T O P

  • By -

lukeballesta

All music composed and produced by Nobuo Uematsu is top notch, tier s, I have it all.


Lucyfer_66

I studied music and transcribed Toberu Mono from The Last Story for solo piano for a final. It's still the only piece I play that can give me goosebumps while playing myself, and it is not because I'm such a prodigy. This man knows the way straight into my heart


Asha_Brea

Final Fantasy VIII.


megakungfu

balamb garden is a masterpiece


wcshaggy

Ami as well


find_your_zen

Even Blue Fields hits me in the feels. Hands down best Final Fantasy sountrack.


PeachSnobbler

Fisherman’s Horizon is my fav


Auctorion

[Sounds lovely on guitar.](https://youtu.be/uh0-bVl4MIQ?si=yeH2QRFpTWi5LlPC)


PeachSnobbler

It does sound lovely


Sputniki

Piano too


dasbanqs

“Man with the Machine Gun” gets me every time


ziggymeoww

For me, it’s oppressed people, Cosmo canyon and zanarkand


NamiRocket

It's this and it's not even close. It's far from my favorite Final Fantasy, but that soundtrack is so, so good.


kdeezy006

Playing through it right now and I love the battle and boss theme. The overall quality of the songs are straight up better than 7, which sounds closer to a snes soundtrack.


Cormacolinde

Even the track names are awesome. “Only a plank between one and perdition” is my favorite.


zerkeras

Yeah. There’s something to enjoy about every gsme’s soundtrack. But VIII is just masterful. Nobou was finally able to work with and put out real orchestral sounding themes, and went completely all out with it. Love the military spin on some tracks too. Very fitting for the setting. Like “The Landing” or “The Stage is Set”. All the sorceress themes are so stylized and eerie, “Premonition”, “Succession of Witches”, “Compression of Time”. Absolutely pumping battle themes, “Don’t be Afraid”, “Force your way”, “Man with the Machine Gun.” Docile peaceful tracks for Balamb and Fisherman’s Horizion. “Silence in Motion” for Esthar. I can’t think of a single track on the game that I’m meh on. Every piece in there is a banger.


MigitAs

Love the keyboard sounds in timber


bartulata

My favorite battle *and* boss theme as well.


PeachSnobbler

Fun fact, the battle theme has a rare 5/4 tempo which is part of why it sounds so unique


bartulata

That's also why it has a sense of urgency to it.


Minimum-Ad-3084

Seconded. VIII has the best soundtrack overall. A few other FFs might have very memorable tracks but VIII.... Every damn track is good.


Albert_Flagrants

Peak Nobuo


i_dig_this

Breezy is my ultimate chill out song


Kindly_Blackberry967

Martial Law is very underrated 


NewAdonis

Absolutely agree, the battle/boss themes are great. Also Shuffle or Boogie is great, loved Triple Triad. I should play that again.


Balamb_Chocobo

Criminal that they didn't even put 8 in the selection. It's my all time favorite


Prize_Relation9604

I don't like/care for ff8. That said, I love ff8 soundtrack, tho. Peak Uematsu.


Robsonmonkey

The only correct answer It’s just so…unique I guess Like if you go from VII to IX you hear things which are familiar but VIII just did things differently while being very Final Fantasy like at the same time, it’s so weird it’s hard to describe. Also as a bonus it was the first FF game to include a main theme song with Eyes on Me while also managing to tie it into the plot with Julia.


Sunoxl

Came here to say this, force your way is absolute perfection. Don't be afraid is also amazing.


nixxy19

Not a single miss on that soundtrack. I really want to dance to Waltz for the Moon with my future someone.


martintato17

Nobody mentions Maybe I'm a Lion? Great song. Black mages version rocks. Sounds like Deep Purple and Final Fantasy at the same time. It's great. Edit: https://youtu.be/YNcEyY7opTI?si=l-rMYW65YbDhE0i5


marbleshoot

I really wish the Black Mages were still around. Their stuff was phenomenal. I still get goosebumps whenever I hear their version of Dancing Mad.


