The Best Final Fantasy Spin-Offs

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By Steve Watts on

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Final Fantasy is one of the oldest and most revered RPG series, and a trailblazer for Japanese and console RPGs. The main series has included 16 numbered entries (not counting a few sequels to those games), and we've ranked them all. But for every numbered Final Fantasy, there are two more spin-offs. The Final Fantasy name is much broader than the mainline games, lending its beloved characters, creatures, and settings to rhythm games, racing games, action-focused adventures, and more.

There are a dizzying number of Final Fantasy spin-offs, but we wanted to narrow down only the very best. Keep in mind that these are spin-offs of the Final Fantasy series itself, not individual games within the series. That means you won't see direct sequels or prequels like Final Fantasy X-2 or Lightning Returns--with one notable exception. There was one particular game that was so unanimously named by staff that we had to break our own rules to include it. Consider it a testament to the power of this particular game and see if you can spot it. These are our selections for the best Final Fantasy spin-offs, organized alphabetically.

Rogue-likes have risen in popularity in recent years, as shorthand for a genre of run-based games. Most of them are not actually like Rogue, the 1980 RPG, but a few notable exceptions exist, including Pokemon Mystery Dungeon and of course, Chocobo's Mystery Dungeon. These grid-based RPGs have you exploring a dungeon where enemies only move when you do, so positioning is key to victory. Chocobo's Mystery Dungeon: Every Buddy for the Switch and PS4