Golden Sun came out on the Game Boy Advance in 2001, and it felt like a console RPG had been squeezed into your pocket. Critics celebrated its ability to rival console RPGs. Camelot made it, and you play a band of magic-attuned teenagers called Adepts. Their magic, Psynergy, can be used in and out of combat, so your spells are as much a tool for exploring as a weapon. Then there are the Djinn, and each one you set on a character brings a special ability into battle. The Lost Age finishes the story. Dark Dawn followed on the DS, and since then the series has been quiet.
These are the games players recommend most to Golden Sun fans, ranked by how many different people named each one. The last five spots go to games that RPG guides and fans elsewhere hold up next to Golden Sun.
9 Games Like Golden Sun Where a Small Party Fights Its Way Across the World
Beyond the Beyond (1995)
Beyond the Beyond is where Golden Sun's family tree starts. It is a 1995 PlayStation RPG made by Camelot Software Planning, the same team that would later make Golden Sun. Motoi Sakuraba composed the soundtrack, and he went on to score the Golden Sun series too. You play Finn, a young swordsman who has to stop the evil power that has broken the treaty and invaded the surface world.
The big difference is how simple it is. There are no Djinn here, just a classic turn-based quest with one neat trick: press the X button at the correct time during battle for a stronger attack or a better defense. Come for the history and the music, and enjoy spotting the studio finding its feet. Play it on PS1.
Breath of Fire (1993)
Breath of Fire is a straightforward, traditional RPG, and that is exactly why it sits so well next to Golden Sun. Capcom made it for the Super Nintendo, and Capcom counts it as their first traditional RPG. You play Ryu, one of the last surviving members of an ancient race with the ability to transform into mighty dragons, as he searches the world for his sister. Other warriors join him, and together they come up against the Dark Dragon Clan, an empire that wants to revive a mad goddess.
The big difference is the dungeons, which are filled with traps and monsters, with a random fight every few steps. You can switch party members with reserve members even in the middle of battle. Play the GBA version, or play it on 3DS, Wii U or Switch.
Sea of Stars (2023)
Sea of Stars is one of the modern RPGs that keep the spirit of Golden Sun alive. Valere and Zale are Solstice Warriors who use the power of the sun and moon, and they set out to destroy monsters called Dwellers and to stop the immortal alchemist who created them. Golden Sun fans will smile at that last word. You can swim and climb across the terrain as if it were a fully 3D world, and you solve puzzles and challenges along the way.
The big difference is the look. It uses pixel art in the style of Super Nintendo RPGs like Chrono Trigger, and battles are turn-based with no time limit on turns. Critics gave it acclaim for its graphics and music. Play it on PS4 or Switch.
Lufia II: Rise of the Sinistrals (1996)
Lufia II is the classic to try if the puzzles were your favorite part of Golden Sun. Its dungeons place great emphasis on puzzles, and there are hundreds of them, ranging from simple to extremely challenging. Maxim, the hero, picks up tools that only work in dungeons, such as bombs and a hookshot, much like in a Zelda game. In dungeons, monsters appear on the map and do not move unless you do, so you can avoid them. It is a prequel that tells how the war between mankind and the Sinistrals began.
The big difference is the Ancient Cave, a randomly generated dungeon of 99 floors that works as a game of its own. One fan who played both liked it even better than Golden Sun. Play it on Super Nintendo.
Octopath Traveler (2018)
Octopath Traveler gives you the old-school feel of Golden Sun with a modern coat of paint. Its HD-2D style follows eight playable characters through the fantasy world of Orsterra, and each of them begins their journey in a different part of the world. Fights are turn-based and built on "Break and Boost". Every foe has Shield Points and weaknesses, and each party member gets a Boost Point every turn to save up for a big move. It comes from the producers who made Bravely Default.
The big difference is the structure. Each hero has a story arc of four chapters, and you choose whose story to follow next. Critics praised its music and battle system, while the story got a more mixed response. Play it on PS4 or Switch.
Radiant Historia (2010)
Radiant Historia is the handheld pick for Golden Sun fans who want a story that twists. Stocke is drawn into Historia, a realm divorced from time, where he can use the White Chronicle to alter events. Atlus built the team from staff of its Megami Tensei series and the tri-Ace game Radiata Stories, and Yoko Shimomura composed the music. The original was praised for its gameplay and time travel mechanics.
The big difference is the battle grid. Your party holds its position, but enemy units can use their turn to change position on the grid, which makes each fight a small puzzle. On the map, Stocke can stun enemies with his sword to avoid a battle or get a preemptive attack. Play the DS original, or Radiant Historia: Perfect Chronology on 3DS, which adds voice acting and an additional story path.
Suikoden (1995)
Suikoden is the pick if you want a much bigger party than Golden Sun's four Adepts. It has over 108 allied characters, and some can only be recruited if the party has reached a certain experience level or found a special item. You play the son of a Great General of the Scarlet Moon Empire, and you end up leading the rebel army that fights that empire, from an abandoned castle that becomes your headquarters. Runes are the source of all magic in its world, a bit like Golden Sun's elements.
The big difference is scale. Next to the turn-based party fights, with six characters in formation, there are duel battles and war battles where each kind of attack beats one and loses to another. Play it on PS1, PS3 or PSP, or in the Suikoden I & II HD Remaster on PS4 or Switch.
Chrono Trigger (1995)
Chrono Trigger is the Super Nintendo classic players tell Golden Sun fans to play if they never have. A group of adventurers travel through time to prevent a global catastrophe, and Square made it with a "Dream Team" that included the creators of Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest along with Akira Toriyama. Between fights, you talk to locals and solve puzzles and challenges, the same rhythm Golden Sun fans love. The soundtrack by Yasunori Mitsuda has been hailed as one of the best video game soundtracks of all time.
The big difference is the battles. Enemies are openly visible on field maps, and fights happen right where you meet them, with no separate battle screen. The story also has multiple endings to chase. Play the DS version, or play it on PS1, PS3 or PSP.
Bravely Default (2012)
Bravely Default is a Nintendo handheld RPG built on classic ideas, which is why it lands so well with Golden Sun fans. A party of four characters sets out to reclaim the four crystals from the darkness and confront a greater evil along the way. Revo of Sound Horizon wrote music meant to evoke classic series such as Dragon Quest and SaGa. Players who loved Golden Sun recommend it warmly.
The big difference is the Brave and Default options. Brave Points decide how many actions a character or enemy can take in a turn, so you can bank your turns or spend them all at once. There is a job system too, and you can adjust battle speed and the random encounter rate. Critics praised its mixture of traditional mechanics and new elements. Play it on 3DS, then follow it with Bravely Second: End Layer.
Which one to play
There you have it, the whole list of games like Golden Sun. One comes from the same studio, and the rest share its turn-based heart.
If you want the closest match on a Nintendo handheld, start with Bravely Default. If the dungeon puzzles were your favorite part, play Lufia II. For a story that bends time, pick Radiant Historia. If you want a modern game with the old feel, Sea of Stars is the one. Camelot fans can dig out Beyond the Beyond to see where it all began. And for a younger player starting out, Chrono Trigger makes a wonderful first RPG.
