Top Ten Must Have SNES RPGs 

I recently unpacked my old SNES. After sitting in a garage for 15 years in the south Louisiana heat it still runs like a champ. I immediately started up Chrono Trigger!

Terranigma is my favorite game of all time. Every time I hear the soundtrack, I'm 7 years old again.

Final Fantasy VI was truly something special. Out of all the Final Fantasy games I've seen and played, none have have nailed their atmosphere quite like that one. One snes rpg that I don't see getting talked about is Robo Trek by Enix. It had an interesting battle system that was a bit like pokemon, where instead of your character doing the fighting you had robots doing all the dirty work. You had up to three, though only one was on the battlefield at a time. You had a lot of modification options for your robot, ranging from different equipment types to special skills that you could program. Battles had a system similar to the active time battle system, where if your robot performed an attack or skill, it's bar would be depleted and need to recharge. Depending on the action taken, the bar would deplete by different amounts, so your waiting time was not always the same. Each battle featured a timer, and if you managed to win within the given time frame, you could earn bonus experience, and possibly earn other bonuses (ranging from bonus experience to consumables or even traps) gathered out of capsules strewn across the battlefield.

I would like to add Dragon Quest 5 on this list, however the DS version is the best out there

The golden age of rpgs were the ones on the snes. Epic list. Unfortunate Mario rpg 2 was never made.

Some of the best rpgs ever made are on snes

There's way too many good SNES RPGs to fit in the top 10, so let's add to it. Final Fantasy 4 (FF2 for the US version back then), Tales of Phantasia (eventually got 4 remakes and a port to smartphones), Seiken Densetsu 3 (will get a remake this year 2020), Star Ocean (one remake and will have a remake of the remake), Dragon Quest V (eventually got 2 remakes and a port to smartphones), Rudora no Hihou (Treasure of the Rudras, no remakes), Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together (eventually got 2 remakes) stand out in my mind, whether it be gameplay, story/story telling, and/or characters interactions.

FF6 and Chrono Trigger were true masterpieces. If you have never played them. Do it. Unreal amount of content, secrets, and replay ability.

Lufia 2 is really, really underated, thank tout putting it on your list

Secret of Mana 3 FINALLY came out for the Switch. I swear I've seen trailers of a 3D remake. Played it to death while in Afghanistan. Liked the song "High Tension Wire" so much I bought the domain. Lucked out, the guy squatting on it for $300 finally gave up and I got it for $10.

Clicked just to make sure Chrono Trigger was number one. Was not disappointed

For me, last 3 games are the best!! Especially >> Earthbound

Great list, and I'm so glad I own all of them! I would like to give a honorable mention to soul blazer too!

Instant like for the inclusion of Secret of Evermore.

I love illusion of time ...or illusion of gia! one of the last games I played on the Super Nintendo! I loved the demon with the big hands, I did not play alot of Rpg's on the SNES kinda missed out as there are so many bangers!

Your is one of the commentaries I can actually stand listening to since you genuinely like these games, in contrast to many other youtubers! Great vid as always

FFIV also belongs on this list. Magnificent game.

The SNES has so many great RPG’s just like the PS2. I wish developers would focus on great and new RPG’s again for one of the newer systems.

Earthbound is still among my top 5 favorite games ever. Here's hoping to one day get to play mother 1 and 3.

This video is a beautiful piece of work, fantastic from beginning to end. May the creative spirit of the SNES genre games live on forever!!

I hope they will release Mario RPG onto the switch or do a remake of it. I still keep hoping for a lufia collection to finally come out

i cant wait to play through lufia 2, i just picked it up =D

Great video! I just came across your channel today and I'm glad I did! I can't tell you how many times I've watched top ten lists, reviews, and just general videos regarding RPGs of yesteryear. Thanks for letting me relive some of those treasured moments again vicariously through your video!

Great list, but I would put Final Fantasy IV on my list as well. Noticed the top of your list is Squaresoft heavy, but it should be. Square was even involved with Super Mario RPG as a collaboration with Nintendo.

Wonderful List all around. Dragon Quest V is the only one I'd say missing from the list, but understandable considering it was only released in Japan. However it is still one of the best RPGs on the system, and one of my favorite Dragon Quest games. Sadly never got to play Terranigma, as it was never released in the US. I kept hoping for a VC version, considering it was translated in Europe...but sadly it has yet to happen. Its one I really hope they revisit. I would not mind a collection much like they did with the Mana games.

I felt so nostalgic watching this video! Never tried Super Mario RPG and never finished Secret of Evermore, but maybe I'll give it another go!

You have a solid list, sir.

Chrono Trigger was developed by a dream team and it shows. It's definitely my pick for the best SNES RPG.

