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Final Fantasy is one of the most important and influential video game series ever. It is also one of the most varied. Ever since the original Final Fantasy on NES, the series has experimented and evolved and has often redefined the standards of an entire genre. Whether it’s new settings and characters or radically different combat systems, no two numbered Final Fantasy titles are alike. But which post is the best Final Fantasy game?
With Final Fantasy XVI on the horizon and seemingly ready to change the series again, we decided to look back at the previous mainline, numbered Final Fantasy games and rank our favorites. This means that no spin-offs or directed sequels like Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin, Final Fantasy X-2 or Final Fantasy Tactics are on this list.
Well, almost all the mainline games – we left Final Fantasy XI and XIV off this list as they are long-running MMOs (yes, Final Fantasy XI is still active), which are hard to compare to their single-player counterparts. But you can be sure that many of us play and enjoy both and that they will list them high on our personal Final Fantasy rankings.
For the Final Fantasy games we have did rank, however, we will include recommendations for the best ways to play them on modern platforms.
And if you want to see how we rank other iconic video game series, check out our lists of the best Legend of Zelda games, the best Monster Hunter games, and the best Mario games as well.