Every Tales Of Game In Chronological Order

There are 17 mainline Tales of games. 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 Destiny who 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.

Tales Of Vesperia (2008)

Tales of Vesperia’s presentation is lush, its cast multifaceted, and its hero, Yuri, rightly hailed as one of the best in the genre.

The game launched exclusively on Xbox 360 during the short-lived era in which Microsoft made a huge push for a further foothold in Japan, which led to similar oddities, such as Star Ocean’s fourth mainline entry also being stuck to the 360 for a while.

Sony got the last laugh, we suppose, as an enhanced version of Vesperia released on there a while later. It would take until 2019, when Tales of Vesperia received an HD facelift, for Western fans to experience that added content firsthand.

Tales Of Hearts (2008)

Tales of Hearts was originally released on the Nintendo DS. The continued DS support makes sense; the handheld sold well past a hundred million units during its lifetime. Even the far more recent smash-success Nintendo Switch is barely catching up.

Still, it did limit the presentation in a series that often excels therein. 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.

Tales Of Graces (2009)

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.

Tales of Graces is beloved for its combat, which is handily some of the best that Bandai Namco has ever delivered in a franchise often lauded for it. Its story, on the other hand, is, uh… an… acquired… taste.

If you’ve never played it, you can find out what we mean when Tales of Graces’ remaster launches on modern consoles in early 2025. Or maybe you’re reading this after that’s transpired, in which case, well, you can do that now.

Tales Of Xillia (2011)

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, is a spirit on a mission to save the world from a powerful entity known as the Lord of Spirits. Xilia builds on the linked Artes system from Graces, letting you pair characters and add depth to the combat.

Tales Of Xillia 2 (2012)

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.

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. T

ales of Xillia 2 is a somewhat nonlinear adventure, which presents some love-it-or-hate-it issues that have divided the fanbase. Then again, the first Xillia wasn’t necessarily a top-shelf Tales to begin with, so your mileage may vary all-around.

Tales Of Zestiria (2015)

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.

We’ll call a spade a spade: Tales of Zestiria is one of the lowest-rated chapters in the series. Its colorful medieval world couldn’t save it from a rough story and merely-passable gameplay, which makes the success of the following title all the more surprising…

Tales Of Berseria (2016)

Just one year after Tales of Zestiria, Berseria was released. And against the odds, it’s largely fantastic, with a memorable cast of misfits, a charming “edginess”, and enough general gameplay tweaks to make for a more pleasant play experience relative to its predecessor.

Berseria stands out as having an overall darker tone than some Tales games, emphasised further by antiheroine protagonist 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.

Tales Of Arise (2021)

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, and while critiques can and should be made over bosses’ tendency toward sky-high HP sponginess, overall, it’s a thrilling time.

Arise tackles themes of racism and xenophobia. It might not do so brilliantly, but it’s a novel effort, and the romance between co-protagonists Alphen and Shionne is truly something special. An expansion, Beyond the Dawn, launched two years later.