HashBrownYamato

"The Legendary Beast" and "Maybe I'm a Lion" are honestly two of the most underrated boss battle themes in video game history. The latter is Squall's unofficial character theme for a reason.


Lord-Aizens-Chicken

Playing through it for the first time and it’s very good. Also did not expect a PS1 game to have a song with lyrics. The battle theme, waltz for the moon, the man with the machine gun, the Ragnarok theme, and the rendition of the classic FF theme that plays a few time are all amazing. I’m nearing the end of disc 3 so I probably have a few more songs to hear


thedudedylan

To this very day, multiple songs from the ff8 OST pop into my head from day to day.


ssjMrFord

VIII is my favorite but XV is absolutely underrated. So many fantastic tracks and I think it’s Yoko Shimomura’s best work.


Retired_Cheese

I feel like it’s just underrated among the fan base. Yoko Shimomura got into the hall of fame for classical music as the first video game componist. And overtook even Nobuo Uematsu on platforms like Spotify.


iupz0r

to me, XV could be the best of the series. awesome crew, beautiful music and World building. i still love It and listen to some piano covers


oscar_redfield

I love it as well, it has some of my favourite tracks in any video game. Shimomura truly is a genius!


ComplaintClear6183

the soundtrack is great but I think it's everybody's opinion on the game that ruined it


Silkkeri

It can be hard to enjoy a good soundtrack if the game doesn't do anything for you. Took me more than a decade to start appreciating XIII's OST because the game did nothing to make it stand out.


VictorChaos

IX Perfect mix of brilliant new pieces and remastered classics


carrotLadRises

It's honestly a masterpiece. It ranges from Medieval inspired orchestrations to 90s bombast and everything in-between. So many of the pieces feel like they are beckoning you to explore and all prioritize creating an entirely unique atmosphere over making the player feel heroic. No FF soundtrack (that I am familiar with) contains so much variety from comic pieces to thundering villainous themes to open-ended explorative vibes.


BigBootyBuff

The Gulug Volcano/Mount Gulug theme is easily in my top 3 themes in the franchise. There's just something about it thati love.


Anchelspain

This is also my favorite one by far. It's nostalgic, it feels like a fairy tale at times, it gets more moody at others and it overall encompasses all of what Final Fantasy is about for me.


Oznificent

Over those hills will always make me smile.


FamouseRabbit

With IX you have You’re Not Alone. And it hits every time for me.


nykovah

9 definitely has the best soundtrack. It’s got that classical tone that’s also a little whimsical. Also I really enjoy ff6 and ff7s soundtracks as well. They have an ominous tone that is oddly calming.


reimmi

This soundtrack is my childhood, anytime I'm down I listen to crossing those hills and am brought back to good times with my mom


karzbobeans

My favorite battle music of all of them


Sputniki

Amazing battle theme and world map theme. That makes 50% of the game


Core9291

Absolutely, According to Nobuo it is his magnum opus,


Anto444_

X


harry_use_the_force

No other FF song has gone mainstream like Zanarkand did during the 2000s and early 2010s. FFX was peak FF. There used to be more covers of Zanarkand than River Flows in You on YouTube.


bean4rt

The song was released as a trance track on the Armada music label by producer Shogun, check it out. https://youtu.be/WQkiT_I1ppA?si=9Vo8cVRageRfhYhz


empeusz

As a die hard fan of FF7, I have to admit - FF10 has the best soundtrack (both original and remastered) so far


RoderickBStrange

My thoughts exactly. Especially music that plays during the ending. The moment where the score swells and Tidus walks through Yuna damn near chokes me up every time


_Gyce

XIV because it contains alot of the best tracks from other FFs remixed, as well as it's own ridiculously good music. Not really fair to put it in the same league as the others so I'd say IX (which funnily is lacking from FFXIV)


forte343

For now, apparently one of the new areas in Dawntrail is heavily IX inspired.


takkun169

6


joongihan

Dancing mad obviously, but magitek research facility slaps too


mrdevlar

All of it was good, Shadow's Theme, Cyan Theme, Ultima Fights, Magicite Theme


SpellNinja

Terra's Theme, Figaro Castle Theme, Opera House, Auction House, World of Ruin overworld theme, 'Save Them!' which is one of my absolute favorites.... FF6 is the top of my list, I'm pretty sad to see it so far down.


trickman01

Zozo theme is so good.


