Best Final Fantasy Games, Ranked – Switch And Nintendo Systems

Best Final Fantasy Games
Image: Nintendo Life

Update: 2nd April 2024 is the 30th anniversary of Final Fantasy VI — originally known as Final Fantasy III — on the SNES. And to celebrate, we’ve completely revamped our Best Final Fantasy Games list to include not just the mainline games, but also the spin-offs.

Don’t worry, though, this is still a user-ranked list — we’ve just expanded this massively. Now you can vote for every version and every spin-off in the Final Fantasy franchise. Enjoy!


As one of the biggest RPG franchises in the world, Final Fantasy has a boatload of titles under its belt. Starting in 1987 with the original Final Fantasy on the NES, the franchise has simply exploded over the years and introduced many watershed RPGs to the world.

Not content with sticking to a turn-based system, Final Fantasy has always been an innovator. The Active Time Battle system in Final Fantasy IV introduced a new layer of strategy to combat; Materia allowed you to customise your party and their skills in Final Fantasy VII; and Gambits meant that Final Fantasy XII took on a bit of an MMO sensibility.

But to truly rank every single Final Fantasy game released on a Nintendo system, we’re not just looking at the mainline RPGs. We’re also including the spin-offs, the different releases, and the lot! So is Final Fantasy III Pixel Remaster better than the DS Remake? Or is Theatrhythm truly the best Final Fantasy game? There’s only one way to find out.

Final Fantasy II / IV SNES
Image: Zion Grassl / Nintendo Life

We asked you, lovely Nintendo Life readers, to rate every single Final Fantasy game that you’ve played. As long as they’ve been on a Nintendo console, and been released in English, they’re game. So Final Fantasy V came out on the GBA and Switch in the West, but the SNES (Super Famicom version) can’t be voted for here. And of course, there are plenty of FFs that have never been released on a Nintendo system.

We’ve also excluded the Final Fantasy Legend games (on account of these being a part of the SaGa series), Final Fantasy Adventure (which is the first Mana game), and the Bravely series (which started life as a sequel to The 4 Heroes of Light, and while it feels like classic FF, it’s its own series).

Remember that the order below is updated in real time according to each game’s corresponding User Rating. Therefore, it’s entirely possible to influence the ranking even as you read this. Simply click on the ‘star’ game you wish to rate and assign a score.

Now, Warriors of Light, it’s that time — here’s your list of the best Final Fantasy games on Nintendo systems…

Best Final Fantasy Games
Image: Nintendo Life

Update: 2nd April 2024 is the 30th anniversary of Final Fantasy VI — originally known as Final Fantasy III — on the SNES. And to celebrate, we’ve completely revamped our Best Final Fantasy Games list to include not just the mainline games, but also the spin-offs.

Don’t worry, though, this is still a user-ranked list — we’ve just expanded this massively. Now you can vote for every version and every spin-off in the Final Fantasy franchise. Enjoy!


As one of the biggest RPG franchises in the world, Final Fantasy has a boatload of titles under its belt. Starting in 1987 with the original Final Fantasy on the NES, the franchise has simply exploded over the years and introduced many watershed RPGs to the world.

Not content with sticking to a turn-based system, Final Fantasy has always been an innovator. The Active Time Battle system in Final Fantasy IV introduced a new layer of strategy to combat; Materia allowed you to customise your party and their skills in Final Fantasy VII; and Gambits meant that Final Fantasy XII took on a bit of an MMO sensibility.

But to truly rank every single Final Fantasy game released on a Nintendo system, we’re not just looking at the mainline RPGs. We’re also including the spin-offs, the different releases, and the lot! So is Final Fantasy III Pixel Remaster better than the DS Remake? Or is Theatrhythm truly the best Final Fantasy game? There’s only one way to find out.

Final Fantasy II / IV SNES
Image: Zion Grassl / Nintendo Life

We asked you, lovely Nintendo Life readers, to rate every single Final Fantasy game that you’ve played. As long as they’ve been on a Nintendo console, and been released in English, they’re game. So Final Fantasy V came out on the GBA and Switch in the West, but the SNES (Super Famicom version) can’t be voted for here. And of course, there are plenty of FFs that have never been released on a Nintendo system.

We’ve also excluded the Final Fantasy Legend games (on account of these being a part of the SaGa series), Final Fantasy Adventure (which is the first Mana game), and the Bravely series (which started life as a sequel to The 4 Heroes of Light, and while it feels like classic FF, it’s its own series).

Remember that the order below is updated in real time according to each game’s corresponding User Rating. Therefore, it’s entirely possible to influence the ranking even as you read this. Simply click on the ‘star’ game you wish to rate and assign a score.

Now, Warriors of Light, it’s that time — here’s your list of the best Final Fantasy games on Nintendo systems…

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