though.

As long as you've got the Big 3- VI, VII and IX, in S then all is good.

Agreed with almost all ... Great list

Ff7 was my first experience to ff games and it was my first love to the series and I think that goes the same to most people who get into the series and it depends on the first they played. Imo ff7 is still a superior game compared to others for sure for many reasons. I was also one of the people who looked at ff9 and something I turned off interest with cuz of the chili looking characters I wasn’t used to with 7 and 8 but later in life I played it and fell in love with it. I’m even currently playing it again cuz the characters and overall feel of it is so enjoyable and makes it slightly easier to play through besides the grinding as with any ff game. Thanks for the tier list. I’ve been replaying my favorites but I wanna dive into playing others too. Well besides the older ones I have tried and just can’t get into atm. And yea no time for mmos or I’d be on 14 too. Think I’ll be giving 6 a go when I can.❤

XIV is amazing. I did enjoy XI quite a bit but it is not at all a forgiving MMO to play, it is very hardcore and heavily party dependent. XIV is practically the perfect mmo regardless of the type of player you are though. Great for solo, parties, raids, grinding for the best gear or just playing through the story or quests, etc. I just wish you could play without a monthly fee. I got no problem with buying expansions and etc but otherwise I love it. I’ll come back if it ever goes free to play.

very cool list that i can agree with plenty of them like with what you said about FF8 is spot on for me. FF3 is one of the few mainline games i never played but from what iv seen it does seem very middle of the road. and hey because you included the MMO games your not going to get a ton of comments getting mad that you excluded them lol a friend of mine did a ranking video as well he got lots of people mad for not mentioning them since hes also not into MMO's at all. understandable you want to move on from FF15 to play yakuza kiwami lol

Kinda forgot the GOAT Final Fantasy game in my book, Final Fantasy Tactics (which really should be S tier with VI, VII, IX, and XVI).

Totally agree with most of the selection on this tier list. Should do another one with the off shoot games.

From 6 to 12 were all great games. I know the modern gamer is aversed to the turn-based battle system, but Final Fantasy was so perfect when utilising it. Once 13 rolled off the conveyer belt, I knew I was done with it forever, sadly. Too disjointed, too impersonal, too chaotic. My Favourite overall would be FFX...such a masterpiece!

For someone who’s only played 16 and by the way loved it what do you guys recommend I play next in the series

Definitely, FF IX is the best in terms of being a "fantasy", being the best at touching our inner child heart. Easily among the top 3 FF ever and, for me, the best of the PS1 generation. VIII is also great; I think the real breakthrough in terms of technology happened with VIII, not VII. And XII is phenomenal, a true all rounder FF. It shares the same art design as the most extraordinary RPG of all time: VAGRANT STORY!!

I forgot to mention: now you should do a tier list of the SMT games by franchise: SMT, Persona, Devil Summoner, Devil Survivor and Digital Devil.

I really need to play through Final Fantasy IX, I never got more than a few hours into it. I know it is universally considered as good at least, some of course rate it a lot higher than others but I can’t say I’ve seen someone say it was not a good final fantasy game.

XV is one I didn’t like, mainly because I thought the combat was kinda basic and I wasn’t a huge fan of the characters. But it could have been another story like 12 or 13 and didn’t click for me the first time around, so that’s one I will be revisiting in the future. I do have th royal edition on Steam so that way I’ll have all the content when that time comes.

Final Fantasy XIV is the best album add-on in the history of music. (I'm joking... the game is great. Best in the series, I think. But Soken is the god of VGM).

Did you play the Zodiac or original 12. Just finished the zodiac version. Liked the world of Ivalice.

Ff13s battle system was interesting, I enjoyed it, but the story was confusing sometimes

If it's og FF12 yes I can see why you would put it in D tier, I played it a lot as a teen in 06 but that does not mean it was good, I'm not one of those that because I'm nostolgic over that means it's good. The Zoadic age fixed all the problems from the OG and you can become very OP like every other FF. In the OG FF12 you was very weak for the super-bosses and everyone was pretty much the same, there was no differences between the characters in combat, everyone gat the same abilities and equipment. The Zoadic age fixes that with the job system everyone has their set abilities and roles, plus the 4x speed up fixes the traveling and pacing. i was able to get the plat on PS4 in 60 hours on the og honestly it would of took 200 hours plus easily. Personal FF12 OG: C- FF12 the Zoadic age: A+ or S it's that big a difference

i find FF2 extremely difficult to place... i really like the story and the attribute leveling system, but i absolutely hate the weapon and magic leveling system

