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Preview data: all rankings, scores, votes, refresh labels, methodology, testing and editorial-process statements in Top 49 are illustrative demo content, not live measurements or documented reviews.
Rank 163Up 3
#16 in Video Games of All Time
of 19 ranked entries
Chrono Trigger
Square · 1995
A dream-team credit list — Sakaguchi, Horii and Toriyama together — built a time-travel RPG with no random encounters and multiple genuine endings, a level of structural ambition the 16-bit era rarely attempted. Recorded specifics: released 1995, developer Square, genre RPG. Panel highlighted multiple genuine endings based on player choices, rare for its era, no random encounters — every fight is visible and avoidable and a "New Game+" mode that pioneered a now-standard replay feature. The reservation on record is limited Western availability for years kept it a comparatively niche classic.
RPG
Score breakdown
How Chrono Trigger earned 76.1
Each criterion is scored independently, then combined using the weights published on Video Games of All Time.
- Design ambition & innovationweight 30%
- 75.1
- Mechanical polishweight 25%
- 73.7
- Influence on later gamesweight 25%
- 78.7
- Longevity & replayabilityweight 20%
- 77.2
On the record
Recorded detail
| Released | 1995 |
|---|---|
| Developer | Square |
| Genre | RPG |
| Rating | 9.2 |
Panel verdict
Strengths and reservations
What it gets right
- Multiple genuine endings based on player choices, rare for its era
- No random encounters — every fight is visible and avoidable
- A "New Game+" mode that pioneered a now-standard replay feature
Where it gives ground
- Limited Western availability for years kept it a comparatively niche classic
1 appearance
Where this entry ranks
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Top 49 rankings are editorial. Scores are produced from the published criteria on each list and are refreshed on the cadence stated there. Figures shown across this section are curated demonstration data.