The original PlayStation is home to some of the most legendary RPGs, not the least of which is Final Fantasy 7. The first 3D entry in the storied franchise spans 3 discs. According to howlongtobeat.com, it takes about 37 hours to beat, but this time of course varies depending on how many side quests one undertakes and how good they are at maximizing their time.
With training, deaths, and exploring it will probably take upwards of 50 hours the first time through. Even so, the following games are all longer than what is often considered one of the best and biggest RPGs of its generation.
10 Legend of Legaia (37 1/2 Hours)
Sporting a unique combo-based battle system and some of the best graphics of the PS1 era, Legend of Legaia is a cult classic all JRPG fans should play. The story is filled with interesting characters, though the protagonist is still silent, and the three separate kingdoms feel distinctly unique with each of their small towns and cities. The only drawback is the lack of side quests, but the main journey is beefy enough to last more than 40 hours.
9 Front Mission 3 (38 1/2 Hours)
Turn-based tactical RPGs can have wildly differing runtimes depending on the player's familiarity with the genre. These types of games can be brutally unforgiving if you do not have an understanding of the systems underneath the hood. Front Mission 3 has a few extra features up its sleeve to expand game time outside of the battlefield as well, including plenty of lore material to read. The game also features two distinct stories depending on the choices you make at the start.
8 Final Fantasy Tactics (39 1/2)
Final Fantasy Tactics stands as one of the most celebrated Final Fantasy games of all time, and that is saying a lot considering it is a spin-off. The dour story filled with political intrigue sticks with players long after the credits roll. The job system leaves so much room for player choice in progression, letting you experiment with different party configurations and abilities. While well over 40 hours on a first play through, an experienced player can easily finish it in about 24.
7 X-Com: UFO Defense (39 1/2 Hours)
X-Com: UFO Defense stands out on this list for not being a JRPG and not coming from Japan at all. The long runtime not only comes from the numerous systems you must pay attention to, but also from the extreme difficulty.
X-COM is one of the hardest strategy series out there. The PlayStation version is a port of the PC game, though these days it is better to play the remake, XCOM: Enemy Unknown.
6 Final Fantasy 8 (40 1/2)
Final Fantasy 8 is a polarizing entry in the franchise for a couple of reasons. The story more closely follows the party members' character development and relationships than the world ending threat, and the battle system also rubs some people the wrong way. Drawing can grow tiring, but it is an interesting concept. Fortunately, the re-release allows you to speed up combat, making grinding less frustrating. Final Fantasy 9 is also longer than Final Fantasy 7 by a few hours.
5 Grandia (43 Hours)
The Grandia series was fairly consistent from the debut entry in 1997 to 2005's Grandia 3. The first game was received warmly by all the press and JRPG aficionados and established a formula the rest of the games would follow. The combat and progression are unique for its time, with weapons and magic spells increasing in strength through repeated use in addition to the more traditional leveling up mechanic.
4 Persona 2: Eternal Punishment (50 1/2 Hours)
Not to be confused with Persona 2: Innocent Sin, Persona 2: Eternal Punishment is a direct sequel to the former. Turns out, Persona was doing the weird direct sequels to numbered entries long before Final Fantasy came out with Final Fantasy 10-2.
Related: 10 Hardest Boss Fights In The Persona Series, Ranked
Par for the course for Persona, social actions affect gameplay. In Eternal Punishment, you can spread rumors throughout the world, which in turn can unlock special abilities.
3 Tactic Ogre: Let Us Cling Together (50 1/2)
This predecessor to Final Fantasy Tactics shares a lot with the future spin-off, but distinguishes itself in a couple of ways. For one, the story is completely grounded. While magic factors into gameplay, the narrative does not involve ancient curses, relics, or other JRPG tropes. Secondly, player choice factors greatly into the outcome of the plot. One dialog choice can mean the death of a major character.
2 Xenogears (56 1/2)
With "Xeno" in the title, you know this comes with certain expectations. While gameplay resembles little of Xenoblade Chronicles, this 1998 PS1 game was indeed directed by Tetsuya Takahashi, who would go on to found Monolith Soft. Xenogears is more linear, but the narrative has similarly cosmic themes, and was particularly dark for its time. It is admittedly harder to get into today, but still interesting as a historical curiosity.
1 Dragon Quest 7 (108 Hours)
Some people like to exaggerate game lengths, but we're not lying when we say Dragon Quest 7, which came out as Dragon Warrior 7 in the west, could very well take you over one hundred hours to beat. The game is arguably too long for its own good. Perhaps the developers got carried away with the new hardware or they wanted to make the six year wait between entries worth it. Whatever the case, if you want a beefy PS1 JRPG, it is difficult to get any bigger than Dragon Quest 7.