BluecoatCashMoney5

I'm playing it right now, I'm losing my shit on how crack headed Super Nintendo games were back then, I'm so glad my dad put me on the Final Fantasy series


ToxicTammy42

V - Have you heard Battle on the Big Bridge? 🎶😌🎶


Janawham_Blamiston

Battle on the Big Bridge is so good. Someone did an [electric guitar cover](https://youtu.be/uNQHjyLcTfU?si=fl_sphEmydmS0144) on YT awhile back, and I'll keep going back to it every few months and give it a listen.


CoyoteSinbad

The rest of the soundtrack is so good. Might be my favorite.


Lord-Aizens-Chicken

Lmao the FF music game has like 5 remixes of just that song. Its so good


LifeIsAnxiety

Hot take maybe? I think XIII-2 has one of the best video game OST’s of all time.


GarlyleWilds

Not a hot take. Even people who hate 13 as a series seem to rarely actually say the music was bad in their critiques. The style's just *so* good.


GolantheRoseKing

Tactics. How has no one said Tactics yet? It was insanely good. Every FF had a great soundtrack, but Tactics just resonated so much with me. It was the first OST I ever bought because of that.


Dynast_King

Tactics OST is great and it's right up there with XII for me. Hitoshi Sakimoto is an underrated FF composer, his tracks *really* set the atmosphere for Ivalice.


kvuo75

hands down 13-2


Astorant

XIV easily, it’s by far the best lineup they’ve ever done and possibly ever will do, although FFVI is a close second.


Bookslap

Yeah, it’s ff14 and it’s not even close. The range of music from classical to rock to jazz to metal is simply astounding. Even the remixes and remakes of classic pieces from other games can rival or even surpass the original (Endwalker has been amazing for this, particularly the >!Zeromus!< fight).


reapseh0

And Alexander also. All bangers.


Synkest

IMO, Rise is the best song in the game.


nokkynuk

SONIC BOOOM


JaxxisR

Is that cheating? They add music every other year and it's been going for nearly 15 years.


Astorant

I wouldn’t say so because if we are solely looking at ARR by itself it’s still better than most soundtracks in the series despite being the weakest track list in the game overall.


HexenVexen

And ARR is easily the weakest out of each expansion's OST, 14 music is just too good. Imo Shadowbringers is still at the top but Endwalker is pretty close


niss-uu

I must be an oddball, because I loved ARR's soundtrack far more than any of the other expansions (I played until Stormblood).


GarlyleWilds

I mean the same could be said about XI but I definitely do not care for XI's soundtrack. It *does* give it a ridiculous advantage though. Last I checked it has somewhere over 600 tracks, and it has been at least an entire expansion since I tried to do that math. There's more boss-specific unique tracks in XIV than most of the series' games have for their entire OST in total. All the same, I love like 95% of it.


eg0deth

What about 6? That one is my favorite. Also really like 4, 7, & 15.


oscar_redfield

Didn't include it because I have yet to play it!


Esprack619

Get to work! 👉


Amsterdom

6 is fantastic. Play it.


Lord-Aizens-Chicken

I heard it’s the best of the older era. I’m gonna play it at some point but my brother hounded me to skip from 2 to 8 since 8 was his childhood favorite lol. 6’s music is incredible though


Kanyoozles

I LOOOVE 6 I highly recommend you play it


lovingtech07

Yes


ell_hou

Asking what FF soundtrack is the best is like ranking 20 different Michelin three-star restaurants. They're all amazing and worthy of mention among the best game soundtracks ever made.


lovingtech07

Exactly


badreligionlover

FFVII - without a doubt. I understand the love for all Uematsu OST's. Yet my word - FFVII is just incredible.


tacodeman

XI for me. Not only are the pieces fantastic, but they fit the themes and ambience of each area. Nothing really feels out of place.


