Perhaps my most-played game during my formative years, Tales of Symphonia has developed a cult following that has inspired multiple re-releases of the JRPG classic.
Amid a lengthy span of being glued to my PC with my wife while mostly playing The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, I decided to mix things up the other day and explore the few other titles I have in my Steam library to avoid burning out on one of my favorite games ever.
Within that process of course, I found myself revisiting my favorite game as a child and a title I’ve written about at length on this website – Tales of Symphonia, a Japanese RPG that was originally released in Japan in August 2003 before making its way to North America nearly a year later in July 2004 as a GameCube exclusive.
I began playing the game around a month after its release in August 2004, and was immediately hooked as an 8-year-old who had never played anything like it before. Nearly 22 years later, the game still holds a special place in my heart and is a title that I revisit at least once a year.
Upon my most recent rekindling with the game, I began to think of how far-fetched it would have sounded in 2006 to know that I would have several different options for playing this game today, ranging home video game consoles from three different generations as well as the PC – a significant evolution from the game’s status as not only a GameCube exclusive, but as one of the few RPGs available for the console.
While Tales of Symphonia did receive a Japanese-exclusive PlayStation 2 port with additional content that was released in September 2004, that version and additional content remained elusive to the Western audience for many years – which stands out as notable due to the game’s status as the title that introduced the Tales of series to an audience that has proven to be rather unpredictable when it comes to JRPGs over the years.
The game’s commercial success and rampant popularity among a new audience inspired a spin-off pseudo-sequel, Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World that was released as a Wii exclusive in November 2008 with new party members and a different style of gameplay that quite honestly never appealed to me.
Although I’ve largely ignored the sequel, a complete experience between the two games was finally released to a North American audience on the PlayStation 3 in February 2014 as Tales of Symphonia Chronicles. This offered the PS2-exclusive content to North American players for the first time while including the sequel on the same game.
Though this felt like a fairly comprehensive release, the game has seen two more since then: a port to the PC that was released worldwide in February 2016, and a “remastered” edition that was released on the PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch in February 2023.
Of the six official North American releases of this game, I currently own and have played five of them, with the PlayStation 4 port of the remastered edition serving as the lone omission, as we do not own a PS4.
As a lifelong fan of the game who will likely continue to play in one form or another for the rest of my life, I’ve developed preferences when it comes to the mostly indistinguishable game offerings between the versions.
Here’s how my rankings of the five versions I own shake out:
5. Tales of Symphonia Remastered, Nintendo Switch
Undoubtedly the most disappointing of the bunch, the Switch port of the “remastered” edition ranks an undisputed last due to the sheer amount of potential this release squandered.
I put remastered in quotations because calling a game remastered implies that there has been noticeable upscaling, thorough quality-of-life changes and perhaps even some additional content. There was absolutely none of that to be found in the console remastered releases, which essentially served as a port of the PC version to the three consoles it was released on.
While the remastered release was a disappointment across the board, it was especially so for the Switch, which contained a release laden with bugs, one of which makes Genis’ powerful “Cyclone” spell sound and do damage as if it was a weak water move. Even putting bugs aside, the lengthy loading times and poor frame rate that are characteristic of third-party Switch ports are overwhelmingly present on this version.
Despite the Switch serving as the perfect vessel for a ground-up rebuild of the game that could have reintroduced the title to a brand new audience, this version of the game is simply rinse-and-repeat with many more issues than the original release ever had. I pre-ordered this before it came out, and I can say with confidence that I would not have bought it if I knew this would be the product.
4. Tales of Symphonia Remastered, Xbox One
Not too much more to say here. Yes, it still sucks, it’s still buggy and still is just a port of the PC edition. However, the frame rate (while poor at just 30 fps) is at least consistent, with the bugs and slow-downs not quite as prevalent as they are on the Switch.
Still, outside of getting to play with a superior controller, there is not much more to get out of this port than what one would get on the Switch. Even if you’re a lifelong, diehard player of the game as I am, there’s better versions to dive into.
3. Tales of Symphonia Chronicles, PlayStation 3
I’ll preface this by saying that if the sequel means absolutely anything to you, I can easily see how this version ranks either first or second. It’s a comprehensive package of both games, featuring the additional content from the Japanese PS2 port along with some mild HD upscaling due to it being released on a later-generation console.
Yet as someone who really only cares for the first game, this version still lags behind my two favorites – and it may not be due to anything else other than my stated preference for GameCube and Xbox controllers.
The one notable complaint here, and one that persists in every re-release that the game has had, is the noticeably slow 30 fps frame rate, which lags behind the lightning-quick 60 fps that the original game famously ran at for the GameCube in 2004.
While this isn’t the most noticeable aspect if you’re not all that familiar with the original GameCube version, switching between the original and any of the re-releases make this flaw strikingly obvious.
Still, if you’re looking for a one-stop shop to play both Tales of Symphonia titles on a slightly more modern console, this is your best bet.
2. Tales of Symphonia, GameCube
The original release of the game that I fell in love with as a kid, and still in many ways, the definitive way to play Tales of Symphonia.
The only reason this version doesn’t rank at the top for me and stand alone as the undisputed best way to play the title is the aforementioned lack of additional content that Japanese players were treated to with the PS2 port.
In hindsight, this additional content is not at all gamebreaking by any means – it’s a few more items in the Collector’s Book and Monster List with the addition of some titles and gimmicks – none more notable than finally being able to enter the casino in Altamira and gamble for yourself.
With that said, missing out on these features as a kid felt like a huge deal. To love a game as much as I loved Tales of Symphonia growing up and knowing that there was more to experience in this game that I literally could not access drove me nuts, which makes the flawed re-releases the game has received ultimately worth it at the end of the day.
But if you’re looking for the experience that allowed the Tales of series to captivate a Western audience for the first time, one should look no further than the GameCube.
1. Tales of Symphonia, PC
Released worldwide in 2016, this version remains the best of all worlds for me when it comes to the best way to play this iconic title in 2026. In addition to having the comfort and customization of playing at your own computer with whatever controller/control scheme you prefer, you get everything the game offers in one convenient and likely cheaper spot.
The PC version is mainly criticized for two reasons – it lacks the sequel, which honestly to me is more of a criticism to levy towards the console remasters, and it still runs at 30 fps, which is a problem that unfortunately has no excuse.
With that said, this is the most complete way to play the game. Featuring the same HD upscaling and additional content that the PS3 remaster of the game finally brought to the West, the PC version offers a streamlined experience that also runs seamlessly on the most modest of computers, owing to the title’s age and lack of a ground-up rebuild.
While I would still absolutely love a ground-up rebuild of the game, the PC port provides enough to never get tired of it. With a list of hard-to-get achievements and even a few mods that provide some minor improvements, this is the best way to get introduced to a classic game today – and one that’s never more than $19.99 on Steam.
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