The 1990s are known for a lot of things: Grunge, Nickelodeon, and the initial Pokémon boom are just a few that come to mind. However, the ’90s also had a phenomenal number of RPGs. These role-playing games spanned multiple systems, from the SNES to the N64, the PlayStation 1 and SEGA Dreamcast, and the Game Boy and Game Boy Color.
From popular JRPGs like Final Fantasy and Pokémon games to cult classics like Xenogears and Breath of Fire 2, there were so many excellent role-play games to come out of the ’90s. Admittedly, some of these were more popular than others. And despite so many choices, there were a few RPGs that pretty much every ’90s kid played at least once.
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Chrono Trigger
Chrono Trigger has become ubiquitous when discussing the best RPGs of all time. And even if you didn’t play the game on SNES in the ’90s, you’ve most likely played it since on PS1 or Nintendo DS. At launch, Chrono Trigger had a lot of hype due to the game’s development team. Dragon Ball‘s Akira Toriyama, Final Fantasy‘s Hironobu Sakaguchi, and Dragon Quest‘s Yuji Horii assembled as a “Dream Team” to create Chrono Trigger.
While that may have been responsible for initial sales, word of mouth helped propel Chrono Trigger into becoming one of the most iconic RPGs of the ’90s and of all time. The lively cast of characters, time-sprawling narrative, and inventive combat have allowed Chrono Trigger to remain popular all these years later. If you’re an RPG fan who was alive in the ’90s, the chances are extremely high that you’ve played this video game.
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Final Fantasy 7
Final Fantasy 7 is largely responsible for popularizing the RPG in the West. Upon its initial release, the game’s cutting-edge graphics, compelling story, and memorable characters all made it a must-play video game for anyone who had a PS1. The PC release shortly thereafter brought the RPG to an even wider audience. For a generation of RPG fans, this was the first role-playing game they ever played, and it certainly left an impression.
FF7 has helped the Final Fantasy franchise remain a popular franchise globally, so it’s no wonder the remake trilogy was created all these years later. The original FF7 is one of the best Final Fantasy games of all time, and thanks to tech demos at retailers like Walmart in the ’90s, most kids at least played a bit of it, even if they didn’t have a PS1 at home.
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Pokémon Red & Blue
If you weren’t there, it’s hard to explain the Pokémon craze of the ’90s. It all started with Pokémon Red and Blue, the Gen 1 games that launched an empire. With Pokémon Yellow shortly after, an extremely popular card game, and a legendary anime in Indigo League, the franchise became a part of the cultural zeitgeist. Even kids who didn’t know what RPGs were — and may have not touched an RPG since — played Pokémon in the ’90s.
Pokémon turned 30 earlier this year, and the series is as popular as ever. Cards are still flying off the shelves, the video games sell like hotcakes, and merchandise is everywhere. Still, nothing quite matched Pokémon Red and Blue in the 1990s, and if you were alive back then like I was, you either owned a Gen 1 Pokémon game or know someone who did. These games were easily the most popular RPGs of the decade.
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Pokemon Red and Blue
- Released
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September 28, 1998
- ESRB
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Everyone / No Descriptors
- Developer(s)
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Game Freak
- Multiplayer
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Local Co-Op
- Sequel(s)
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Pokemon Silver & Gold
- Number of Players
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Single-player
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Chrono Trigger
Systems
- Released
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March 11, 1995
- ESRB
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T for Teen: Fantasy Violence, Mild Blood
- Developer(s)
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Square Enix
- Publisher(s)
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Square Enix
- Engine
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Cocos Creator Engine
- Multiplayer
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Local Co-Op
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Final Fantasy 7
Systems
- Released
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January 31, 1997
- ESRB
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T for Teen: Blood, Fantasy Violence, Language, Mild Suggestive Themes
- Developer(s)
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Square Enix
- Publisher(s)
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Square Enix
- Engine
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Unreal Engine 4
- Cross-Platform Play
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ps, pc
- Cross Save
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Players who have already started their adventure on iOS or Android can take advantage of cross-save capabilities
