Survey Reveals Which Final Fantasy Game Most People Say Is Their Favorite

Final Fantasy is among gaming's most recognizable franchises. This is likely due to a standard level of quality maintained by the majority of its mainline titles and spinoffs alike over the decades since its initial entry. Thus, multiple Final Fantasy games have ultimately become bonafide gaming classics across generations of gaming. Like fans of other series with multiple canonical entries, Final Fantasy fans tend to pick favorites among its standouts.

SVG conducted a survey of 1,500 people that reveals the game most Final Fantasy fans consider to be the all-time best. Good Final Fantasy games typically succeed not just for a single key reason, but due to an amalgam of standout features. Gameplay, story, character design and music are all among the areas in which Final Fantasy games frequently excel.

Beating out all other entries with a majority lead is Final Fantasy 7, which garnered 63% of fans' votes for first place.  Final Fantasy 7 has made a permanent impact on the video game canon for its accomplishments in each category. Despite its age, Final Fantasy 7 even includes mysteries that have inspired new theories from today's generation of Final Fantasy fans. 

Despite Final Fantasy 7's massive popularity, other games in the series have their own passionate fanbase.

The second place game option, with 10% of the vote, is Final Fantasy 10. Final Fantasy 10's turn-based battles and navigable skill trees arguably aren't quite as innovative as Final Fantasy 7's game-changing Materia skill system. However, its story, characters and music similarly resonated with a generation of gamers raised with a PS2 as their primary console, and Tidus and Yuna as their sherpas into the world of Final Fantasy.

Series spinoff Final Fantasy Tactics comes in third with 5% of the vote, and is perhaps the most acquired taste among the franchise's classics. Tactics more closely resembles Fire Emblem than prior Final Fantasy games due to its tactical, grid-based combat. Fans of the game praise its winding plot and complex battles.

Finally, the SNES-era defining classic Final Fantasy 6 brings up the rear with a meager 2% of the vote.

Instead of opting for one of the above options, 22% of voters selected an "Other" category. Commenters listed some of their choices for this option below the poll. Rather than indicating a game clearly lacking from the poll, many commenters' picks for other favorites read like a general list of series highlights.

Pretty much every game in the series was represented by fans in the comments, including the original entries for the NES and 2020's Final Fantasy 7 Remake. The only games missing are some of the stranger spinoffs and Final Fantasy 11, which was an MMORPG essentially made obsolete by Final Fantasy 14, an MMORPG that its developers continue to update.

With such a consistent track record, Square Enix surely hopes that the upcoming Final Fantasy 16 can join these ranks when it becomes an official entry into the franchise.