The 32 Best RPGs of the 1990s

Sixteen-bit sprites share space with pre-rendered backdrops and isometric PC dungeons, Japanese console epics set against Western computer classics. Some sold millions, others only became legends years later.

1. 1
   Chrono Trigger

   The 1995 Super Famicom time-travel adventure from the Dream Team of Sakaguchi, Horii and Toriyama.
   1000pts
2. 2
   Final Fantasy VII

   Square's 1997 PlayStation blockbuster that took Cloud, Aerith and Sephiroth to a worldwide audience and popularised JRPGs in the West.
   959pts
3. 3
   Final Fantasy Tactics

   Square's 1997 tactical RPG of political intrigue in the war-torn kingdom of Ivalice.
   708pts
4. 4
   Final Fantasy IV

   Square's 1991 tale of dark knight Cecil, which introduced the Active Time Battle system.
   645pts
5. 5
   Terranigma

   Quintet's 1995 action RPG about resurrecting the world, released in Europe but never in North America.
   645pts
6. 6
   Legend of Mana

   Square's 1999 painterly action RPG where you build the world by placing artifacts on a map.
   599pts
7. 7
   Phantasy Star IV

   Sega's 1993 Mega Drive finale to the Algol saga, with manga-panel cutscenes and combo attacks.
   599pts
8. 8
   Xenogears

   Square's ambitious 1998 mecha RPG wrestling with religion, memory and psychology.
   548pts
9. 9
   Fallout

   Interplay's 1997 retro-futurist wasteland RPG with turn-based combat and darkly comic choices.
   548pts
10. 10
    Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together

    Quest's 1995 tactical RPG about ethnic conflict, from the creators of Final Fantasy Tactics.
    548pts
11. 11
    System Shock 2

    Irrational and Looking Glass's 1999 sci-fi horror RPG aboard a starship ruled by the AI SHODAN.
    548pts
12. 12
    Chrono Cross

    The 1999 parallel-worlds follow-up to Chrono Trigger, celebrated for Yasunori Mitsuda's soundtrack.
    490pts
13. 13
    Breath of Fire III

    Capcom's 1997 PlayStation RPG following Ryu, a boy who can transform into a dragon.
    490pts
14. 14
    Baldur's Gate

    BioWare's 1998 Dungeons & Dragons adventure along the Sword Coast that revived Western computer RPGs.
    490pts
15. 15
    Final Fantasy VI

    Square's 1994 16-bit ensemble drama with opera scenes and Kefka, one of gaming's most memorable villains.
    490pts
16. 16
    Suikoden II

    Konami's 1998 war story with 108 recruitable Stars of Destiny, a long-standing cult favourite.
    425pts
17. 17
    Diablo

    Blizzard's 1996 gothic dungeon crawler that defined the click-to-loot action RPG.
    425pts
18. 18
    The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall

    Bethesda's 1996 procedurally generated RPG with a game world roughly the size of Great Britain.
    425pts
19. 19
    Planescape: Torment

    Black Isle's 1999 philosophical RPG about an immortal amnesiac, built around dialogue rather than combat.
    350pts
20. 20
    Final Fantasy VIII

    Square's 1999 PlayStation follow-up with realistic characters, the Junction system and the card game Triple Triad.
    350pts
21. 21
    Ultima VII: The Black Gate

    Origin's 1992 open-world RPG set in a living Britannia, a landmark of simulated detail.
    350pts
22. 22
    Grandia

    Game Arts' 1997 coming-of-age adventure with a much-copied timeline-based battle system.
    350pts
23. 23
    Lufia II: Rise of the Sinistrals

    Neverland's 1995 SNES RPG known for its puzzle-filled dungeons and the 100-floor Ancient Cave.
    350pts
24. 24
    Pokemon Red and Blue

    Game Freak's 1996 Game Boy monster-collecting RPGs that launched the biggest media franchise in the world.
    350pts
25. 25
    Star Ocean: The Second Story

    Tri-Ace's 1998 sci-fi fantasy action RPG with dual protagonists and dozens of endings.
    264pts
26. 26
    Might and Magic VI

    New World Computing's 1998 first-person party RPG with a vast open world and the Mandate of Heaven story.
    264pts
27. 27
    Fallout 2

    The 1998 sequel that greatly expanded the wasteland with more towns, factions and freedom.
    264pts
28. 28
    EarthBound

    Shigesato Itoi's 1994 SNES cult classic, a quirky suburban RPG that parodies Americana.
    264pts
29. 29
    Super Mario RPG

    The 1996 Square and Nintendo collaboration that gave Mario timed-hit turn-based battles.
    264pts
30. 30
    Dragon Quest V

    Enix's 1992 generational saga that follows one hero from childhood to fatherhood and lets you recruit monsters.
    264pts
31. 31
    Secret of Mana

    Square's 1993 real-time action RPG with ring menus and three-player co-op on the Super NES.
    163pts
32. 32
    Pokemon Gold and Silver

    The 1999 Game Boy Color sequels that added a day-night clock, breeding and a second region after the credits.
    0pts

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