XII is a B for me V is a S because of the job system and ExDeath being a *spoilers lol

For me, FF10 and FF6 are S tier to which I compare pretty much all the other games to. I haven't played FF1 through 3 for a VERY long time so I can't say much about them. I REALLY dislike the Square Enix era of FF games as well. The franchise has become too experimental and don't allow them to actually develop proper mechanics anymore. FF4 - One of the best when it came to a character centric story. It took a lot of bold moves with characters and is arguably one of the ones I remember the best. A FF5 - This one was particularly rough for me with the stuff that happens later in the game. Good start, but I feel like it falls off immensely after the death of your party member. B FF6 - One of the best. A large cast with individual focused stories as well as many memorable events. S FF7 - Wonky translation and quite messy overall. The Remake doesn't do anything to make it better and throws in their own messes in an attempt to expand the story. C for both. FF8 - Interesting concept with war orphans and rival schools as well as the Sorceress. It needed to be developed a lot more. C. FF9 - Interesting take on the summons and plenty of great character stuff. Just the final boss was the only dumb thing they did. S. FF10 - Though Tidus was hated early on, it still features one of the most memorable stories and events. Square definitely learned to play with emotions here. S FF11 - I didn't even finish the base game before I quit this one. It really felt like little happened after they emphasized the importance of the Beastmen. I played during the beta phase and after that 2 hour climb in the tower in Juno to get a basement key, that was the last straw for me. Expansions supposedly made it better, but I'm not going back to this one, ever. F FF12 - Vaan and Penelo dragged down the story more than it helped. Luckily they aren't too annoying. Definitely felt like it should've been a Balthier focused story. Gambit system was great. License board was not. A FF13 - Interesting concept, but not enough set up. The game needed to start with Lightning before The Purge. FF13-2 would rate significantly higher despite the plot contrivances and FF13-3 much lower. Type-0 would also bump the grade up a bit due to its story despite the shoddy gameplay. But since this is just mainline games meaning FF13, C. FF14 - ARR is just awful with ridiculous backtracking, reintroductions, and not much happening until the Empire decides to deploy Ultima Weapon much later. A lot of the later expansions don't help much either and arguably makes even ARR worse like the Crystal Tower storyline. If I was just grading Shadowbringers, this would be S tier. But, for just ARR, C. FF15 - Just wtf Square Enix? Kingdom Hearts did your game better. Weapons that suck your HP? Limited magic? Not being able to fight at night? Open world maps with very little? You need to rest to level up? What were you thinking? F FF16 - You finally committed to action RPG, but you decided to simplify it and make cooldowns. Sigh... These half measures leave nothing but disappointment. It also screams trying to be edgy. Also, don't design your single player games like an MMO please. D

I would swap 7 with 10. Otherwise great list

Dude!!! Stand by me will make totally sense at the end of the game and you will cry like a baby. Final fantasy xv is an amazing game.

My S tier is FFX, FFXIV, FF8, FFXIII, FF9

FF7 is my favourite for nostalgia reasons, but I think FF9 is the best Final Fantasy

12 deserves better

Ff13 is so misunderstood it's criminal. Also FFx and ff16 are also insanely linear yet noone groans about it. Also ff7r and ff16 battle system are taken from 13.

Hang on. One of the best localizations at both the time, and series wide in FFXII and the dude didnt like the VOICE ACTING?!?! Literally what?

ff 13 is the it should have been f tier

FF3 is definitely better than 1. Let's be honest, FF1 is almost unplayable.

Junction system is objectivelly bad. Period.

You liked ff16, I'm out

15 and 16 are by far the worst in series

I don't take anyone seriously that puts 7 at the top. It's such a generic choic. People who complain about the draw system in 8 don't full understand how customizable your party can become, more so than any final fantasy. This tier list looks like a bandwagon one. Sorry bro, but I'll give a thumbs up on the video for effort. Your list is questionable at best, regardless of it being your personal opinion. Cheers

in my oppinion 9 is the best final fantasy game. its such a beautiful game. the soundtrack is beautiful too