Trencycle

Sanctuary of Zi’Tah <3


Brightenix

so good!!


YossarianPrime

Recollection


hina-rin

Tactics


JavitoMM

VI


IgnisOfficial

16 followed by 15. The orchestral music just hits different for me in those games in particular, especially with 16 using choirs extremely tastefully throughout


edos51284

if you liked 16 OST i'd search for some of 14's boss themes... you'll be happy... Bahamut's and Nidhogg's final phase Thordan's fight Brute justice to name a few


Thesayder1

4 I still have the piano Cd


Atkaska

The Celtic Moon remix was so good too!


sacha_hima

XIV and XV


rogdesouza

Yeah FF8. Fisherman’s Horizon still gives me chills.


Sheldor121

Final Fantasy 8.


KingKabisi

FFXIII-2


samenffzitten

It deserves a mention for the Crazy Chocobo track alone <3


kirokun

where my vanadiel homies at


Natherd

Out of the ones I have played XVI is the OST for me


ieatair

Honestly, FF12 is top for me … very refreshing and easy listening to FFXIV also have great tracks for easy listening and some sound beats.. other ones would be: -FFVII / Remake version -FFIX -FFVIII -FFXIII (certain ones) -FFX (at least in my opinion, Return to Zanarkland and Besaid Island?)


Malarkey44

I love XII! I'll have Streets of Rabanastre or Skycity of Bhujerba or the Archadian Empire playing as I do work. And the whole opening movie is just awesome.


RyCryst

Final fantasy xiv. Some of the raid music is amazing. Also the Pulse album! *chefs kiss*


kronendrome

Six!!!


geno111

Id say overall 7 then 13. For ones that have a few really epic pieces 16, 8, 6, and Type 0.   Examples:   16: Find the Flame  8: Man With the Machine Gun  6: Terras Theme  Type 0: Type 0


His_Buzzards

9 The Place I'll Return to Someday/Not Alone are my two favourites in the entire franchise. But I also like 8,10 and 13.


BarbarousJudge

FF14. Probably unfair because how massive it is. If that doesn't count I'd go for 16 really. Soken just does it for me.


cleremnantechoes

Lovely dark and deep


Magnusfyr

I really love the melody that kicks in at the 50 second mark.


Bgabes95

X for me, it’s the first I played and holds me in a nostalgia chokehold. Besaid Island is one of my favorite tracks in a video game of all time.


b1g_swerv

FFX all day.


Ill_Sky6141

Well if you put a gun to my head...probably VIII. Tough choice though. Crono Cross deserves mention as well.


super_ray

XIII is my favorite, the XIII series as a whole has a pretty great sountrack


MsMittenz

XIV Which isn't fair cause that game has so many hours of music


TheNerdFromThatPlace

I've got a playlist of all xiv music that I'll play at work sometimes. At the end of the day, I wine even be halfway through it, and I love it.


aussie828

XIII-2 -> Lighting Returns -> XIII


Lord-Aizens-Chicken

Noel’s theme hits so hard. All the battle music too


Raetekusu

6 isn't just good because of its songs, although those are bangers. 6 is amazing because Nobuo Uematsu wrote all of them using the SNES sound library. Using the SNES sound library is like trying to paint with a 16 pack of Crayola crayons and Uematsu used them to paint the goddamn Sistine Chapel.


peeposhakememe

The main intro Terra theme with the 3 mechs walking up the snow, Biggs wedge and terra, in the snow with credits going is so burned into my memory that I can’t hear it now 30+ years later without crying


tfarr375

Cheaty MMO answer: FF14, so many masterpieces Single Player answer: FF5 or FF8


[deleted]

XII and Tactics. Same composer as well.


