Top 10 Tactical RPGs of All Time 

0:35 - othercide (10) 1:33 - Triangle Strategy (9) 2:22 - Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance (8) 3:30 - The Banner Saga (7) 4:49 - Valkyria Chronicles (6) 5:42 - Disgaea 5 (5) 6:36 - Fire Emblem: Three Houses (4) 7:39 - Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together (3) 8:35 - XCOM 2 (2) 9:31 - Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions (1)

To anyone who hasn't tried it. I highly recommend Jeanne d'Arc for psp. Was super fun.

Maybe I’m being biased but what about Shining Force. That’s what got me into this entire genre.

FF Tactics is a timeless masterpiece and one of the best games of all time, it needs a re-release !

Tactics ogre should be released on other platforms. It's a gem

Yes, FF Tactics is a beautiful game IMO. Deep story, a vast variety of characters, jobs, and fun game mechanics. Such a memorable game.

Vandal Hearts is amazing! Deserved to be on the list.

I'm so happy that FFT took the #1 spot on this list. This game is one of my favorite games of all time for me personally. It's challenging, has an amazing story and one of the best soundtracks in the gaming industry. I remembered starting it at the beginning of one of my spring breaks growing and I ended up playing it the whole week and finishing it on the last day. Honestly, one of my fondest memories growing up and it's why FFT will be forever in my top 5 greatest games of all time. If you haven't played it and you think it's too old of a game to try out then I would say I thought the same thing but then I downloaded it again on an emulator and replayed it around 10 years later from my original playthrough and I was pleasantly surprised at how well it has held up over the years. It truly was ahead of it's time and I would absolutely love to see a remake of this game.

I’m surprised that Advance Wars isn’t on here! 1+2 Reboot Camp is my most anticipated game of the year. Great list though!

No Shining Force, no Advance Wars? Overall a solid list, but no Shining Force is almost criminal.

Love this genre. Great variety to this list. Some honorable mentions: Shining Force, Wargroove, Mario Rabids, and Langrisser

No Shining Force mentioned is a big fail. Jagged Alliance 2 not mentioned is also another fail.

Ogre Battle 64 introduced me to TRPGs and has always a special place in my gamer heart

Thanks for this. After so many years of zero love I'm happy to see my favorite genre is getting back to it's glory days with new releases and loads of remakes to come. I've played most of the games mentioned on this list but for some reason completely missed Othercide. Definitely going to check it out since it's cheap (and on sale in Asia right now) If anyone else has some good suggestions feel free to reply. Some of mine would be: Front mission series and Phoenix point (it's very buggy though) I really enjoyed Phantom doctrine as well.

My favorite is Front Mission 3. Can't wait for the 1 and 2 remake!

Fell Seal: Arbiter’s Mark is a really good game that was inspired by FFT. Having said that, my favourite tactics game: Vandal Hearts, Fell Seal, Triangle Strategy and FFT:WOTL. SquareEnix or Sony - Please make a new FFT for PS5! 🙏🙏

FF Tactics has been one of my favorite games of all time for years. Triangle Strategy, however, has creeped its way up there and almost overtook it! But not quite!

It is a diverse list and it's nice to see the genre given a place in the sun. However, where is Shining Force. Political intrigue, great maps, excellent music, easy to get into battle system. It should be at least in the top 5.

I think Final Fantasy Tactics is the "greatest game of all time." Happy to see it at the top of this list of tactical RPGS. Btw, there has been a lot of love for FFT lately on the interwebs (even more than usual); hopefully this leads to a true sequel or faithful remake.

I'm glad you put the Banner Saga, it truly deserves its place on the list. A masterpiece of storytelling, combat and immersion imo. A very honourable mention to Vikings Expedition (haven't played Rome yet).

Doesn’t Divinity Original Sin 2 count as a tactical RPG? If so it would be top of my list.

Valkyria Chronicles 4 Truly Deserves a Spot here. It's an Improvement in every way to VC1, felt more Memorable than VC1, the focus on the entire squad characters with individual stories, the main story dynamics and gameplay improvements, made this one of the best Tactical RPGs/Strategy Action games of all time!

