The PlayStation 1 was a bastion for some of the greatest role-playing games (RPGs) of all-time, many of which have still yet to be surpassed to this day. Ranking them is nigh impossible, but the best PS1 RPGs can be put into tiers of quality with the Top 3 standing out on their own.

Here are the best role playing games for the original PlayStation. Unlike many lists, there are no restrictions on entries per franchise (so expect to see multiple entries from Final Fantasy). Games that are remakes, such as Chrono Trigger, or the Lunar Star series will also not be considered. To qualify as an RPG there needs to be significant character attribute progression, customization or both, an intricate story and not just "RPG elements." Castlevania: Symphony of the Night is missing from this list for that very reason (as well as a game like Brave Fencer Musashi). My own personal objections were mostly confirmed by a very unscientific poll. It's not a highly specific definition and today, almost every game has elements of an RPG, but for the original PlayStation, an RPG was much more easily definable and the crossover genres hadn't really begun. Games that were primarily released on another console, especially from the generation prior will not be included either. Two prime examples are Lunar: Silver Star Story Complete, which is widely considered one of the best releases on the PlayStation, and its sequel, Lunar: Eternal Blue. Unfortunately, both of these games, in their original iterations were released on the Sega CD. This would be a similar argument to the rereleased versions of the Super Nintendo (and Nintendo) Final Fantasy games and Chrono Trigger. So for this list, the traditional RPG from the fifth generation is what will be considered.

Notable PlayStation RPGs Not Good Enough

Thousand Arms

With a dating simulator, Thousand Arms sets itself apart from other RPGs on this list, but is otherwise an extremely traditional, albeit strong JRPG for the PlayStation.

Tales of Destiny

A fairly standard RPG when considering the PlayStation entries, Tales of Destiny was highly thought of as an extension of SNES-fare, solid, but nothing new.

SaGa Frontier 2

Just an absolutely beautiful hand-drawn game, especially the backgrounds, SaGa Frontier 2 is known for its incredibly complex combat system and a story that stretches over many years.

Persona 2: Innocent Sin

Part of the now hugely popular series focusing on a group of high school students (in which Persona 4 was the first really true "hit"). Persona 2 was the first game in the series that first caught attention, and was discernably better improving on the first entry in the series.

Vandal Hearts II

Vandal Hearts II received complaints for its storytelling and its combat, but there is something to be said for just being very direct in entering and clearing a dungeon of all of its enemies.

Jade Cocoon: Story of the Tamamayu

Released at the height of the digital pet craze of the late 1990s, Jade Cocoon also features solid RPG mechanics centering on a elemental basis, where each of the proverbial earth, wind and fire have strengths and weaknesses and featuring a similar art style to the Studio Ghibli movies.

Best PlayStation RPGs Honorable Mention

Parasite Eve

Parasite Eve was a terrific hybrid of survival horror and RPG. While not a traditional, turn-based RPG, Parasite Eve didn't have real-time encounters either. The combat is pausable and uses an Active Time Bar to designate the next attack, However, while the Active Time Bar fills, the player can still move around the field defensively, dodging enemy attacks. This really was like an RPG Resident Evil. It also featured a female protagonist, one to rival Lara Croft of the era, but sadly the series didn't continue after two sequels (one on PS1, the other on the PSP). It was relatively short, and the gameplay, while good, was also repetitive.

Legend of Legaia

Legend of Legaia's combat interface was by far the most interesting thing it had going for it. Attack damage is based on the usual traits; equipment, strength, speed, etc. But initiating the attacks are done much more tactically, choosing where to attack an opponent based on the aforementioned traits. It's essentially a button combo, almost as you'd see in a rhythm game, that is the biggest determinate of success. The bigger and more complicated the combo, the more damage that would be dealt. This was a big differentiator in the time of turn-based combat and helped set Legend of Legaia apart.

