There are 17 mainline Tales Of games, otherwise known as mothership titles. Starting from 1995 on the Super Famicom to Tales of Arise on the PS5, this storied series is near and dear to all anime-style RPG fans. With a few exceptions, the Tales games don't operate in the same universe.

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Symphonia and Phantasia are linked, as are Tales of Destiny and its sequel, Tales of Xillia and its sequel, and Tales of Berseria and Zestiria take place in their respective worlds. Throughout the years, the Tales games have been released in Japan first, so we have based this order on those dates.

1 Tales Of Phantasia (1995)

Tales Of Phantasia - main cast of characters with Cless at the front

Available on the Super Famicom (SNES), this was the first-ever Tales game to grace our lives. At the time, this game pushed the SNES to the limit of what it was capable of, including adding voice acting. The characters and the story measure up as one of the better ones, even compared to future games.

This was also the first iteration of the Linear Motion Battle System which saw characters move in battle like a side-scroller. This system would be used in every future Tales game, constantly updated and tweaked. It's the foundation of all Tales games.

2 Tales Of Destiny (1997)

Tales of Destiny Combat scene

Up until Tales of Symphonia, all of the Tales games liked to err on the side of whimsy when crafting their tone, stories, and characters. Destiny is the second main Tales game and the very first on the PlayStation One.

It uses a lot of the same ideas from the first game, but there isn't too much of a jump in what Phantasia offered. The characters are, as expected, excellent. However, it has a lot of pacing issues when it comes to the story later on and the combat doesn't inspire much.

3 Tales Of Eternia (2000)

Max from Tales of Eternia laughing

The original release of Tales of Eternia caused some confusion since it was technically named Tales of Destiny 2 when it was released in North America. This game isn't a sequel to Tales of Destiny, but it does feature characters from Destiny who appear as cameos.

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Tales of Eternia does a little bit better with its systems and pacing than Tales of Destiny, but, as one of the earlier games, it does suffer compared to other Tales games released shortly after, especially when they're still being made with 2D sprites.

4 Tales Of Destiny 2 (2002)

Tales Of Destiny 2 Cropped
Tales Of Destiny 2 Cropped

Not to be confused with the above, Tales of Destiny 2 is the sequel to Tales of Destiny. Released on the PS2, this title is technically the fourth in the series, never released outside of Japan. Destiny 2 is set 18 years after the first game. It's fun to see the world created in the first Tales of Destiny change over time.

You take control of Kyle, the child of two main characters from Destiny. Kyle wants to be a hero like his father and embarks on a whimsical journey across the world, seeing it as his destiny to do nothing less than to be a world-renowned good guy.

5 Tales Of Symphonia (2003)

Tales of Symphonia party members

Symphonia was a GameCube exclusive. At the time and after, Symphonia is regarded as one of the most recognisable and iconic Tales games ever. It is usually credited as the game that put the series on the map and skyrocketed the popularity of Tales.

This probably has a lot to do with this being the first full 3D Tales game, as well as it being the first Tales game for a lot of people getting into the series. Nostalgia or not, Symphonia is a heck of a ride and a must-play entry.

6 Tales Of Rebirth (2004)

Hilde performing a tarot reading in Tales of Rebirth's opening

The Tales games have so many main characters it can be difficult for them to shine and become fleshed out throughout the story. That said, Tales of Rebirth has some of the most detailed characters. Later games like Arise and Berseria also shine the spotlight on supporting characters in the best way.

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Rebirth is also somewhat darker in tone, but it straddles the line between lightheartedness and seriousness extremely well. It's something to do with the story and writing that makes the characters so great, but the skits are some of the best.

7 Tales Of Legendia (2005)

tales-of-legendia Senel and co on the promo material

Tales of Legendia has a lot of flaws, especially for a 2005 release on the PS2. Ask anyone who's played it, and they will tell you that the random encounters in Tales of Legendia are almost unbearable, happening damn near every second.

This is a pretty hard thing to overcome when combat hits diminishing returns. More than anything, Tales of Legendia fails to live up to Tales of Symphonia, making it one of the more forgettable Tales games. The music, however, stands out.

8 Tales Of The Abyss (2005)

Guy Cecil Tales Of The Abyss gets attacked by a girl

Between Abyss, Symphonia, and Vesperia, these three often clash in terms of which is better. For good reason, Tales of the Abyss is considered excellent by JRPG and Tales standards. It's not for everyone, with a considerably darker story than most games up to this point. But it features one of the best lead characters in the shape of Luke fon Fabre.

It's one of the better early games that fans will love, and newcomers could consider it a starting point. It's the last Tales game to be released on the PS2, with two subsequent mainline titles being released on the Nintendo DS.

9 Tales Of Innocence (2007)

Tales of Innocence - key artwork showing the main characters

Tales of Innocence was released for the Nintendo DS and follows the story of a young swordsman named Ruca Milda, who must navigate a war-torn world and uncover the truth about his past. Tales of Innocence, however, does have an exceptionally good story.