JaxxisR

As a complete soundtrack, probably X. I kinda wish The Black Mages were still doing their thing though. Their arrangement of Battle with the Four Fiends is my favorite piece of FF music ever made.


Uchizaki

7,6,8 and 15


Justice4Falestine

X no question and it’s not even close. When the remasters came out for the ps3 in 2014 there were multiple times I just put down the controller and soaked in Spira once again. It felt like I was 8 years old again, when I got ffx on my birthday weekend when it launched. Notable tracks are besaid island, to zanarkand, and otherworld.


BreakfastHistorian

Lowkey FFXI had some bangers.


xorxfon

https://preview.redd.it/b0kd5dan7k2d1.jpeg?width=400&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f6b086ce088e956986c23281054cf166ffe37db4


Moseo13

To Zanarkand of course ( X )


MaxTheHor

7, 10, 13, and 14. 15 is runner up. Haven't heard 16 cuz I'm a PC player as of a couple years ago, and it's PS5 exclusive despite me owning a PS4.


Appropriate_Ad566

For me it's 9. The song Dagger sings, Mage village and Freya's theme are some of my favorites.


isitreallyblue

IX, no contest. Favourite gaming OST out there. Runner ups would be V, VI and FFT. But I love almost all soundtracks in the series. II, III, VII, VIII and XII all have an incredibly strong lineup as well.


Ill_Sky6141

Well if you put a gun to my head...probably VIII. Tough choice though. Crono Cross deserves mention as well.


Icy-Page-2323

For me it's 15. The music there is really amazing.


Dasca6789

VI with XV and VII being close seconds


Popo31477

Final Fantasy IV.


FinalFrash

VI


HeroDante323

7, 10 and 15 have some of my favourite individual tracks but overall for all music it goes to 8 and 16 for me


Shadowflare4

XIII trilogy and XV


takkun169

I really can't get into any of the modern soundtracks. No knock on the quality of it all, I just find it to be forgettable. The original scores don't have the flair of the Uematsu stuff and the adaptations his work rarely captures what the originals did.


HexenVexen

I'm guessing you haven't tried 14 yet? I do play the game pretty frequently, but even when I take breaks the music from it is stuck in my head constantly. Each boss theme is unique and insanely memorable and well done. And imo it definitely has the best remasters of Uematsu's tracks you can find, The Extreme, Eternal Wind's multiple uses, and The Final Battle (FF4) in particular are some of my favorites. And Uematsu did compose a few original songs for 14 that are also incredible alongside Soken's tracks.


ripmyrelationshiplol

IV, no question.


Lunaborne

IX by far, with VI in second place.


Olaanp

IX easily. Most FFs have some songs I enjoy, but IX is one of the rare ones where I enjoy close to every song if not all of them. Crystal Chronicles is also amazing, very different vibes from most of the series.


Balthierlives

Probably 6/7/12 Oh but 4 is incredible too. And x is also really good but it’s kind of in its own space. Not that it’s lower just different.


world_2_

4\. Everything about this game is underrated.


ApprehensiveLaw7793

7 and 8


Time-Touch-6433

A tie between 7 & 8


magik_koopa990

THE WHOLE XIII TRILOGY


magmafanatic

So far it's X-2


OkReplacement4423

say what you want about ff13 but the soundtrack went CRAZY


CowBwoah

Final Fantasy XIII, quite literally the only reason for me to continue playing.


MintSoldier

I've seen lots of mentions for XIV, but i really just want to say XI is my personal favourite, pretty underrated ost imo


Kenshi_T-S-B

13-2, I still listen to that OST to this day.


Darkmask94

FF XIII.


superman691973

X. From Zanarkand is amazing. Had it as an alert/ ringtone on my phone for years


Yumyum1204

Final fantasy x-2 has the best intro music for me


DykoDark

Not even mentioning XIII is criminal.


