Summary
The DS introduced a lot of new entries into theFinal Fantasyseries. Some games were remakes, some were sequels, and others were completely new spinoffs.Square Enix, overall, had a great revival on the platform, and it is easy to see why.
Most of the company’s bread-and-butter games are RPGs or at least that’s what Square Enix is known for. That genre is also perfect for portable hardware as players can just stay grinding levels while doing something else like watching TV. There are quite a fewFinal Fantasygames on the DS, all of which have something positive to offer. However, which is thebestFinal FantasyNintendo DS game?
Updated July 24, 2025 by Mark Sammut:A table covering each Final Fantasy game on the Nintendo DS has been added to make browsing the article more convenient.
Every Final Fantasy Game On The Nintendo DS
Although not synonymous with Nintendo’s handheld system,Final Fantasyhad quite a fruitful life on the DS. Including Japanese exclusives and the very loosely connectedSaGafranchise, Square Enix released 12 projects for the system, including some all-time great titles. The table below contains everyFinal FantasyDS game, along with the Japan and North America release dates.
2025-07-16
2025-07-26
2025-08-02
2025-05-27
2025-08-05
2025-07-25
2025-06-30
2025-06-15
2025-06-26
2025-05-27
2025-07-21
2025-07-09
Cid and Chocobo’s Mysterious Dungeon: The Labyrinth of Forgotten Time DS+
2025-08-07
N/A
Chocobo and the Magic Picture Book: The Witch, the Girl, and the Five Heroes
2025-06-08
2025-05-28
2025-06-24
2025-07-21
2025-07-31
2025-07-05
SaGa 3: Jikuu no Hasha: Shadow or Light
2025-08-09
While the Japan exclusives andSaGaremakes are included for completionist purposes, these games are listed in their release order as they were not experienced the way Square Enix intended them to be. As such, it would not be fair to rank them; however, they warrant coverage, just in case someone would like to try them.
Chocobo to Mahou no Ehon: Majo to Shoujo to Go-nin no Yuushais a sequel toFinal Fantasy Fables: Chocobo Tales. This one was more ambitious in terms of trying to tell a more serious or at least focused, story. However, it ultimately still boils down to another mini-game collection.Chocobo to Mahou no Ehon: Majo to Shoujo to Go-nin no Yuushahas beenreleased only in Japanon the DS and there is no complete fan translation yet. While there are ways to play it, this is one of the hardestFinal FantasyDS gamesto track down.
Cid to Chocobo no Fushigi na Dungeon: Toki Wasure no Meikyū DS+is an enhanced port ofFinal Fantasy Fables: Chocobo’s Dungeonmade for the DS. In 2007,Chocobo’s Dungeoncame out on the Wiiin Japan only, with the game coming out in the West a year later.
As the DS title came out the same year in Japan as the Wii version came out in the West, the enhanced port was not released internationally. The ports don’t stop there either because there was a remaster of it in 2019. It is the third and so far final entry in theChocobo’s Dungeonseries, and it sticks very close to that formula.Mystery Dungeongames are slow-moving and simple, but they are enjoyable in a turn-off-your-brain type of way. The DS release is not worth seeking out since there are alternatives on the Wii, Switch, and PS4.
Known to Western Game Boy owners asFinal Fantasy Legend 2,SaGa 2: Hihou Densetsuwas a solid JRPG when it came out in the ’90s, and the DS remake retains and enhances what made the original so much fun to play. While the story is nothing to write home about, the gameplay is a lot of fun and quite deep.
Players put together a party of four from a range of races – Humans, Espers, Robots, and Monsters – and there is quite a bit of variety here. Each race develops differently; for example, a Human’s physical stats will increase following battles, while an Esper’s growth will predominantly come in the form of magical spells. The game’s systems are complex, but players should be able to come to grips with them after a few hours. Compared to the Game Boy release, the DS remake is considerably more inviting. It also adds plenty of new content or gameplay mechanics like Combo Threads, resulting in a more complete experience.
Outside of Japan, the Game Boy’sSaGa 3: Jikuu no Hashawas published asFinal Fantasy Legend 3, a connection that did little to help establish the series' identity in North America. Despite this change in name and the fact they are still JRPGs, theSaGagames differ quite a bit from Square Enix’s mainlineFinal Fantasytitles, and the DS remake highlights the series' unique elements.
SaGa 3: Jikuu no Hasha: Shadow or Lightswaps out the original game’s traditional leveling-up system for one focused on stat improvement through actions taken in battle. This change brings this entry’s progression system in line with other releases in the franchise. InSaGa 3, players constantly have to keep in mind how they use their resources, and the game is quite a grind even for the JRPG genre. The remake also expands the personalities of the characters, along with streamlining the world map. It is also a decent-looking DS game.
Sadly,SaGa 3: Jikuu no Hasha: Shadow or Lightwas not released outside of Japan. As an alternative,Game Boy’sFinal Fantasy Legendtrilogyis available on the Nintendo Switch, PC, and Mobile devices.
Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo Taleswas released in 2007 on the DS in North America. There is somewhat of a story in the game represented by a storybook, however, there isn’t much to it. The title is mostly a series of mini-games starring the iconic Chocobo. It’s not bad but there have been better mini-games in theFinal Fantasyuniverse.
Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo Talesis a charming game that offers a different type of experience for this franchise. Die-hardFinal Fantasyfans are the only ones who should consider giving this game a look.
Final Fantasy 12: Revenant Wingsis a Nintendo DS sequel toFinal Fantasy 12which was released in 2006 on the PS2. It stars Vaan and Penelo who are finally able to accomplish their dreams of grabbing a ship and becoming sky pirates.
The sequel’s gameplay is very different not only fromFinal Fantasy 12but from the franchise as a whole.Revenant Wingsis an RTS game that is fun to play but the DS’s screen size makes it a bit too cramped to play on.
Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Ring of Fateswas the first sequel toCrystal Chronicles, a 2004 North American game that was releasedon the GameCube.
The gameplay inRing of Fatesis similar to its predecessor as both are hack and slash RPGs wherein players get to choose a race/class. The crystal bucket mechanic is not as complicated in the sequel as it was in the original game, which is a change for the better. While this is still very much a multiplayer-focused game, there is a single-player campaign as well.
Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Echoes of Timeis the last core-focused multiplayer game in this sub-series, and players have the option to select from four tribes: Yukes, Selkies, Lilties, and Clavats.
What made this one unique was that there was a simultaneous Wii release so that both systems could play together. That was good on paper, but the graphics were barely changed for the console version, making it a weird port by comparison.
Final Fantasy 3 wasreleased in 1990 on the NESin Japan only. The game received fan patches in English in the absence of an official release, but it wasn’t quite the same thing. Western fans had to wait until 2006 to finally play the realFinal Fantasy 3.
The remake improved a lot of features that would have made the NES game seem archaic by 2006; that said, the DS version still sticks close to the original project and plays like a throwback to old-school JRPGs from the early ’90s.Final Fantasy 3is not one of the absolute best entries in the franchise since it is largely overshadowed by most of its sequels, but it is nevertheless a solid turn-based RPG. Notably, this was the first entry in theFinal Fantasyseries to allow players to change Jobs.
Final Fantasy: The 4 Heroes Of Lightwas almost like a reboot of the franchise, going back to more traditional gameplay values compared to what its home console contemporaries were doing at the time. This means a turn-based battle system, four “hero” characters, and random battles. It is also a pretty difficult game.
The features implemented in this game would later go on to influenceBravely Default, an RPG that was also seen as a throwback or spiritual reboot to theFinal Fantasyseries.