I love Fire Emblem so much, even bought a Wii U only to be able to play Fire Emblem Radiant Dawn 😀 But I was amazed that you even put classics like Tactics Ogre and FF Tactics on the list, good job there! I am really hyped for the remaster of Advance Wars :)

I can't believe the Shining Force series isn't on this list. More specifically, Shining Force 2. Still hoping all 3 parts of SF3 get a remake. Also… Othercide might be a good game…. But no where near #10 on the greatest Tactical RPG’s of ALL TIME.

soooooo stoked to see The Banner Saga on this list. ive been playing the games since they came out and dont see them on lists of this manner often

Final Fantasy Tactics will always have a place in my heart🥰❤

Awesome list, appreciated Path of Radiance being on there. Ike’s FE games are so good. Also, lets not forget Diofield Chronicle was announced for this year. Game looks great visually, I’m excited to see more.

I played the banner saga, all 3, during shelter in place. The studio really did care about the characters and game. Glad I also enjoyed most of the games on this list

No place for advance wars? It's a freaking masterpiece. Fast to play, easy to pick, no endless text and HUGE replayability. For me it's the best portable strategy game by miles.

I really loved Jeanne D'arc for the PSP

Man, I can't believe the original Vandal Hearts didn't make the list. That is a REALLY good game as well. One of my favorites.

Very good review and video! Thank you. Adding the music for each game brought back memories for some of the game!

Shining force and Shining force 2 are the greatest tactical RPGs ever

All about Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together in this household.

This is a great list Ronny and a good video. I was pleasantly surprised to see the thought and quality put into this. Haven’t watched anything IGN in a while due to falling quality, lack of enthusiasm and effort, and just an overall absence of common sense. It was a pleasant surprise to see IGN pick the obvious for number one on the list. I was half expecting to see some strange never heard of TRPG top the list for the “hey, look at us and our shock value artsy with deep critic over analyzation of a never heard of game” pick. So thanks for doing it right. What I find really amazing about FFT is how after all this time and advancements made on gaming systems, it still easily holds the number one spot so much so, that the true competition is really for the number two spot. I would definitely love a remake or something new truly worthy of a challenge for number one.

Triangle Strategy surpassed expectations.

Vandal hearts should be on the list if not top 3

This is a very good list - Tactics Ogre LUCT is my #1 pick and is one of my favorite games of all time. Some notable runners up for me are Jeanne D'arc and FE8. Vandal Hearts 1 also very good but not a top 10.

This list has some solid choices, but there's waaay too many new gen games on here. Not having any Shining Force game seems like a huge whiff, and there's plenty more gems on PS1 alone, like Vandal Hearts, Vanguard Bandits, Saiyuki Journey West, Kartia, Brigandine, Arc the Lad, and more.

Wasteland 3 is a must play. I love games that let me just talk my way out of situations and this games has a variety of options on how to tackle situations when it come to dialogue

jeanne d'arc should totally be in the list, probably top 3.

personally final fantasy tactics ADVANCE it's my favorite tactical rpg I have so many memories with this game

My list:1.Shining Force 1-2 2.Final Fantasy Tactics 3.Vandal Hearts

Id like to give an honorable mention to Fell Seal, if you guys haven't heard of it, check it out. Lots of influence from FFT, good story, has a couple endings, and you can customize the difficulty (and the new game+ by deciding what you keep: levels, gear, job exp) to cater to your preferences. The art was a unique touch too, you can even customize the look of your units, really enjoyed this one.

The ones I've enjoyed the most: Shining Force 2 Wargroove Mario Rabbids

I am nearly finished with Valkyria Chronicles right now, and the game is amazing. It's basically a anime WW 2 strategy RPG, that answers the pressing question: what if in WW 2 each side had anime weapons (like a Super Saiyan)?

FFT War of The Lions was the first ever game I bought for the PSP AND first ever SRPG and I was so hooked and in love. I've never played another like it

I thought about Front Mission on SNES, Valkyrie Profile on DS and Advance Wars on GBA. They have either great storyline, great mechanics, scaling difficulty ! FF tactics introduced me to TRPGs but my favorite will always be Front Mission because of my love for mechas/customization/storyline

The fact that Shining Force or Shining Force 2 didn't make a list of top Tactical RPG's is just plain criminal.