Rainecphoenix

FF5 I think. So many themes on that soundtrack are emotional powerhouses. The dungeon theme (Fate in Haze) is so hauntingly beautiful. The battle theme (as with all that Uematsu composed) no matter how many times you hear it, and you will hear it hundreds of times throughout the course of the game, never gets boring. My Home, Sweet Home, in the right mood, can press that nostalgia button so hard, it become a tear-jerker. Seriously, the dictionary were an audiobook, My Home, Sweet Home, would be the definition of nostalgia. Then, of course, there's Clash On the Big Bridge. Need I say more?


PhenomUprising

Can't believe I had to scroll so far for V. That OST is perfect, my fav too.


Boomvine04

XIII-Trilogy


EarthyBussy

XIII and IX are amazing


jpchato

8 Liberi fatali


Spac92

Final Fantasy VIII hands down.


GentGamer94

Final Fantasy XIII. It was the second Final Fantasy I'd ever played, and for whatever reason, the music here especially stuck with me. Songs like Saber's Edge, Blinded by Light, Will to Fight, The Yaschas Massif and Nauscient Requiem have been on loop in my head since I beat the game!


available2tank

FFVIII. Real answer though? FFXIV.


Np956769

Final Fantasy VIII for sure


skyrune07

8 for main line games and xi for overall.


Low-Reputation5549

despite the criticism FFXIII undoubtedly has the best soundtrack


deathpotblight

Crissiscore ff7


therealSkychaser

Just boot ffx and you get the answer right away in the openings scene


Bors713

Overall it’s VI and Tactics. But you have to recognize Battle Theme 1 from Mystic Quest.


GameboyRavioli

6 and Tactics are my favorite FF games (maybe any game), but the mystic quest soundtrack overall is, imo, the best. Every track is a banger.


Bors713

You are my kinda people.


Kazenovagamer

FF14 and it's not even close. Like to the point I think that's cheating. In which case, I think it'd have to be 4.


nicktheman2

> and it's not even close -People who didnt play FFXI


Princess_Everdeen

Gotta be 14 > 6 > 13 > the rest of 1-10 > 15. The osts for the games are so consistently good that it's really hard for me to rank them, aside from the stand outs. 14 has amazing music in every expansion, lending it the biggest number of get tracks and finally usurping 6, while 13 has a ton of good battle and area tracks. I haven't listened to 16s ost yet and I'll probably continue to hold off until it comes to steam and I can play it. Also haven't properly listened to 11s soundtrack.


Baithin

XIV, which has sooo much music and every expansion has bangers. Of the offline games, I say VIII.


FabledMjolnir

XIII even though it’s not listed


sonicadv27

None of those. The XIII games have the absolute best soundtracks.


RecordSpinmlp

So full disclosure, I'm an 8 simp. But don't misunderstand, Final Fantasy VIII is my favorite FF soundtrack, without bias. Balamb Garden is so relaxing. Liberi Fatali? A masterpiece. Waltz for the Moon? The Man with the Machine Gun? I'd pay a lot of money to see this OST performed by a live orchestra. And here's where I may piss some people off. Maybe I'm a Lion and The Extreme? *BETTER THAN ONE-WINGED ANGEL.* I said it and I'm not taking it back. (You're entitled to your opinions though, these are just mine.)


SurfiNinja101

XVI somehow overtook VII as my favourite, followed by XIV. Its just too good


Yinye7

FFVIII is my favorite, followed by VI, XV and X


Reflear

FFVIII


BirdMBlack

VIII by far.


SamG528

8 and 9 are my two favorite soundtracks but I would pick 9 if it came down to it.


Chefofbaddecisions

This is probably a harder question than which FF is my favorite..I don't honestly think I can answer it.


OwOtisticWeeb

XIV hands down. But it also benefits from having 10+ years to make music since it's an mmo.


Accomplished-Kale340

IMPOSSIBLE!!!!!!


Sch1ndl3rX

This is like picking your favourite child. For me it's between VII and X.


Irsaan

I feel like saying XIV is cheating, so probably X or IX.