A lot of games have arrived in the latter half of 2025, but one RPG has remained a steady undercurrent. Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter is the story I keep going back to and gradually picking away at, and it’s the revival that finally made me understand why Nihon Falcom’s series has garnered such a fervent following.
As the year comes to a close, we’re highlighting some personal favorite games from our team that we feel you shouldn’t miss. If you’re still looking for the right game to carry you into 2026, and you’ve already hit up our Top 10 Best, we’re hoping one of these recommendations will hit the mark.
Few series look as intimidating as Trails does from the outside, as the games have gradually rolled out over the years under different arcs. While there are a few options for starting points, Trails in the Sky does appear to be the best by fan consensus. It’s the first in terms of launch order, but that also usually meant Trails in the Sky carried some baggage of appearing dated next to the likes of later Trails games.
Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter tunes it all up, without losing elements that made the original so well-remembered in the first place. The characters run around in full 3D and combat incorporates some of the real-time action elements seen in more recent Trails entries (or the likes of Metaphor: ReFantazio), and the overall look of Trails in the Sky received a massive overhaul from its original look.
The story of Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter is a slow, steady burn. It follows Estelle Bright and her adopted brother Joshua, in the midst of their training and initiation as Bracers, a guild of mercenaries, monster hunters, and investigators that form a neutral third party from state military or other forces. Estelle is naive and headstrong, while Joshua is reserved and brooding; the pair make for excellent leads as their travels soon start to leave their hometown and expand out to the wider world.
It’s the wider world that really makes Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter come together for me, though. The continent of Zemuria has a rich history that feels reinforced wherever you go. Characters remark on past events, sure, but towns also carry the scars of former conflict. Regions are defined by their access to resources and border lines. One of my favorite collectibles are readable issues of Liberl News, the paper for the Liberl region your characters hail from, which comments and adds texture to everything happening around the party.
For such a massive series that’s garnered deep attachment from those who have dug into it, Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter is a well-crafted update to Trails’ starting line. Nihon Falcom has made it even easier to see why Trails games are worth diving into, and considering how playable this 1st Chapter is on platforms like Switch 2 and Steam Deck, this makes for a wonderful winter game to chip away at as the nights get longer and colder. If you’ve ever considered seeing what all the hubbub is about, now’s the time.
