Since 1995, theTales ofseries had garnered an impressive fanbase as it continues to produce new entries every decade. Originally developed by Namco Tales Studio, the series is now helmed by Bandai Namco overall. After celebrating the series' 25th anniversary last year, Bandai Namco is eager to let fans experience the next entry in this long-running franchise,Tales of Arise. Since its announcement in 2019, players have been highly anticipating the release ofTales of Arise,which is now less than a week away. With a new engine and new gameplay elements,Tales of Arisecan bring the franchise to even greater heights, and can solidify the JRPG series in the West.
TheTalesseries is somewhat akin to theFinal Fantasyseriesthrough being a prolific anthology series. While most games in the franchise feature completely separate stories, there is the occasional overlap of settings or characters, plus the occasional sequel.Tales of Arisehappens to be the 17th main installment in the franchise, but there are plenty of exciting titles among the rest. What follows is a breakdown of how long it takes to beat every mainline game in Bandai Namco’sTalesseries.
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Tales Games (1995-1999)
The series began in 1995 whenTales of Phantasiareleased ontothe Super Famicom, and few might have predicted that the series would be continuing to this day. In this action RPG, players took on the role of Cress Albane, teaming up with his allies and travelling through time in order to fight against the evil Dhaos and his forces. A couple years later,Tales of Destinyintroduced players to a new cast and setting, and a new story involving sentient swords. These titles introduced many core series elements, like its Linear Motion Battle System, which has been an active and interesting way to fight against enemies.
Like most other RPG games, theTalesseries often features cooking, fishing, and moreside activities that can take up additional time in game as well. Overall, bothTales of PhantasiaandTales of Destinytake a decent amount of time to finish. For both games, most players clocked in over 30 hours for the base game, and 50 or more hours when trying to complete everything the games had to offer.
Tales of Phantasia (1995)
Tales of Destiny (1997)
Tales Games (2000-2009)
After the two entries in the 1990s, theTalesseries exploded into action during the first decade of the 2000s. The developers turned out ten mainline entries, two of which are considered some of the best entries to date. 2003’sTales of Symphoniamay just be the fifthTalesgame, but it is often considered one of the most iconic.Tales of Symphoniaeven got representation inSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate, albeit just as a Mii costume based on the game’s protagonist, Lloyd Irving. The game’s plot revolves around Irving and his childhood friend, Colette, going on an adventure to restore the magical energy that has been draining from their world of Sylvarant.
Overall, the numerous games released from 2000-2009 presented all different kinds of adventures and featured all different casts. There was some confusion with the naming conventions ofTales of Eternia, which was namedTales of Destiny IIin North America to avoid trademark issues withMattel’sMaster of the Universe, but is still a separate game thanTales of Destiny 2.
Tales of Rebirthtakes players to a world where humans and beast people coexist, meanwhile,Tales of Legendiais set on an ocean planet onboard a massive ship that was once a highly-advanced civilization. On the other hand,Tales of the Abysstakes place in a world where only six elements were known for most of its history (Shadow, Earth, Wind, Water, Fire, and Light), but a seventh (Sound) had been recently discovered. There was also a 2006 game calledTales of the Tempest, which was originally part of the mainline series, but allegedly due to low ratings and bad reception, would go on to be considered a spin-off “Escort” title instead.
The other highly-regardedTalesentry came later in the decade in the form of 2008’sTales of Vesperia. Players follow Yuri Lowell, a former soldier adventuring in Terca Lumireis, a world that relies on a special energy source called blastia for various needs. Since both games are some of the more well-liked in the franchise, it won’t be surprising to see influences ofTales of SymphoniaandTales of Vesperiain the upcomingTales of Arise.
As RPGs, the variousTalesgames often have plenty of content for players to enjoy, as well as different ways to extend playtime in the game. AllTalesgames in this decade have at least 30 hours of gameplay, withTales of SymphoniaandTales of Vesperiacontaining over 100 hours of content for players that want to go for a completionist run. Additionally, theintroduction of skits inTales of Destinywould go on to become a series staple. These skits, which are generally optional conversations between party members, can add on to the time that it takes a player to complete a game.
Tales of Eternia (2000)
Tales of Destiny 2 (2002)
Tales of Symphonia (2003)
Tales of Rebirth (2004)
Tales of Legendia (2005)
Tales of the Abyss (2005)
Tales of Innocence (2007)
Tales of Vesperia (2008)
Tales of Hearts (2008)
Tales of Graces (2009)
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Tales Games (2010 - now)
After the ten mainline games released in the previous decade, only four games have been released since 2010. Each of these have advanced the series in different ways, such as through more advanced graphics, bringingnew combat mechanics toTalesgames, introducing new worlds and stories, and more. 2011’sTales of Xilliais set in Rieze Maxia, a world where humans and monsters coexists with spirits.Tales of Xilliaalso received a sequel a year later.
Tales of Zestiriaon the other hand is set in the world of Glenwood, and follows Sorey, a young man who receives special powers by a mystical race of spirits called Seraphim. Unfortunately, reception toTales of Zestiriawasn’t the best, as many players critiqued the game’s environments and complicated battle mechanics.
A year later cameTales of Berseria,which is set in the very distant past ofTales of Zestiria’s world. Many players liked the protagonist and story ofTales of Berseria, as both presented a darker tale than most otherTalesgames had. As the most recent franchise, it is no doubt that players will see some influences ofTales of ZestiriaandTales of Berseriapop up inTales of Arise. While all four games released since 2010 have the approximate 30 to 40 hours runtimes, each new entry continue to add even more content that players can complete on the side.
Tales of Xillia (2011)
Tales of Xillia 2 (2012)
Tales of Zestiria (2015)
Tales of Berseria (2016)
Looking at these numbers, it would take at least 600 hours to play through everyTalesgame. Or, in other words, about 25 days worth of playtime. For many players that are eager to dive intoTales of Arise, sifting through every main entry in theTalesseries isn’t the most viable plan. Thankfully, players can try outthe demo forTales of Ariseand learn more about Bandai Namco’s biggestTalesentry yet. It is highly likely that players will be able to spend over 100 hours inTales of Ariseif they wish, but only time will tell.
Tales of Arisewill release for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S on June 21, 2025.