Legend of Dragoon

There's no denying that Legend of Dragoon was influenced heavily by Final Fantasy, some may even say it was more than "influenced." But so what, that series was at the top of its game, so mimicking it is a testament to Legend of Dragoon's quality. Similar to Legend of Legaia, Legend of Dragoon featured timed button presses that helped to break up the monotony of the turn-based combat and keep players engaged. Unfortunately, one of the reasons for this is that the combat wouldn't be nearly as engaging without it, so in that respect it is a bit of a gimmick. However, the story is grand, the graphics, particularly during battle, are nice (albeit a bit bland) and for all intents and purposes it feels like you are playing the FF series, in a good way.

Alundra

Alundra is an action RPG, that at first glance has some Zelda in it. And while there is definitely some Zelda influence, as the action is viewed in a similar, top-down perspective, Alundra is more about solving puzzles than it is about traversing the landscape and exploring dungeons. The puzzles in Alundra are remarkably difficult, especially by today's standards, yet the game was received incredibly well by critics. The action and controls are not great by today's standards, and while the sprite-based art style is nice is nice, it doesn't stand out. It comes down to the mature, dark plot about nightmares with the proverbial good and evil and the back-breaking puzzles, that makes Alundra stand out as one of the top RPGs on the PlayStation.

Valkyrie Profile

Valkyrie Profile's Fast-Paced Battle System

With an original setting (for video games at least) in Norse mythology, Valkyrie Profile also has an original combat system. Alternating turns, as the entire party shares one turn and able to attack, defend as well as other statuses, simultaneously. Enemies, however are given their own turn and do not combine attacks with one another. To streamline the one turn, team-based attacks, each character is assigned one of four buttons. It's an intuitive system that really works to differentiate Valkyrie Profile from other RPGs on the PS1 and as the system grows throughout the playthrough, it becomes deeper and deeper. The game is good at slowly building up the system as you progress, never feeling overwhelming, and combined with the wonderful story, Valkyrie Profile gives weight to progression.

Grandia

Grandia is another PlayStation role-playing game that moves away from the traditional turn-based style of so many others. Grandia's battles play out on a 3D battlefield where free movement in between choosing your actions is possible. Grandia is still "turn-based" when deciding your action, but because your character positioning is what determines not only your attacking success and choices, but also of the enemies, there is more strategy in the free movement. Despite existing on a three-dimensional battlefield, Grandia's graphics are sprite-based, played from an isometric-like perspective (not quite top-down). Another way in which Grandia was ahead of its time was that there were several characters that have voice actors, a rarity for not only PS1 role-playing games, but the PS1 in general.

Dragon Warrior VII

Dragon Warrior VII is definitely not the most aesthetically pleasing of the list, even despite the sprite-based graphics. Dragon Warrior is known for its pedigree in a similar vein as the Final Fantasy series, and like that series, the games are similar in gameplay style. Dragon Warrior VII has the gameplay that defines the stereotypical JRPG. It has turn-based, simple battles, massive exploration and an epic story where an unlikely hero must save the world. It sounds generic, but it is all done so well, and has been mimicked so well, it's important to remember why.

Breath of Fire III

The debate between Breath of Fire III and IV has persisted but the fact is they are both great games. Breath of Fire III continues the series before it, where as IV is a completely new experiences with only slight nods to the previous games and that is where the heart of the argument lies. Regardless, most of the trappings found in the best games in the role-playing genre are found here and they are done well. It definitely has more of an colorful but antiquated look, hardly standing out from an artistic design perspective and combined with good characters but only an adequate story it's all fairly generic, but every thing is done well enough.

Great PlayStation RPGs

Legend of Mana

The Secret of Mana for the Super Nintendo is one of the most beloved role-playing games of all-time and much was expected of the follow up, Legend of Mana. Legend of Mana was received well, but it couldn't quite match the critical acclaim as its predecessor. Legend of Mana was no doubt a beautiful game and kept maybe of the same gameplay conventions as the Secrets of Mana, however there was an overreliance on side quests which did little to buoy the main story and offered little relevance to the characters. The innovative, yet cumbersome "Land Make" system, in which the player generates the structure of the game world by placing artifacts on points of a map is where the secondary or side quests were created. With gameplay being action-oriented and tight controls these side quests were manageable but eventually feel like a chore. It's a terrific game that should still be experienced but is not quite at the top tier of entries for the PlayStation.