Shining Force 2 the one and only

I can relate with this list (albeit not with the order). If Into the Breach can be considered the same genre, it would be top 3 btw.

x-com 2 War of the Chosen and Othercide are 2 of my favorites and I still play them on my PS5 at various times.

two ps2 ATLUS games : Eternal poison & stella desus are criminally underrated tactical jrpg , they deserve more attention ,and must be in the top list.

Final fantasy tactic is the reason i fell in love with tactical RPG. there is another game "Hoshigami" that kinda have the same art style with FFT, but FFT will always be the best tactical RPG for me.

One similar to tactics released around the same time is Vanguard Bandits or Epica Stella in Japan. Very underrated and somewhat unknown psone tactics game with giant gundam type units called atac's. I think it deserves an honorable mention was a dope entry for the genre as whole.

I first played Shining Force 2 on the Sega Channel. That takes me back to the mid 90's of tactical RPG, where I fell in love with Warsong/Langrisser, SF1, SF2, SF:SoH, Ogre Battle, etc.

Shining Force deserves a spot on here rather than devoting two picks to Fire Emblem.

path of radiance and its sequel are fire emblem at its best. highly recommend playing them.

Final fantasy tactics and Fire emblem 3 are a must have for tactics gamers. I wasnt a big fan til i played Final fantasy tactics then i tried fire emblem 3 and fell in love instantly 🙃🙂

Thanks a lot for mentioning Othercide in the Top 10, it's such an honor! It means a lot to us

I just started playing Three Houses last week. Perfect timing :) EDIT: Aaaaaaaaand there's Three Houses spoilers in the video. Well done, IGN.

SMT Devil Survivor 1 and 2 (both DS originals and 3DS remasters) should also be honorable mentions. For some more obscure games you could also mention Valkyrie Profile Covenant of the Plume, Ragnarok Tactics, Eternal Poison and the Langrisser I & II remakes.

The original Sakura Wars games are pretty underrated, also Advance Wars games are fun too. There are actually a lot of turn base tactic games out there that are so underrated like Arc the lad, some Warhammer tactics games like Spacehulk, they are fun to play but because FFT was so good during that PS1 era, a lot of tactic games are often overlooked.

I use to play some tactical rpgs I just don’t play them often now, only Valkyrie Chronicles I end up liking the style of it. When you take over few bases but suddenly the enemy spawns where you’re left open and you have to travel far to counter them.

I’m so happy to finally see Disgaea on a list! I think 4 is the GOAT, but happy the series gets a shout out!

No Shining Force?? Wow!!!

May I suggest for future video to also add in which console the game is available?

The shining force 3 trilogy is the best……such a cool adventure with lots of characters and addictive gameplay. Total shame SEGA limited this release in whole at first. Shining Force Central is awesome, some of the folks there translated the second two games for everyone to experience. I’d die for a shining force 4 continuing where 3 ended with Julian going north and Galm and Elise in the shadows.

*Vandal Hearts 2, Brigandine Legend of Forsena, Suikoden Tactics, FF Tactics Advance, Front Mission 3, Arc The Lad, Jeanne d'Arc, Vanguard Bandits

Banner Saga is utterly amazing. I've put off playing the 3rd game until I do a 2nd playthrough of #2 but the disaster-migration style choices are rough and character losses hit you hard. The pacing of gameplay is done well too. If you started at the 3rd game the shear volume of character types/classes and tactical options would overwhelming but playing from 1-3 lets you build up a fleshed out understanding of the gameplay and classes as you go

While I'm not surprised it didnt make the list, Children of Zodiarcs by Square Enix actually produced a very fresh approach to the tactical RPG world. It is a Dice, Deck Builder TRPG. While I didnt care terribly for the story, everything about the game definitely caught my interest. Had a fair share of difficult battles as well.

