Thanks to its unique storytelling and fascinating character cast, the Xenoblade franchise has slowly become Nintendo's biggest IP. Set in a distant future where humans had to leave a war-torn Earth, the Xenoblade Chronicles games have touched on many different themes, such as growth, rebirth, and overcoming challenges. Due to its iconic narratives, the franchise has been the go-to series of many JRPG and Nintendo fans.
While there have been only three mainline games in the Xenoblade Chronicles series (excluding Xenoblade Chronicles X, which is unconnected to the mainline Xeno series), various DLCs have brought additional lore and expanded on what the mainline games have brought to their fans. Some DLCs, such as Xenoblade Chronicles 2: Torna – The Golden Country and Xenoblade Chronicles 3: Future Redeemed, are huge DLCs that warrant spending another few hours for a playthrough as story expansions, which adds more to the replay value of the games.
Now that Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition has been announced by Nintendo and will come in March of next year, it's time to replay the mainline titles, and we've put together a fantastic list for you to follow. While we consider all Xenoblade games to be masterpieces in each of themselves, we've ranked the titles according to how popular the games were to the general public, from least to most popular.
All Xenoblade Chronicles Mainline Games Ranked
Xenoblade Chronicles 2
Xenoblade Chronicles 2 introduced a new summoning mechanic while bringing the series back to become more story-driven, unlike Xenoblade Chronicles X, the title that came before it. It improved upon what Chronicles X had to offer while utilizing what made the first Xenoblade Chronicles great.
While Xenoblade Chronicles 2 is at the start of our list, it does not take away the fact that it is well-received by many. Xenoblade Chronicles 2 received many accolades including an excellence award during the 2018 Japan Game Awards.
Xenoblade Chronicles 3
The third installment of the series and the game before Xenoblade Chronicle X: Definite Edition releases next year, Xenoblade Chronicles 3 added a feature called the Interlink system that lets party members fuse and become Ouroboros, a powerful form that also lets players use different Arts. The game also allowed players to swap all six party members during combat, making for a much more dynamic gameplay.
Xenoblade Chronicle 3 has received tons of positive reviews thanks to the changes it added to the game. It tried to step away from the usual Xenoblade Chronicles formula and worked on new ideas while still making it feel like the rest of the series. It also won several awards such as the Award for Excellence in Japan Games Award in 2023.
Xenoblade Chronicles Definitive Edition
Xenoblade Chronicles is the beginning of an awesome franchise from Nintendo. It challenged the typical JRPG premise but worked on combat, music, and characters. The Definitive Edition is still the same original Xenoblade Chronicles game but with improved graphics and quality-of-life updates that made the original stand out from the rest of the series.
While Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition added fancy new upgrades from the original game, Xenoblade Chronicles also did well as the first title of the franchise. it received many accolades from various media outlets such as IGN and RPGFan. It even went toe-to-toe with Bethesda's Skyrim for the Best RPG award during the 2012 Golden Joystick Awards.
Xenoblade Chronicle X: Definitive Edition is coming to the Nintendo Switch on March 20, 2025, which is just enough time for new and old fans of the franchise to play through each of the main titles. If you plan to do a Xenoblade Chronicles marathon until Chronicles X releases, check out our broad range of Xenoblade guides made just for you. To stay updated with the latest gaming news and stories, be sure to follow Gfinity Esports.