+ 1 Respect to Final Fantasy 4

Duuuude secret of Mana 2 (seiken densetsu 3) where is it? It poops hard on the gameplay of the first one and characters are way more charismatic. Oh well.

Good video, in my opinion the SNES and the PS1 have the best RPGs of all time

Why is the music in the first games scrambled and in the latest ones correct? For instance, the music during illusions of legaia is from Chrono Trigger and the music for secret of evermore is from lufia 2.

1. Chrono Trigger 2. Final Fantasy VI 3. Illusion of Gaia 4. Final Fantasy IV 5. Earthbound 6. Terranigma 7. Final Fantasy V 8. Soul Blazer 9. Secret of Mana 10. Treasure of Rudras 11. Bahamut Lagoon 12. Shin Megami Tensei 1&2 13. Alcahest 14. 7th Saga 15. Last Bible 3 16. Romancing SaGa 2&3 17. Brain Lord 18. Robotrek 19. Trials of Mana 20. Ys IV Mask of The Sun 21. Ys III Wanderers of Ys 22. Legend of Zelda A Link To The Past 23. Secret of Evermore 24. Fire Emblem Genealogy of The Holy War 25. Front Mission Gun Hazard 26. Fire Emblem Thracia 776 27. Majin Tensei 1&2 28. Dragon Quest V 29. Dragon Quest VI 30. Mystic Ark (7th Saga 2)

This is a solid list

I was hoping for a game I DIDN'T play . . . But the golden age of RPGs was on the SNES and I played them all. Oh well. Nice list.

I can't argue with most of the list, although I would likely remove secret of evermore and replace it with either ogre battle or ff4

Thanks for another great list

Really great selection ! Wow Illusion of Time (Illusion of Gaïa) i played it in french version and this game is really wonderful (maybe the best RPG on Snes, in all cases, int he top 3), Secret of Evermore, secret of Mana, Chrono Trigger are just masterpieces, Terranigma is also a great game, FFVI is awesome, i never played Mario RPG, nor Earthbound, but, it's never too late ^^... i remember Young Merlin, nice game too, and, Mystic Quest of course ! :)

Lufia 2 is a top 5 RPG, and I'm sure most who have played it will at least agree that it's top 10.

I can't make a rpg list on snes, too many masterpieces.

Awesome video! You deserve so many more subscribers.

What is the intro music? It sounds so freaking familiar. Great list by the way!

This list had all my favorites. Best list ever. Good job

Might as well have just titled it Square Enix RPGs, with only 2 of the games not being owned by the, not surprising though. Tales of Phantasia should definitely be on the list though.

Secret of Mana was good, but it gets even better once you apply the improvement hacks on it. Not only they fix the gameplay flaws present in the vanilla game, but they also remove nearly all sorts of censorships in the English translation, giving it the naming conventions more faithful to the original Japanese version (been waiting for YEARS to see this become a reality). But, where is Seiken Densetsu 3 (Trials of Mana)? And of course Chrono Trigger(ed) gets the no.1 spot. It really is timeless and near-impossible to forget, even after 15 years since my first time playing through it. Freaking 12,000 BC and its overworld theme. Although I personally prefer the DS version of the game for cleaning-up the translation (I'm sorry, Woolsey-ism fans).

Good list! Would have changed secret of evermore for final fantasy iv, personally.

Great list, but Tales of Phantasia isn't on the list. Or at least an honorable mention. Truley amazing game with a fantastic soundtrack, characters, and a great, but sad, ending.

I own every one of these and all these years later i still cant get into secret of mana. Idk why, hell i even find it difficult. Every other one on this list is amazing

Rudra no hiho Dragón quest v Seiken dentsetsu 3 Star ocean Tales of phantasia Far east of eden zero También están muy buenos.

4:38 I wouldn't consider Terranigma being a cliché story of saving the world, because you don't save the world, the world is already dead and you revive it. To any American that loves retro games / snes RPGs, this game was never released in America, only in Japan and Europe, and that's why it is almost never brought up when speaking about great SNES games, give it a try, it's a masterpiece, I'd put them just below FF6 and Chrono Trigger, and it's my personal favourite game for the console, really great title that got forgotten because it wasn't released in america.

Spot on list mate! I have the exact same games in a very slightly different order, except I wouldn't count Terranigma because it was never officially released in the US, otherwise you should have Secret of Mana 2 because its much better than the original. I would replace it with Final Fantasy 4 to keep it simple, but there are a lot more RPG's on SNES that fly under the radar. The 7th Saga, Robotrek, Paladin's Quest, Tecmo and the Seven Stars, Soulblazer to name a few.

Your theme music gives me that bunch of 80s movie jump cut scenes with no dialogue vibe.

