Square Enix released an expanded Final Fantasy XII in Japan in 2007, with twelve license boards instead of one, and the rest of the world only got it with The Zodiac Age remaster in 2017. Fans didn't wait that long. A patch put the official English script into it in 2009, and it tops this list. Further down is a FromSoftware dungeon crawler whose English version was cancelled before it was finished.
We surveyed players about playing these games in English: 148 recommendations in all, and a pick other players backed counted a little extra. Every entry ends with the patch to get, its version and its release date, so you know what you're downloading.
9. Berwick Saga (2005)
Berwick Saga comes from Shouzou Kaga, the creator of Fire Emblem, and his studio Tirnanog. It is the Japan-only sequel to Tear Ring Saga, and it moves the tactics to a hexagonal layout and lets you hire mercenaries for a while, or for good if you meet certain conditions.
It debuted at no. 2 on the Japanese charts, but it sold only 84,000 copies in its first week, launching the same week as Namco x Capcom, and it was the last game in the series. Tim Rogers of Kotaku still called it "probably the best tactical strategy RPG [he] ever had the pleasure of playing", and Fire Emblem fans who tried it love it. The patch is a complete English translation.
Patch: Berwick Saga by Aethin, version 2.3, released January 23, 2021.
8. Namco x Capcom (2005)
Namco x Capcom is Monolith Soft's crossover tactical RPG, with characters from 42 games by the two companies and two original heroes, Reiji Arisu and Xiaomu, who work for a paranormal investigation unit called Shinra. Battles mix grid tactics with combos you chain to keep enemies in the air.
It never came out outside Japan, partly because of how much text it has. A group called TransGen, with ten team members and thirty beta testers, spent two years translating it. The final patch translates the game completely, though the many story branches mean a few parts may be untested. It came out on Christmas Eve, and with 50 levels, it lasted well past New Year's.
Patch: Namco x Capcom by TransGen, version Final-A-, released December 24, 2008.
7. Tales of Destiny (2006)
The original Tales of Destiny came out in English on the PlayStation, but its PS2 remake from November 2006 stayed in Japan, and so did the Director's Cut that followed in January 2008. The remake rebuilds the world in 3D with a battle system built around mid-air combos, and Famitsu gave it 32 out of 40.
The Director's Cut adds new story events and a mode where you play as Leon. The fan patch is for the Director's Cut, and everything from the story to the menus is 100% done, though the team warns there may be some Japanese left in obscure places.
Patch: Tales of Destiny - Director's Cut Patch by Lifebottle, version 1.6, released January 1, 2026.
6. Monster Hunter 2 (2006)
Monster Hunter 2, also called Monster Hunter Dos, is the second main game in the series, and it came out only in Japan, in February 2006. It added a day and night cycle and seasons, plus weapon types that became series staples, like the Long Sword and the Hunting Horn.
The English patch arrived in 2023, and it translates everything from NPC dialogue and quest descriptions to the UI textures and the software keyboard. The online content is translated too, and the patch is compatible with online servers. It doesn't touch the controls or the mechanics, so this is the 2006 game as it was.
Patch: Monster Hunter 2 by BREAK ARTS, version 1.02, released August 1, 2023.
5. Tales of Rebirth (2004)
Tales of Rebirth is the sixth main Tales game, set in a world of humans, the Huma, and beast people, the Gajuma. Veigue's power over ice goes out of control and traps his friend Claire in an ice pillar, and his quest to rescue her pulls him into a racial conflict that is tearing the kingdom apart.
Neither the PS2 original nor its PSP port got an English release, which makes it one of three mainline Tales games that never came west. A full fan translation came out in December 2024 and was finished in October 2025. Version 1.0 also rewrote the battle subtitles to show like a chat log, and it fixes a save bug that was in the original game.
Patch: Tales of Rebirth 1.0 Full English Release by SymphoniaLauren, version 1.0, released October 8, 2025.
4. Shadow Tower Abyss (2003)
Shadow Tower Abyss is FromSoftware's first-person sequel to Shadow Tower, released in Japan on October 23, 2003. Agetec was making an English version, but Sony Computer Entertainment America cancelled it before it was finished. In 2009, FromSoftware made Demon's Souls, which also has you collect the souls of the dead to grow stronger.
Players who patched it see the Souls games in it, rough edges and all. The patch is a 100% translation that turns the in-game text into English and adds subtitles to the movies. Its original download was lost with MegaUpload and has been re-uploaded since.
Patch: Shadow Tower: Abyss by Mord of Swoonlight, version 1.0, released November 28, 2011.
3. Front Mission 5: Scars of the War (2005)
Front Mission 5 is Square Enix's fifth main entry in the mech tactics series, and it borrows its core from Front Mission 2 while pulling in features from the others. It sold over 200,000 copies by the middle of January 2006, and RPGFan named it its Import RPG of the Year.
It never came out in English, and players still recommend it to anyone who wants more Front Mission. The patch translates everything, and the team calls it basically complete, needing only refinement. Check your disc first: it needs the original release, not the Ultimate Hits one.
Patch: Front Mission 5: Scars of the War by the Front Mission 5 Team, Patch 4 Complete, released December 27, 2009.
2. Dragon Quest V (1992)
Dragon Quest V on the PS2 remakes the 1992 Super Famicom game in 3D, made by ArtePiazza and Matrix Software, and it sold 722,000 copies on its first day in Japan. The party grows from three members to four, the monsters you can recruit grow from 40 to 71, and the NHK Symphony Orchestra performs the music.
The first official English version came on the DS in 2009, but players call the PS2 version beautiful, and the orchestral score is a big part of why they pick it. The patch is a complete translation in two flavors, one with the old Dragon Warrior style names and one with the newer Dragon Quest VIII style.
Patch: Dragon Quest V: Tenkuu no Hanayome by DQ Translations and DQ5r, version 1.2, released July 1, 2010.
1. Final Fantasy XII International Zodiac Job System (2007)
International Zodiac Job System came out in Japan on August 10, 2007, and it splits Final Fantasy XII's single license board into twelve, one for each sign of the Zodiac, each with its own job. It also lets you control guest characters and summons, and holding L1 doubles the game's speed. A Trial Mode adds 100 maps of monster hunting.
The patch puts the official American translation into the Zodiac version and translates the extra text, so you need both the Japanese and American discs to build it. Players keep recommending the patched version over the original, and The Zodiac Age remaster from 2017 is built on it.
Patch: Final Fantasy XII International: Zodiac Job System by ffgriever, version 023, released October 11, 2009.
