Best Turn-Based JRPGs Of All Time, Ranked

Summary

• Traditional turn-based combat in JRPGs like Earthbound and Persona 5 Royal can be innovative, balanced, and engaging.
• Classic JRPGs like Final Fantasy 10 and Suikoden series feature compelling stories, character development, and immersive worlds.
• Titles like Xenogears and Shin Megami Tensei 3 provide mature themes, unique combat, and captivating storytelling.

The turn-based combat system in Japanese RPGs (JRPGs) is one of the oldest and most traditional forms of combat in gaming. For many critics, the system has become antiquated in favor of more action-orientated combat systems like the ones seen in the Final Fantasy 7 Remake.

However, being traditional doesn’t mean that the system doesn’t stand the test of time or has to become a stagnant experience. Furthermore, many of the most traditional JRPGs still have huge fan bases and followings among the gaming community. Turn-based JRPGs can be just as balanced and even more innovative than real-time combat systems. Let’s look at the best JRPGs of all time based on their combat, story, and characters.

Updated May 23, 2025 by Jacob Whaling: We’ve updated this list with even more of the best turn-based JRPGs of all time.

Fantasian: Neo Dimension

Essentially Final Fantasy

Fantasian: Neo Dimension is a modern JRPG that feels like a classic one. Created by the father of Final Fantasy, Hironobu Sakaguchi, Fantasian feels just like an early Final Fantasy title, with turn-based combat, colorful characters, and a plot about a boy with missing memories.

Every area in Fantasian is presented as a diorama that was hand-crafted, giving the game a life-like appearance that is endlessly enjoyable to look at. The story, characters, and combat are also all great, making this an easy recommendation, especially for fans of the turn-based Final Fantasy games.

Lost Odyssey

Mistwalker’s Magnum Opus

Speaking of Mistwalker and protagonists with missing memories, here we have Lost Odyssey, a JRPG developed exclusively for the Xbox 360. You play as Kaim, a soldier who has lost his memories in exchange for immortality, set in a world in the midst of a magic revolution.

The game’s combat uses a fairly standard turn-based system, but with quick time events that, when executed accurately, will boost the attacks’ effectiveness. There’s also quite a bit of customization you can accomplish with your party, as your Immortal characters can learn skills from mortal characters over time, allowing you to expand their arsenal for the game’s more difficult encounters.

Turn-Based For The Modern Age

Metaphor: ReFantazio is one of the best modern turn-based JRPGs you can play. Set in the fantasy kingdom of Euchronia, the game follows the protagonist and his party as they aim to win the tournament for the throne, thwarting the tyrant Count Louis in the process.

Each party member has access to Archetypes, which you use in its turn-based battle system. You can also manipulate how many actions you can do in your turn by hitting an enemy’s weakness or landing a critical hit. It’s simple once you get the hang of it and a lot of fun to use the system to turn the tide in your favor.

If you’re powerful enough, you can kill enemies in overworld combat too, which makes going through dungeons and grinding a lot quicker.

Etrian Odyssey Nexus

A Capstone Dungeon Crawler

Etrian Odyssey Nexus is the sixth game in the series, and is meant to be the pinnacle of the series, with returning characters, classes, dungeons, and mechanics from all previous games. The Etrian Odyssey games are a unique series of dungeon-crawling JRPGs where you use the bottom screen of the DS/3DS to draw out your map.

While Nexus is best played after experiencing the rest of the Etrian Odyssey games, due to its reliance on callbacks and references, it’s one of the better in the series due to its massive amount of content, with dozens of dungeons to explore, classes to experiment with, and bosses to overcome.

Earthbound

A Must-Play Cult Classic

While most JRPGs are set in fantastical worlds you could only dream of, Earthbound is much more… down to Earth. Its world is inspired by the United States in the ’90s, with its protagonist Ness being recognized by his signature baseball cap and bat. When a strange meteorite crashes near his house in Onett, Ness finds himself on a journey to stop the alien Giygas, helped by his party members Paula, Jeff, and Poo.

Earthbound’s turn-based battle system is fairly straightforward, but one thing to note is that your party’s health bars work on a scrolling system, so you may have time to heal up your teammate before their health bar completely hits zero — if you’re fast enough. If you’re looking for a classic but quirky JRPG, Earthbound may be for you.

Romancing Saga 2: Revenge Of The Seven

A Free-Form Adventure

Romancing Saga 2: Revenge of the Seven is a remake that puts its best foot forward, offering you a centuries-spanning adventure that you get to choose every part of. The game has a simple premise: the Seven Heroes have returned and are wreaking havoc throughout the world, and it’s up to you, the Emperor of Avalon, to stop them.

What sets Romancing Saga 2 apart from other JRPGs is how when you die, you instead have to appoint a new Emperor, passing down the skills you gained in your past life and continuing on with your mission. Besides tackling the Seven Heroes in whatever order you choose, Romancing Saga 2 really lets you explore wherever you want, with a massive world filled with quests and classes to unlock.

Bravely Default

A Charming Take On A Classic Formula

Bravely Default tells the story of four unlikely heroes who set off on a quest to gather the four crystals hidden throughout the land, fighting off a corrupt empire along the way, all while using a Job-based class system to adapt to any situation. Sound familiar? While it may not be exactly Final Fantasy, it comes about as close as you can get.

Unlike the aforementioned Fantasian: Neo Dimension, Bravely Default seeks to tell a classic story about good vs. evil and the crystals of light, and it does so remarkably. Plus, the Brave and Default system is an inspired take on the turn-based formula, allowing you to bank and spend extra turns.

Final Fantasy 5

One Of The Best Iterations On The Job System

Of all the pre-3D Final Fantasy games, it’s Final Fantasy 5 that stands out from the crowd with its diverse Job system that lets you build your characters in any way you choose. While its story may not be as memorable as Final Fantasy 6, its gameplay more than makes up for it, with some of the best turn-based gameplay in the series.

There are 22 different Jobs to unlock and master. As you progress through each Job, you can then learn its skills on a different Job, letting you mix and match to make customized characters. The game is endlessly replayable, and deserves to be put on the same pedestal as fan favorites like Final Fantasy 7 or 10.

Legend Of Legaia

Fighting Game Meets JRPG

Legend of Legaia is a somewhat depressing JRPG about a group of humans who attempt to reverse a world that has succumbed to an apocalyptic event. The world and atmosphere are firing on all cylinders in this game, with its dark and sometimes bleak narrative.

The game’s incredibly unique combat system is also a lot of fun to play around with. Rather than traditional attack commands, you instead input directional commands to perform a sequence of hits, almost like a fighting game. Upgrading your magic throughout the adventure also keeps the gameplay fresh throughout its runtime.

Final Fantasy 10

Final Fantasy’s Best Love Story

Final Fantasy 10 is an excellent turn-based JRPG with a great story and characters to back it up. The story follows Tidus, a Blitzball player who is originally from Zanarkand but is whisked away to Spira by an entity known as Sin. In Spira, Tidus meets Yuna, who is destined to go on a pilgrimage to summon the Final Aeon and defeat Sin.

Not only does Final Fantasy 10 have a touching story as you get to know Yuna and her guardians, and as her romance with Tidus blossoms, but its turn-based combat is fun and satisfying. The game’s Sphere Grid allows you to unlock various spells, attacks, and abilities, so you can customize each party member and the role they’ll perform in battle.