Great video mate

This channel always keeps my regions moist

Seeing Super Mario RPG on this list makes my heart happy.

Super Hang on music at the beginning, quality👍🏻

What's the music in the intro?

I just replayed earthbound and am looking for what game i should finish next. I actually got to own it with the players guide when it wasnt a big thing. My brother just liked big rpgs with walkthroughs. Wish we'd known then how important itd be now. So whats next? Im thinking Terraria.

Probably would’ve replaced illusion of gaia and lufia with star ocean and tales of phantasia but that’s just me 🤷🏻‍♂️

Chrono Trigger can't be touched. I still love Final Fantasy III/VI and Lufia 2.

More like snes games that Nintendo should have already put on the switch snes app >.>

Great list! Happy to say I have them all. I really love the First Breath of Fire as well.

Considering the recent flood of Tenchi Muyo anime, I'm surprised the Super Famicom game hasn't been re-released.

I remember in the early 2000s i came across emulators zsnes800 on my computer. I found sites that had snes roms. Played all these for free!!

Another worth checking out is robotrek, one of enix last entries and an amazing rpg

*has chrono trigger music playing during footage of illusion of gaia*

The only game from this list I never played or beat is Terranigma. I've played and beat all the rest, multiple times. :)

I love these amazing rpgs I barely heard about, you treat all they as a super common game 😂. I was thinking, lufia this one I get for the mega drive CD 😁

>Top 10 SNES RPGS >Leads off with Illusion of Gaia >Plays Chrono Trigger music in background

Talks about Illusion of Gaia...plays Chrono Trigger Soundtrack 🥲

Fantastic list, thanks!

I would have added trials of Mana, either the fan translation or official game, but since it has no official physical release in English, I see why you didn't include it

Where is Final Fantasy IV????!

Sailor Moon RPG is interesting to play in an emulator. You can remove background layers and see all kinds of things. One scene it's supposed to be Hotaru in bed, but it is Sailor Saturn. Then for whatever reason she turns into Hotaru.

great games , great list

Great, as always!

I see you have not played Trials of Mana yet. Definitely the superior Mana game on the system. Otherwise, it was good to see Terranigma on the list. My ranking: 1. Terranigma 2. Chrono Trigger 3. Final Fantasy 6 4. Super Mario RPG 5. Lufia II 6. Final Fantasy 4 7. Final Fantasy 5 8. Breath of Fire 2 9. Earthbound 10. Trials of Mana Honorable mentions (that are all JP-exclusive lol): Fire Emblem 3-5, Tales of Phantasia and Star Ocean.

Lufia is so old and a snes game but it's still in my ranked top nr. 1 list with Star Ocean 2. I mean srsly, these games has more content than most 80$ games these days.

I'd add Seiken Densetsu 3 to the list. What an incredible game.

The Best NTSC-U Super Nintendo RPGs By Year 1991 Soul Blazer 1992 Final Fantasy IV 1993 Secret of Mana 1994 Final Fantasy VI 1995 Chrono Trigger 1996 Lufia II Rise of the Sinistrals

Good choice, you clearly know your stuff

Can someone name the game the intro and outro music is from? I remember the music, just not the game its from.

Golden era. Snes. Ps1. ps2. Chrono trigger Final fantasy Zelda Star ocean

What about Link to The Past?

I was curious, if EarthBound wos in top ten. Glad it is.

I’ve started playing crono trigger on my snes mini on recommendation of RU-vid videos wanted to play ff6 to eventually.

So now we just need them to port/remaster this entire list to current generation. I think only three of them have a port/remaster and one that got remastered was not so great.

So... You mention breath of fire 2 but not seiken densetsu 3? (Sword of mana 2) Smh. I honestly think sd3 is one of the best rpgs ever made in snes

Great list.. I'd add: Soul Blazer Seiken Densetsu 3 (English patch)

.... it's like that sittin by on a Sunday afternoon with a hot cup of cocoa topped off with some whipped cream it's a nice day listen to that video game show

humm i've played all those 10 games except mario, i have to say, i agree but tales of phantasia is one of my favorite game of all time, he will be top 2 on my rpg list.....for me tales of phantasia is easy better than terranigma... seiken densestsu 3 have to be on the top 10 too

the only one i couldn't get into was breath of fire. played and loved the rest.

Lufia 2 has better music than Chrono Trigger. It's got the best boss themes of any RPG in my opinion.

snes was rpg golden era, simple as that with ps1 right behind snes...

Intro music?

Super Mario RPG, Chrono Trigger, and Final Fantasy VI, are the three best. Earthbound is pretty awesome, and everything else is varying degrees of EH

Terranigma was never released In the US.

I already finished most of the games

Not having shadowrun on this list is a bit of a joke.

Everyone forget about front missions?