The team at Watch Mojo have been racking their brains together to work out the best JRPG by original release year. The list kicks off back in 1996 with the sublime Tactics Ogre: Let us Cling Together and ends in 2025 with Digimon Story: Time Stranger. Check out Watch Mojo’s choice picks down below:
- 1996: Tactics Ogre: Let us Cling Together
- 1997: Final Fantasy VII
- 1998: Xenogears
- 1999: Pokémon: Gold and Silver
- 2000: Skies of Arcadia
- 2001: Final Fantasy X
- 2002: Kingdom Hearts
- 2003: Tales of Symphonia
- 2004: The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky
- 2005: Kingdom Hearts 2
- 2006: Tales of the Abyss
- 2007: Blue Dragon
- 2008: Valkyria Chronicles
- 2009: Dragon Quest 5: Hand of the Heavenly Bride
- 2010: Xenoblade Chronicles
- 2011: Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch
- 2012: Persona 4: Golden
- 2013: Fire Emblem Awakening
- 2014: Bravely Default
- 2015: The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel
- 2016: Final Fantasy XV
- 2017: NieR Automata
- 2018: Octopath Traveler
- 2019: Dragon Quest 11: Echoes of an Elusive Age
- 2020: Persona 5 Royal
- 2021: Tales of Arise
- 2022: Xenoblade Chronicles 3
- 2023: Octopath Traveler 2
- 2024: Metaphor Refantazio
- 2025: Digimon Story: Time Stranger
Don’t say the name “WatchMojo” it makes me vomit. Just kidding, but this list is just whatever. I find it strange that Pokemon gold and silver were picked over FFIX.
I haven’t watched any of their content before. Some of it sounds pretty bad 😞
Watchmojo is quite sketchy and two faced. One day they’ll say top 10 gta games and another they could be saying ”Top 10 reasons why gta games cause mass shootings”. They’ll even flip flop saying “Top 10 video game babes” and “Top 10 reasons we agree with Anita Sarkieesian”. They’ll say whatever just for ad revenue not caring about contradictions. Also being the cowboy bebops at their computer, they can make errors like getting characters names wrong. I’m glad I unsubscribed from them.
They have been in some recent controversy like how they made a video that was “Top Ten YouTubers who knew they were dying” which is a horrible video to make when making top tens. WatchMojo is garbage.
Watchmojo rankings count as news?
Thanks for posting this. You saved me a click. I really hated that video Top 10 things you can’t do in sitcoms anymore.
Honestly, I know a lot of people hate WatchMojo but this was a really alright list, honestly more objective than most lists on the Internet nowadays involving video games lol
Does Neir really count as a JRPG? I feel like that one’s much closer to an action RPG and gameplay wise is quite the outlier from the rest of the list.
I thought that was a strange pick too. I thought persona 5 would take that spot, but I guess Nier took it.
I don’t know if it’s an actual prerequisite for being a JRPG, but, to me, if it feels like an anime in a video game format, it’s a JRPG to me. NieR Automata would go well in a folder labeled JRPG along with Xenoblade Chronicles, Final Fantasy X, & Wild Arms 3 on my systems.
Oh & the Baten Kaitos games!
Isn’t WatchMojo just one angry guy now?
Xenoblade 1 and 3 mentioned but not the mech and waifu and husbando gacha ones?