Front Mission 3

Unlike its predecessors, Front Mission 3 is much more of a RPG than a strategy game. Those tactical elements are still heavily present but with a deeper RPG system behind it. In the previous Front Mission games, skills were learned by gaining and applying experience points to improve a pilot's proficiencies (attributes), but instead, they are now learned by equipping wanzer parts (mech parts) and using them in battle. When certain conditions are met, there is a random chance that a pilot may learn a new skill from one of their wanzer parts, which can be programmed into the wanzer's battle computer. Battlefields are much smaller and missions much more compact in size compared to previous games, which helps to speed up the gameplay overall. Front Mission 3 has little to complain about if you're a fan of the genre, however, gameplay can begin to seem shallow as the game progresses.

Wild Arms

The wild west setting alone makes Wild Arms stand out among PlayStation RPGs, but that's not all it has going for it. Simplifying the story by having only three main protagonists allows each to shine and be fully developed, giving the story an enhanced personal importance. The battle system of Wild Arms is also worthy of praise; traditional turn-based mechanics combined with very specific character abilities and the RES statistic, which is essentially speed help to differentiate Wild Arms. The wild west setting isn't just that, it combines elements of the medieval and fantasy, with one character's primary weapon as swords with another's, magic. Wild Arms was overshadowed at the time by FF VII, but deserves a spot of its own.

Chrono Cross

Chrono Trigger is widely regarded as the greatest RPG of all-time, and Chrono Cross bears half the name and the same studio, but lacks quite a bit of the charm and storytelling of its spiritual predecessor. Despite this, Chrono Cross is a marvelous game. The combat is varied, the graphics are vibrant and colorful in addition to terrific 3D models there is an additional huge world to explore. The negatives of Chrono Cross only stem from comparisons to Chrono Trigger, most notably the story. If there is one aspect of Chrono Cross that isn't top tier, it's the that the story is convoluted. Unfortunately story is a huge aspect of role-playing games, especially when you're associated with the aforementioned Chrono Trigger, but Chrono Cross is still one of the best PSX role playing games.

Breath of Fire IV

Breath of Fire IV is beautiful, and probably always will be due to its animated sprites, however the graphics mix these with full 3D models, which do not hold up at all (although they appear only infrequently in the game). It's a shame really, because Breath of Fire IV would easily be the best looking game on the list, and still might very well be. Another aspect of the graphics that make them original were the 3D backgrounds, which was counter to most games of the time using pre-rendered graphics with 3D models on top of them. It's this process that helps the beautiful sprites stand out even more. Of course the graphics aren't the only thing that makes the game great; the Master System allows players to customize each character by having them apprentice under different masters found throughout the world is an original take. The game also stands out from the series as either a prequel or a completely different world, making it more in line with a anthology type entry. This is for the better, and while many will argue that Breath of Fire III is the best in the series, it doesn't even make the list here. With six main characters this creates a great sense of customization and combined with the expansive story, Breath of Fire IV is one of the best examples of PlayStation role-playing games that still holds up today.

Top Tier PlayStation RPGs

Star Ocean: The Second Story

Star Ocean's Free Roaming Gameplay is a Standout for PSX RPGs

With two primary characters to choose from, and several different endings, Star Ocean: The Second Story has a wealth of replay value. And fortunately, The Second Story is such a sensational game that it warrants multiple playthroughs. Unlike many RPGs on this list, the battles are played in real-time, are very action-oriented and only one character is controlled. There are no limits to character movement during battles, and the other party members are controlled by AI. What really distinguishes The Second Story from its contemporaries is its story. RPGs are known for their ability to weave storytelling and gameplay and Star Ocean is one of the most effective. It's relatively mature even if the characters themselves are not and takes place within a true sci-fi setting, with fewer fantasy elements than most. With the combat and story, Star Ocean: The Second Story is certainly the best in the series and one of the top RPGs on the PlayStation.

Final Fantasy VIII

The flaws of FF VIII are exaggerated, and its features are underrated.