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As with the previous Nintendo DS titles, Innocence improves on Tales of the Tempest, but the limitations of the DS begin to show, especially with the 2D side-scrolling battles in the handheld games. There wouldn't be another DS Tales game until Tales of Hearts.

10 Tales Of Vesperia (2008)

Estelle gets startles while sitting in flowers

Even though Tales of Hearts was released a few months after Vesperia, the latter is much more streamlined and user-friendly. A lot of this has to do with the fact it was released on the Xbox 360 and the PS3, resulting in better graphics and user interfaces. Overall, the presentation in Vesperia is also incredible.

Tales of Vesperia is often hailed as one of the best Tales games, but this is subjective. The story and setting are engaging while the robust cast of characters is always fun to interact with. Vesperia was the Tales series' return to home consoles since Abyss was released on PS2 in 2005. Vesperia has since been re-released in 2019 with a definitive version.

11 Tales Of Hearts (2008)

Kor wielding his sword in Tales of Hearts R

Tales of Hearts was originally released on the Nintendo DS. It's no secret that Tales games always look better when they're on home consoles like the PS3 and 360, but for whatever reason, this was released on the DS. This meant there was a substantial graphical difference between it and Vesperia.

Eventually, Tales of Hearts got the love and attention it deserved when it was remade for the PS Vita and re-released in 2014, featuring new systems and gameplay elements not present in the original, including updating the graphics and modifying the Soma system.

12 Tales Of Graces (2009)

Asbel and Sophie in Tales of Graces F

Tales of Graces was initially released on the Nintendo Wii and PS3. The game's story follows a young prince named Asbel Lhant, who lives in the kingdom of Windor. As you might expect from a Tales game, his life is changed forever when he meets a mysterious girl named Sophie, who has conveniently lost her memories.

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It's interesting to see Tales embrace the amnesia angle, bringing it back when they released Tales of Arise. Plot convenient amnesia aside, Asbel sets out on one of the most whimsical and lighthearted journeys of all the Tales games.

13 Tales Of Xillia (2011)

Running through the city in Tales of Xillia

Released on the PS3, Tales of Xillia takes place in Rieze Maxia, a world where humans and spirits live in relative harmony. This game features the first female protagonist in Tales history with Milla Maxwell, although she shares the role with Jude Mathis as a joint protagonist. Jude is a medical student embroiled in a conflict with an evil empire.

Milla, the second protagonist, is a spirit on a mission to save the world from a powerful entity known as the Lord of Spirits. As we know, this is typical fare for Tales. Xilia builds on the linked Artes system from Graces, letting you pair characters and add depth to the combat.

14 Tales Of Xillia 2 (2012)

Ludgar protecting Elle in Tales of Xillia 2

Xillia 2 is a direct sequel, making it the second mainline game to do so. Canonically, the game is set one year after the events of the first, following a new narrative in the same world. It was released on the PS3 and a fully 3D world.

Tales of Xillia 2 features a new protagonist in the shape of Ludger Will Kresnik, and the game follows his journey as he attempts to save his brother and prevent a war between two nations. Following the tone of the previous Xillia, this game is just as dark.

15 Tales Of Zestiria (2015)

Tales of Zestiria Sorey portrait in a Skit

The first Tales game to come to the PS4, Tales of Zestiria follows Sorey, a human who has grown up among spirits called Seraphim and is chosen as the "Shepherd," a legendary figure prophesied to save the world from darkness. Zestiria is the 15th mainline game, released to celebrate the 12th anniversary of the series.

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It's the standard anime stuff we have come to expect and love from Tales at this point, mixed into a fun and colourful fantasy medieval backdrop. Zestiria also introduced a feature for this game called "Armatisation," which lets you merge with party members to gain new abilities and dish out stronger attacks.

16 Tales Of Berseria (2016)

tales of berseria combat

Just one year after Tales of Zestiria, Berseria was released. This was the first Tales game that didn't require you to hold down another button to free-roam and run around the battle arenas, which is a gigantic improvement. Berseria also holds the title of the first Tales game to feature a sole female protagonist.

Berseria stands out as having an overall darker tone than some Tales games, emphasised further by the Velvet's unending and animalistic thirst for revenge against those who wronged her being central to the story. Berseria is a distant prequel to Zestiria, with both games taking place in the same world in vastly different periods.

17 Tales Of Arise (2021)

Dohalim Tales of Arise attacks the party after getting upset

Tales of Arise launched in 2021, and it was intended to be a revamping of the series. It features the most in-depth and up-to-date version of the Linear Motion Battle System, adapting and improving it further from Tales of Berseria to the point where it is the most expanded and fun the combat has ever been in a Tales game.

It brought multiple quality-of-life changes to set it apart from previous games, notably the character interactions, skits, combat artes, and so much more. Tales of Arise is a phenomenal game, albeit with some story and pacing issues.

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