When it comes to role-playing games the PlayStation has some of the best greatest games in the genre that were ever released. The popularity of the Final Fantasy series helped bring more JRPGs in the genre to the west with many of these titles gaining a huge fan following of their own. While there were some ports of PC western RPGs like Diablo and Legacy of Kain: Blood Omen, it was the JRPG that was the most dominant genre on the system. In terms of gameplay mechanics and storytelling, the home console was better suited to the genre than complex RPGs like Baldur’s Gate, which was also released during this time.
However, that doesn’t mean that JRPGs aren’t just as highly regarded as their western counterparts as many of these games are still being played and sought after today and fetching high prices on eBay. Let’s take a look at 10 of the highest-rated RPGs according to Metacritic.
10 Xenogears (Metascore 84)
Released in 1998, Xenogears was released exclusively for the PlayStation. It was developed by Squaresoft with members of the same team that worked on it moving on to form Monolith Soft. Monolith Soft created the Xenosaga trilogy on the PlayStation 2 and the Xenoblade series for Nintendo systems.
Xenogears is a sci-fi RPG that is still considered to have one of the most mature and intelligently told stories in gaming. With strong themes built around religion and philosophy, the game is just as effective now as it was twenty years ago.
9 Lunar 2: Eternal Blue Complete (Metascore 86)
Lunar 2: Eternal Blue Complete was developed by Game Arts and released in 1998. It is an enhanced retranslated port of the original released for the Sega Saturn in 1994. The game was translated and published by Working Designs who had built a great reputation based on their work and fantastic limited edition box sets.
Eternal Blue story is set a thousand years after the events of Silver Star Story and follows the protagonist Hiro who becomes involved with a mysterious girl named Lucia. Together they embark on a mission to stop an evil being called the Zophar from bringing an end to the world.
8 Alundra (Metascore 86)
Alundra also is known as The Adventures of Alundra in European territories is an adventure RPG that was released for the PlayStation in 1997. It’s the spiritual successor to Landstalker a game that was released on the Sega Genesis/Megadrive.
The game drew comparisons to The Legend of Zelda: Link to the Past due to sharing many of the same gameplay mechanics. Alundra is also one of the few RPGs on the PlayStation that wasn’t turn-based and implemented hack-and-slash and platforming in its combat and exploration.
7 Grandia (Metascore 89)
Originally released in 1997 on the PlayStation Grandia was developed by Lunar: Silver Star Story creators Game Arts. The game was remastered and released again alongside Grandia II for the Nintendo Switch as part of The Grandia HD Collection.
Just like the Lunar series, Grandia is a light-hearted adventure with a battle system that stands above its peers. Its fast turn-based system allowed the characters to move freely around the battlefield with a meter showing heroes and the enemy’s turns.
6 Final Fantasy VIII (Metascore 90)
Final Fantasy VIII was first released on the PlayStation in 1999. It was released and remastered in 2019 for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and the PC. The eighth installment was a departure from its predecessor in terms of visuals by using realistically proportioned characters.
The game is a science-fiction fantasy with its cities and towns looking and feeling futuristic. However, despite the sci-fi trappings, the game didn't stray too far from fantasy themes and still featured mythological creatures and an evil sorceress as the game’s main antagonist.
5 Vagrant Story (Metascore 92)
Vagrant Story was released for the PlayStation in 2000. It was directed and produced by Yasumi Matsuno who had also created Final Fantasy Tactics and would eventually develop Final Fantasy XII. All three games take place in the world of Ivalice and have been named by Square and Matsuno as part of the Ivalice Alliance. Just like those games, it’s a much darker tale than what is usually seen in the Final Fantasy series.
Vagrant Story is a dungeon crawler that implemented a real-time combat system that allows the player to pause the game and target different body parts. The system also required players to chain attacks by rhythmically timing their hits.
4 Final Fantasy VII (Metascore 92)
First released in 1997 for the PlayStation, Final Fantasy VII is one of the most influential and popular Japanese RPGs every developed. Its good sales and positive critical reaction meant that more RPGs from Japan made their way to the west.
It was one of the first games on home consoles that showed gamers that great stories can be just as great in videogames as they are on other mediums. Final Fantasy VII remains one of the most beloved games of all time and is getting a full remake for the PlayStation 4 which is to be released in March 2020.
3 Castlevania: Symphony Of The Night (Metascore 93)
Castlevania: Symphony of the Night was first released on the PlayStation as a sequel to Castlevania: Rondo of Blood in 1997. It’s a side-on action-adventure RPG that implemented non-linear exploration with interconnected areas. It’s a sub-genre of gaming that along with the Metroid series that would become known as Metroidvania.
Unfortunately, due to the rise in popularity of 3D gaming, Symphony of the Night wasn’t a commercial success. It did, however, become a cult hit in the years that followed and is praised by many media outlets as one of the greatest games to be released on the PlayStation.
2 Chrono Cross (Metascore 94)
Chrono Cross was released on the PlayStation in 1999. It was developed by Square as a sequel to the SNES RPG Chrono Trigger. It directed by Masato Kato who was known for writing the script for Chrono Trigger and Xenogears.
The game’s combat system similar to Chrono Trigger where characters learned and used special techniques called Techs. Additionally, the game’s Elements system works like Final Fantasy VII’s materia system meaning that they can be purchased and equipped. The game’s plot, which centered on parallel universes remains one of gaming’s most ambitious and complex earning it Game of the Year awards back in 2000.
1 Final Fantasy IX (Metascore 94)
Final Fantasy IX was first released on the PlayStation in 2000. It was remastered for the PC in 2016 and ported for the PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, and the Xbox One in 2019. It was the last game to be released on the original PlayStation and was a return to the high fantasy themes seen in past Final Fantasy titles.
Visually, it was one of the best looking games of a generation and its story and characters are still beloved by fans as one of the best games in the entire series. With a Metascore of 94, it's the highest-rated JRPG on the PS1.