From the review:

FF VIII is one of the best looking, best sounding and accessible RPGs on the PlayStation. Say what you will about the Junction System, its advantages far outweigh its flaws, adding a very exact way to customize character attributes, even from early on in the game.

FF VIII is a top tier RPG on a console known for its RPG library. While many do not consider it better than the two Final Fantasy games that bookend it, it should be considered at the same level.

Final Fantasy IX

Final Fantasy IX was a return to the series roots after several entries moved closer to science-fiction themes. Fans were more than delighted by the change as FFIX took a decidedly light-hearted tone, characters with a lot of class-specific specialties and a completely fantastical plot complete with royalty bloodlines and magic. FF IX definitely intends to exploit nostalgia which is both a blessing and a curse. It's just such a contrast when compared to the previous two in the series on the console that it was the perfect example of right time, right place as opposed to pushing another sci-fi setting. Now it is a great and beloved game in its own right for reasons mentioned above, it's just not one of the three best PSX RPGs.

Suikoden II

Suikoden II has developed it's reputation over time and is remembered more fondly than most. Suikoden II sets itself apart due to its relatively isolated story. And besides focusing on the character development (which does still exist and is naturally fleshed out, especially between the main character and his friend Jowy,) it is the overarching ancient conflict plagued by politics and the exciting and sometimes tragic twists and turns. The graphics of Suikoden II are not impressive by any means (nor were they for any PS1 game at the time) and gameplay, while solid, wasn't anything original, it is truly the remarkable setting and story that makes Suikoden II a terrific game.

Final Fantasy Tactics

While still an RPG, FF Tactics is different in terms of gameplay much more so than other games on this list. Battles take place on a three-dimensional grid, with each space representing distance between movement and attack range which both are determined by character attributes and job class. These battles are turn-based but because of the grid, arranging attack position is much more tactical, naturally. FF Tactics is fairly difficult, but it doesn't detract from the world building of Ivalice (later seen in Vagrant Story and FF XII) and the twists and turns of its political intrigue.

The Very Best PS1 RPGs

Xenogears

Maturity is used to describe a game's plot quite a bit, even so in many of the entries on this list. Maturity can mean many things, but in the case of Xenogears, maturity is tackling topics such as philosophy, religion and psychology all within a science-fiction setting. Xenogears posed such deep questions that it sometimes overshadowed the rest of the game. Luckily excellent combat, which differed in style and mechanics whether fighting on foot or in a mech, more than provided a reason not to get lost in existential thought. The ending can be downright devastating but it can be interpreted in different ways depending upon your personal beliefs. It can be preachy, or it can be thought-provoking, but either way it plays on your convictions and that was and still is extremely rare for a video game.

Final Fantasy VII

Because of so much acclaim, FF VII has seen its fair share of "overrated" talk. The fact that it was an introduction for so many gamers, not just to the series but to the PlayStation as well, is a testament to its quality. One of the only games in the series to have numerous spin-off properties expanding upon its universe, and a full-fledged remake, FF VII is still popular today. The first 3D game in the series, even if simple by today's standards (especially the non-battle sequences) was most of all, just so cool. Cloud was cool, Sephiroth was cool and the setting was cool. The quality of its predecessor and the games to follow almost discredit the influence, systems and the developed, riveting story featured in FF VII.

Vagrant Story

Vagrant Story was released late on the console, and it shows. Everything about it looks and feels next gen. It has some of the best graphics and gameplay mechanics of the era and shows Squaresoft when they were truly at the height of their powers. Differentiating itself again from many other RPGs of the time, Vagrant Story dispenses with much of melodramatics and focuses on rather straightforward and conventional, yet poignant story elements. Manipulation through grief plays a large role in the story. It's this grief and guilt that shapes Ashley's motivation and is one of the most interesting twists in the game.Vagrant Story weaves it's story, music and gameplay together wonderfully. Several flaws with infrequent save points and the frustrating Risk Meter bring down the experience, but not enough to prevent Vagrant Story from being one of if not the preeminent PlayStation RPGs.