Series guide
All Tales games in order
By Lenn Hodes · founder — every cartridge tested by hand
Seventeen mainline games in thirty years, half of them never sold in Europe, one of them sold here under another game’s name — and since 2023 a remaster wave that is bringing the whole series to a Switch cartridge. Below is every Tales game in release order, Japanese year first and the Western release in the note, with the GameCube, Wii, 3DS and Switch versions marked and buying notes on the discs we stock and test.
The short answer
Phantasia (1995) → Destiny → Eternia → Symphonia (2003; GameCube in Europe 2004) → the Abyss → Vesperia (2008) → Graces → Xillia and Xillia 2 → Zestiria (2015) → Berseria → Arise (2021). Nothing needs playing in order, except Berseria before Zestiria. Start with Symphonia — GameCube or the Switch remaster — or with Arise.
Tested Tales games in stock
GameCube and PS5 copies — every disc play-tested on real hardware and listed exactly as it is.
Every Tales game in order
The year is the Japanese release; the Western and European release, where there was one, is in the note — often years later, sometimes on a different console.
- Tales of Phantasia · 1995 · Super Famicom; GBA 2006 (North America only) — where it starts — the linear-motion battle system; the GBA cartridge never reached Europe
- Tales of Destiny · 1997 · PlayStation (North America 1998) — the first Tales in English; not released in Europe
- Tales of Eternia · 2000 · PlayStation (North America 2001 as Tales of Destiny II); PSP Europe 2006 — the first Tales ever sold in Europe — on the PSP, six years late; a remaster is announced for October 2026
- Tales of Destiny 2 · 2002 · PlayStation 2 (Japan only) — the real Destiny sequel — not the game America called Destiny II
- Tales of Symphonia · 2003 · GameCube (Europe 2004); PS2 Japan; Remastered 2023 on Switch, PS4 & Xbox One — the one that made the series in the West — two GameCube discs, and the remaster is the same game
- Tales of Rebirth · 2004 · PlayStation 2 & PSP (Japan only) — never translated
- Tales of Legendia · 2005 · PlayStation 2 (North America 2006) — not released in Europe
- Tales of the Abyss · 2005 · PlayStation 2 (North America 2006); 3DS 2011 — Europe first got it as a 3DS cartridge in 2011 — the full PS2 game in your hands
- Tales of Innocence · 2007 · Nintendo DS (Japan only); Innocence R on Vita — never translated
- Tales of Vesperia · 2008 · Xbox 360 (Europe 2009); PS3 Japan; Definitive Edition 2019 on Switch, PS4, Xbox One & PC — Yuri Lowell; the Definitive Edition adds the PS3 content and is on a Switch cartridge
- Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World · 2008 · Wii (Europe 2009) — the Symphonia sequel with Emil and Marta — Wii only until Symphonia Chronicles on PS3 (2013)
- Tales of Hearts · 2008 · Nintendo DS (Japan); Hearts R on Vita, Europe 2014 — the DS original stayed in Japan; Europe got the Vita remake
- Tales of Graces · 2009 · Wii (Japan only); Graces f on PS3, Europe 2012; Graces f Remastered 2025 on Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox & PC — a Wii game Europe never saw until the PS3 version — and now a Switch cartridge
- Tales of Xillia · 2011 · PlayStation 3 (Europe 2013); Xillia Remastered 2025 — Jude and Milla, two protagonists; the remaster arrived in October 2025
- Tales of Xillia 2 · 2012 · PlayStation 3 (Europe 2014) — the direct sequel, a year on
- Tales of Zestiria · 2015 · PS3, PS4 & PC — the twentieth-anniversary game; Berseria is its prequel
- Tales of Berseria · 2016 · PS4 & PC (Europe 2017); Berseria Remastered 2026 — Velvet — the fan favourite of the PS4 era, and a prequel to Zestiria
- Tales of Arise · 2021 · PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series & PC — the newest mainline game; Beyond the Dawn (2023) is its expansion
Which Tales game should you buy now?
- The classic, original: Symphonia on the GameCube — two discs, and it runs on early Wii models.
- The classic, no disc swap: Symphonia Remastered on Switch — region-free.
- Modern: Arise on PS5, or Berseria on PS4 for the story people recommend most.
- On a 3DS: the Abyss — the full PS2 game on a cartridge, and the only European version for years.
Buying Tales games second-hand
Half the series never came to Europe — the remasters are fixing that
Phantasia (GBA), Destiny, Destiny 2, Rebirth, Legendia, Innocence and the original Hearts were never sold here. Since 2023 Bandai Namco has been remastering the series in order — Symphonia (2023), Graces f (2025), Xillia (2025), Berseria (2026), Eternia (announced for October 2026) — most of them on Switch cartridges, region-free. If a game is on that list, the remaster is the copy to buy.
Symphonia on GameCube: two discs, check both
The 2004 European release is a two-disc GameCube game. A complete copy has both discs, the manual and the box; a listing with one disc is half a game. It runs on a European GameCube or the first Wii models with GameCube ports. Symphonia Remastered on Switch is the same game with the PS2 extras and no disc swap.
The Abyss on 3DS is the European version
Tales of the Abyss never had a European PS2 release; the 3DS cartridge of 2011 was the first time it was sold here, and it is the complete game. Region-locked — a European cartridge for a European 3DS or 2DS.
Names that mislead
Tales of Destiny II on the American PlayStation is Tales of Eternia, not Destiny 2 (which is a Japan-only PS2 game). Tales of Graces f is Graces with the extra chapter; Symphonia Chronicles is Symphonia plus Dawn of the New World on one PS3 disc. Every listing of ours names the exact version.
Every copy tested before it is listed
Booting, gameplay, saving, disc and label condition — checked on real hardware. We have been doing this since 2019, with 1400+ verified reviews at 5.0★, and we ship tracked to all 27 EU countries. Originals only; if something ever turns out not to be genuine, you get your money back.
Browse tested GameCube gamesQuestions we get asked
Do I need to play the Tales games in order?
No — almost every Tales game is a separate world with its own cast. The exceptions: Dawn of the New World follows Symphonia, Xillia 2 follows Xillia, and Berseria is a prequel to Zestiria (Berseria first plays better). Everything else can be played in any order.
How many Tales games are there?
Seventeen mainline games from Phantasia (1995) to Arise (2021), plus Dawn of the New World and a long list of spin-offs (Radiant Mythology, the Narikiri Dungeon games, Tales of Luminaria). This page lists the eighteen that matter for the order, with the remasters in their notes.
Which Tales games are on Nintendo consoles?
Symphonia on GameCube, Dawn of the New World on Wii, the Abyss on 3DS, and on Switch the remasters and re-releases: Vesperia Definitive Edition, Symphonia Remastered, Graces f Remastered, Xillia Remastered and Berseria Remastered. Phantasia on GBA and the DS games never left Japan or North America.
Which Tales game should I start with?
Symphonia — on the GameCube discs for the original, or Symphonia Remastered on Switch to skip the disc swap. For a modern one, Arise on PS5; for the best-loved story of the PS4 era, Berseria.
Is Tales of Arise the last Tales game?
It is the newest mainline game (2021, expansion 2023). Since then the series has been remastering its back catalogue — Eternia Remastered is announced for October 2026 — with more remasters to be announced. No new mainline entry has a date.
Do you ship outside the Netherlands?
We ship to all 27 EU countries with track & trace. Parcels leave from the Netherlands, there are no customs charges within the EU, and your country’s exact rate appears at checkout before you pay.
Years given are the Japanese release; Western dates are in the notes. Onze GameCube-collectie in het Nederlands.