Where to Start with the Trails Series

Isaac tells us which tale to tell first.

- Isaac

We’ve all had that feeling when looking at the latest title in a franchise - what am I missing by playing this one first? Well, wonder no longer, because we’re here to tell you the best entry points for beginners to the Trails series.

Finding the time to play a lengthy RPG can already be an issue for some, which makes playing through the long-running Trails series even more of a daunting task. Spanning nine games (three of which are currently unavailable officially in English), the series has a vast amount of lore, an expansive cast of characters, and many hours of JRPG gameplay to sink your teeth into. With the Switch and PC versions of Trails of Cold Steel III releasing later this year, it could be tempting to pick up this latest installment instead of starting from the beginning. This would be a mistake for most players though, as fellow GameOn Mag writer Adam Hurd’s review of Cold Steel III shows that you’ll have a worse time by skipping earlier entries.