Play Order
0 / 8 playedMain games in release order, remakes grouped after.
Main series
Remakes
About Star Ocean
Star Ocean is tri-Ace's sci-fi RPG line: real-time battles on distant planets that keep colliding with underdeveloped ones, in chronological story order that scrambles the release numbers. The Second Story (1998) is the beloved classic, Till the End of Time (2003) is the ambitious divisive one, and The Divine Force (2022) is the modern return.
Play in release order and the mechanics evolve sensibly; the in-universe chronology jumps around too much to follow. The remakes (First Departure R, Second Story R) are the versions to buy, with Second Story R's 2023 remake widely called the series peak. Each game stands alone apart from recurring lore, so 2 or 6 both work as starts.
Good to know
Till the End of Time's infamous third-act twist recontextualizes the whole series and splits the fanbase: go in unspoiled. Integrity and Faithlessness (2016) is the consensus weak entry with a short campaign, so set expectations or skip to Divine Force. The mobile game Anamnesis (2016 to 2021) is shut down and its story is lost outside archives. No seventh game had been announced at the last check.
