Best RPGs on the PS1

RPGs are one of the things the PlayStation is genuinely for. The ones worth playing start with Final Fantasy VII, Castlevania Symphony of the Night, Chrono Cross.

The PS1 and RPGs

The console that made 3D normal and made discs mandatory. Full soundtracks, voice acting and pre-rendered backdrops gave a generation of studios room to invent genres we still play.

This is one of its strengths. RPGs above all — Final Fantasy VII, Xenogears, Suikoden II, Vagrant Story — plus survival horror, which was effectively born here.

Filtering to RPG means you want progression — a character to build or a party to grow — layered on top of whatever else you liked.

The RPGs Worth Playing

  1. 1. Final Fantasy VII

    Follow the link for hand-written recommendations if you want more like it.

  2. 2. Castlevania Symphony of the Night

    Follow the link for hand-written recommendations if you want more like it.

  3. 3. Chrono Cross

    Follow the link for hand-written recommendations if you want more like it.

  4. 4. Suikoden II

    Follow the link for hand-written recommendations if you want more like it.

  5. 5. Vagrant Story

    Follow the link for hand-written recommendations if you want more like it.

  6. 6. Parasite Eve

    Follow the link for hand-written recommendations if you want more like it.

  7. 7. Legend of Dragoon

    Follow the link for hand-written recommendations if you want more like it.

  8. 8. Xenogears

    Follow the link for hand-written recommendations if you want more like it.

What Makes a Good RPG Game

A reason to keep going after the novelty wears off. RPGs are the genre that reliably converts hours into feeling more capable.

Immediacy. Almost every RPG asks for a slow first few hours, and the systems that make hour forty good are the same ones that make hour one a menu.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best rpg game on the PS1?

Final Fantasy VII is the usual first answer, and there are 8 in the library we cover.

Was the PS1 good at rpg games?

Yes — it is one of the things the machine is known for, and there are 8 in the library we cover.

What is the difference between an RPG and an action game with stats?

Whether the stats are the point. In an RPG the build decides what you can do; in an action game with stats the build only decides how fast you do it.

Do I need to like turn-based combat?

No. The picks below span turn-based, real-time and action RPGs, and each one says which it is.

How is this list put together?

From the games this site covers on the PlayStation, matched against hand-mapped gameplay categories rather than a storefront's genre tag. A page only exists where there are at least four, which is why some console and genre combinations have no page at all.

RPGs on Other Consoles

More From the PS1

Or browse the whole PlayStation library.