Once upon a time, it seemed that Nintendo wouldn’t localize Monolith Soft’s Xenoblade Chronicles for Westerners. Now, not only is it arguably Nintendo’s premier JRPG franchise, but each entry can be considered one of the best JRPGs of its generation, and today, we’re going to rank all of them.
While the Xenoblade series is a relatively small franchise, with only a few key installments, the series has developed a cult following with players ready to explore each entry’s gargantuan open world with a ludicrous amount of side content and customization. Fully completing each entry is a beast, especially given how each game features main plots that can last for 60-80 hours, incredibly powerful superbosses, and how in-depth the combat system can be if you want to wring every last ounce of gameplay from this critically acclaimed series. I’ve been a diehard fan of the series since the very beginning, so ranking each entry will be agonizing, but make no mistake – every Xenoblade game is a must-play experience.
With that being said, here’s our ranking of every Xenoblade Chronicles game from worst to best.
| Initial Release Date: | September 14, 2018 (Digital) September 21, 2018 (Physical) |
| Platforms: | Switch |
| Metacritic Score: | 80 |
This prequel to Xenoblade Chronicles 2, which received a standalone release by Nintendo, therefore making it eligible for this list, takes much of the base game’s gameplay and refines it further, albeit while limiting your combat options.
While Xenoblade 2 features customizable party members in the form of Blades, you’re given a set party in Torna The Golden Country that does not change over the 15-20 hour campaign. That does allow you to really learn and understand how the characters behave, and it sheds a lot of light on heroes and villains from the base game. It’s still ultimately an expansion pack though, and your enjoyment of the game will be tied to how much you like the story of Xenoblade Chronicles 2 (which is a BIG ask), but for what it’s worth, it’s a nice slice of what makes Xenoblade so great.
| Initial Release Date: | December 4, 2015 (Wii U) March 20, 2025 (Switch) |
| Platforms: | Wii U, Switch |
| Metacritic Score: | 84 |
As one of the last major Wii U games to release before the console’s early death, Xenoblade Chronicles X didn’t get as much recognition as it deserved. While it took a radical departure from the rest of the series and has the franchise’s most inessential plot, which is a death knell for some, Xenoblade Chronicles X does have one thing going for it – mechs. Piloting the Skells, which feel like a direct callback to Xenogears, is fantastic and gives the game a vibe unique to itself. It takes a frustrating amount of time to unlock them, but when you do, the game really does open it, allowing you to explore the world in a way that feels truly free and exciting. Shame it happens about 30 hours into the game. I know it’s a terrible excuse, but the game really does get good once you get your first Skell, but I can’t fault any players who dropped Xenoblade Chronicles X before then thanks to the game’s subpar story and characters.
| Initial Release Date: | December 1, 2017 |
| Platforms: | Switch |
| Metacritic Score: | 83 |
Let me make this perfectly clear – I love Xenoblade Chronicles 2. I love how infinitely customizable the Blade system is, where each equippable party member has their own personality and side quest associated with them. Some fall flat, the most are stellar. I love the combat, which perfectly encapsulates the series’ penchant for setting up devastating combos and unleashing obscene amounts of damage. The world of Alrest is fascinating, building on several concepts from Xenoblade Chronicles and delivering one of the most thematically rich and complex JRPG stories of the past decade. So why isn’t it any higher? Everything else about the game.
The core cast of characters leaves very little impact and are either one-dimensional archetypes or annoying. Progression is also aggravating since you will need Blades with certain abilities to progress, but they’re acquired via a gacha system. Sure, the combat is great, but it takes time to truly open up. For every good thing that Xenoblade Chronicles 2 does, there’s at least one other thing to drag it down. Again, I personally love the game, and it is a great JRPG in many ways, but I can’t deny that it’s the weakest of the core trilogy.
| Initial Release Date: | July 29, 2022 |
| Platforms: | Switch |
| Metacritic Score: | 89 |
In many ways, Xenoblade Chronicles 3 is an ambitious mess, and that’s kind of the point. It’s intentionally blending Xenoblade Chronicles 1 and 2 together in a way that feels clunky, but that informs its themes of trauma, war, and living in the present. It’s ambitious to a fault, and never quite comes together as well as earlier entries, but it fully commits to its ideas. While you have a fixed party of six characters, the gameplay revolves around how each character can swap between over two dozen classes. Every character can become every class, though some are more adept at it, giving you plenty of ways to mix and match your party to your heart’s desire. It makes the game’s combat feel richer than any other Xenoblade Chronicles game before it, which is a blessing given how messy its story can be. Play Xenoblade Chronicles 3 for its gameplay instead of its story.
| Initial Release Date: | April 6, 2012 (Wii) April 10, 2015 (New 3DS) May 29, 2020 (Switch) |
| Platforms: | Wii, New 3DS, Switch |
| Metacritic Score: | 92 |
While there are multiple versions of Xenoblade Chronicles, no matter which version you decide to pick up, you’ll be getting one of the best JRPGs of the 21st century.
The story of Shulk’s revenge tour of the Bionis and Mechonis is a classic, taking you across both titans that have well-defined and complex societies existing on them. At first, the conflict seems pretty straightforward, but as the game progresses, the narrative becomes much more complicated, delivering nuanced heroes and villains that make the journey all the more fascinating. The gameplay is also more simplistic than any other entry, oftentimes taking gameplay cues from MMOs, but the three-person party never restricts the player’s ability to play the game how they want. No matter who you select to navigate the large environments of both titans, combat feels fluid and each pairing has its own unique advantages and disadvantages. There truly is no bad party dynamic in Xenoblade Chronicles, making the moment-to-moment gameplay fun and engaging. Sure, the side quests are the weakest in the entire franchise, but when your main plot is as good as it is, it’s almost irrelevant. Xenoblade Chronicles is a masterpiece from start to finish and if you’ve never played it, you should rectify that immediately.