A few more for me, Shining Force series, Dark Wizard, Military Madness and Gears Tactics and Rabbids Battle Kingdom were quite enjoyable too. Dark Wizard for the Sega CD was my first tactical RPG and hooked me into the genre.

FFT. Could anything else have been number 1? I think not. Still one of my favourite games of all time, if not my number 1. Practically perfect in every way.

Valkyria Chronicles 1 and 4 are both so amazing. Great gameplay but also fantastic story, worldbuilding, and characters. The latter is really the strongest aspect of the games. I get so attached to every single character, even just the ones that you see when you go to a menu screen.

i remember pumping hours into tactics ogre years ago on the playstation port. shining force may have been the first SRPG i played, but tactics ogre is what got me into the genre

What a fantastic list several games added to my shortlist :)

Love seeing Tactics Ogre on this list. Favorite game hands down

For people who don’t like turn based RPGs please give tactical RPGs a chance. They are so much more satisfying imo and far less grindy (lol unless it’s disgaea then the grind is fun)

My first Fire Emblem game, Path of Radiance, and I’m so happy that it made it on the list.

Glad to see FFT take number 1. Fell Seal: Arbiter's Mark is also incredibly good. It's a spiritual successor made by a husband and wife team.

X Com 2 is still my favourite, it has very few cut scenes and dialogue, focuses more on combat and strategy. That doomsday style clock gives you urgency from the beginning. Not to forget the amazing mods out there. FF Tactics never clicked with me, wasn't a fan of enemy level scaling and not a big fan of game story.

Good to see the Banner Saga getting the credit it deserves!

While I acknowledge the difficulty making a top 10 out of so many great tactics games, I think Langrisser (mobile version), Super Robot Wars series, and Front Mission 2 deserves a mention.

I spent more than 200 hours in Tactics Ogre for psp combining severals time spans and I just can't get enough of it, the best tactic rpg that I had ever play, not foggy story and not tedious side missions, interesting and attractive all the way

Othercide is the only one that I don't believe it deserves that much praise, it's an ok game. I have found Gears Tactics to be a much greater tactical game than Othercide ever was.

Literally my favorite sub-genre of my favorite genre.

Currently playing FFT on my steam deck, looks absolutely beautiful too.

this is my favourite genre, my favourite is XCOM 2. great list dude ...all game on the list is my next wishlist 😎👍

Loved valkyria chronicles! … but when I think tactical rpgs my fave is Jeanne d'Arc on psp!

Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle won strategy game of the year in the same year Xcom 2 was also nominated, just saying

I"m glad Othercide got a shoutout, it's a gorgeous game that really took me by surprise and made an impression.

Disgaea 5 might be the last traditional Disgaea we get considering the path 6 took, and that might not even be a bad thing. That game is overwhelming and it really can last for an absurd amount of time. It's quite the juggernaut in this genre, one with few contenders. It aged well in many regards, so there's no reason to play any other Disgaea over it unless you're either nostalgic, really curious about the franchise's history, more enamored by an earlier entry's plot (4 seems to be a favorite for that reason), or too blinded by 6's 3D models to be able to appreciate 5's 2D sprites and how much passion NIS put into them. That's not to say it couldn't do with some of 6's QOL improvements or the reintroduction of the online features on the Steam version, but it's still an excellent, unparalleled SRPG that doesn't get as much attention as it deserves.

Shin Megami Tensei Devil Survivor is what got me into the genre and is one of the best in my opinion.

Yes the story telling is Master class, yes the job system is deep and addicting. But let's be honest, the real reason Final Fantasty Tactics wins is obviously it's MUSIC

Tactics Ogre Reborn being announced has me on a tactical RPG RU-vid frenzy. I really hope that Final Fantasy Tactics gets this love as well!

0:27 What the...? please tell me the title of the BMG used in this?

I've always been more partial to the original FFT release over War of the Lions but regardless FFT is definitely a masterpiece.

I’m going to give a special shoutout to Mario + Rabbids.

Bothe F.E.T.H. and V.C.4 are amazing games. The stories really pull at the heart strings.

I am incredibly happy to see The Banner Saga here, on my favourite games of all times