There are 17 mainlineTales ofgames. From 1995 on the Super Famicom, to Tales of Arise on the PS5, this storied series is near and dear to many anime-style RPG fans. With a few exceptions, the Tales games don’t operate in the same universe.
Throughout the years, most Tales games have been released in Japan first, with worldwide launches a relatively recent norm, so we have based this order on those dates.
Tales Of Phantasia (1995)
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.
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.
Tales Of Destiny (1997)
Tales of Destiny is the second main Tales game and the first to initially launch on the original PlayStation.
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.
Tales Of Eternia (2000)
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 Destinywho appear as cameos.
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.
Tales Of Destiny 2 (2002)
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.
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.
Tales Of Symphonia (2003)
Symphonia was a GameCube exclusive. At the time and after, Symphonia is regarded as one of the most recognisable and iconic Tales games It is usually credited as the game that put the series on the more mainstream map - and that’s certainly true in the West, in any case.
Tales of Symphonia’s touching story and impressive advancements in the series' by-now trademark battle system gave the GameCube a nice title for a while, but it was eventually ported on other systems. Unfortunately, the only 60 fps version is the original, which is kind of wild.
Tales Of Rebirth (2004)
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. Later games like Arise and Berseria also shine the spotlight on supporting characters in the best way.
Rebirth is also somewhat darker in tone, but it straddles the line between lightheartedness and seriousness especially well.
Tales Of Legendia (2005)
Tales of Legendia has a lot of flaws, especially for a 2005 release on the PS2. Ask plenty who have played it, and they will tell you that the random encounters in Tales of Legendia are almost unbearable, happening darn near every momnt.
This is a pretty hard thing to overcome when combat hits diminishing returns. The music, however, stands out as sublime.
Tales Of The Abyss (2005)
Between Abyss, Symphonia, and Vesperia, these three often clash in terms of which is better. For good reason, Tales of the Abyss is considered to be excellent in the minds of the many. It’s not for everyone, with a considerably darker story than most games up to this point.
The protagonist, Luke, will grate on you for a long time. Stick with it. It’s intentional. His growth is impeccable.
Tales of the Abyss is the final Tales game to be released on the PS2, with two subsequent mainline titles being released on the Nintendo DS.
Tales Of The Tempest (2006)
Caius Qualls, a werewof-esque shapeshifter, makes for a heck of a hero in Tales of the Tempest, the first title for DS. Tales of the Tempest is on the shorter side for the franchise, which didn’t really sit well with many critics. Few in the West ever reviewed it, however, as Tempest numbers among the Japan-only entries.
Tales of the Tempest sports a multiplayer mode, which is, needless to say, defunct as a result of Nintendo shuttering the DS' online functionality. It’s a pity, as it looked pretty nity.
Tales Of Innocence (2007)
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.
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.
