Game · in order

Suikoden Games in Order

By the Bingerun team · How we choose the order →

All 14 Suikoden games plus the 2026 anime, in release order and in shared-world chronological order, built around the question the anime raises: it adapts Suikoden II, and no, you do not strictly need Suikoden I first.

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  1. Suikoden 1995

    PS1 original; the Gate Rune War, Tir McDohl and the 108 Stars; its finished save unlocks bonus McDohl content in II; playable today inside the 2025 HD Remaster

  2. Suikoden II 1998

    The Dunan Unification War with Riou and Jowy, about three years after I; the series peak and the exact game the 2026 anime adapts; in the 2025 HD Remaster

  3. Genso Suikogaiden Vol. 1: Swordsman of Harmonia 2000

    Japan-only visual novel following Nash Latkje, running concurrently with Suikoden II; never localized, so a lore bonus for importers only

  4. Genso Suikogaiden Vol. 2: Duel at Crystal Valley 2001

    Continues Nash's story right after Vol. 1 and Suikoden II; Japan-only, never localized; depends on Vol. 1 and II

  5. Genso Suikoden Card Stories 2001

    Japan-only GBA card-battle retelling of Suikoden II; no new canon and never localized, so doubly skippable

  6. Suikoden III 2002

    About 15 years after II; the Flame Champion story told through the Trinity Sight system; the chronological end of the timeline as currently told; no modern remaster, only a 2015 NA PS2 Classics release on PS3

  7. Suikoden IV 2004

    Distant prequel set roughly 150 years before Suikoden I; the earliest point in the shared timeline despite being seventh by release; no modern re-release

  8. Suikoden Tactics 2005

    Tactical RPG glued to Suikoden IV: its story runs before, during and after IV, shares IV's cast and imports IV's save; play it with IV, not at its 2005 release slot; no modern re-release

  9. CollectionGenso Suikoden I & II (PSP) 2006

    Japan-only PSP compilation released the same day as Suikoden V in Japan; never localized but locks away nothing, since both games exist in English elsewhere

  10. Suikoden V 2006

    Set six in-universe years before Suikoden I in the Queendom of Falena; linked to I and II through recurring characters like Georg Prime; the last mainline release, with no modern re-release

  11. Suikoden Tierkreis 2008

    A separate continuity built on the Infinity multiverse concept, not the shared 27 True Runes world; localized and fully playable in English as a standalone

  12. Genso Suikoden: Tsumugareshi Hyakunen no Toki 2012

    Another separate continuity, and Japan-only with no English version; the last new Suikoden game before the 13-year gap to the HD Remaster

  13. RemasterSuikoden I & II HD Remaster: Gate Rune and Dunan Unification Wars 2025

    The modern entry point: both the game the anime adapts and its predecessor on PS5, PS4, Xbox, Switch, Switch 2 and PC; not the same product as Star Leap

  14. Suikoden STAR LEAP 2026

    Releases August 7, 2026 in Japan on iOS and Android, free-to-play; Steam version and global release TBA. A new canonical game set between V and I, with Viktor, Flik and Odessa; not the HD Remaster, and not yet playable in English

  15. Suikoden: The Anime 2026

    Releases August 21, 2026 as a two-week advance theatrical screening of episodes 1-3 in 10 Japanese theaters; TV broadcast from October 2026 (month only confirmed) across 32 stations nationwide, including TOKYO MX, Kansai TV and BS Asahi. Adapts Suikoden II; episode 1 is a 60-minute special; no Western platform announced yet

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Why this order?

Suikoden's order problem is that its release order and its internal timeline disagree badly. Suikoden IV, released seventh in 2004, is set roughly 150 years before the 1995 original. Suikoden V, the last mainline release in 2006, is set six years before Suikoden I. And Suikoden III, released back in 2002, is the chronological end of the story as currently told. Playing by release date means constant time-jumping, which is why this guide carries both lenses.

Our recommendation is still mainline release order, entered through the 2025 Suikoden I & II HD Remaster: I, then II, then III, then IV together with Suikoden Tactics, then V. The first two games are the strongest, II has a save-import bonus that reads your finished Suikoden I data, and III's multi-perspective Trinity Sight system assumes you already care about this world. Tactics is the one release-slot trap inside that path: it shipped in 2005 after III and IV, but it is effectively IV's companion piece, running before, during and after IV's story and accepting IV's save import, so play them as a pair. The chronological order is the second pass for lore obsessives: IV, Tactics, V, then the new Star Leap, then I, II with the anime and the concurrent Gaiden Vol. 1, Gaiden Vol. 2, and finally III.

Two naming traps need killing on sight. Suikoden STAR LEAP is not the HD Remaster: the remaster is I & II on consoles and PC (March 2025), while Star Leap is a brand-new free-to-play game launching August 7, 2026 in Japan only, canonically set between V and I. And the 2026 anime adapts Suikoden II specifically, the Dunan Unification War with Riou and Jowy, not the first game, so the remaster is the perfect prep and Suikoden I is optional background rather than a prerequisite.

Finally, fences. Tierkreis and Tsumugareshi Hyakunen no Toki carry the Suikoden name but are separate continuities that do not touch the shared world of the 27 True Runes, so they never appear on the timeline. Four entries were never localized and are unplayable in English: both Gaiden visual novels, Card Stories and Hyakunen no Toki. The Japan-only PSP compilation of I & II loses you nothing, since its content exists in English in the originals and the remaster.

Timeline 1995-2026

Every entry by release year: rows that share a year are a cluster, and the long droughts are called out on the rail.

  1. 1995 Suikoden
  2. 1998 II
  3. 2000 Genso Suikogaiden Vol. 1: Swordsman of Harmonia
  4. 2001 Genso Suikogaiden Vol. 2: Duel at Crystal ValleyGenso Suikoden Card Stories
  5. 2002 III
  6. 2004 IV
  7. 2005 Tactics
  8. 2006 Genso Suikoden I & II (PSP)V
  9. 2008 Tierkreis
  10. 4-year gap
  11. 2012 Genso Suikoden: Tsumugareshi Hyakunen no Toki
  12. 13-year gap
  13. 2025 I & II HD Remaster: Gate Rune and Dunan Unifica…
  14. 2026 STAR LEAPThe Anime

Where to play it today

  • Suikoden I & II HD Remaster on PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Switch, Switch 2 and PC via Steam (out since March 6, 2025; Switch 2 version June 5, 2025)
  • Suikoden III, IV, Tactics and V have no modern re-releases as of August 2026; original PS2 discs are the main route, plus a 2015 PS2 Classics version of III on PS3 in North America
  • Suikoden Tierkreis is physical Nintendo DS only, localized in English
  • Gaiden Vol. 1 and 2, Card Stories and Tsumugareshi Hyakunen no Toki are Japan-only imports with no English version
  • Suikoden STAR LEAP launches August 7, 2026 in Japan only (iOS/Android, free-to-play); Steam and global release announced but undated
  • The anime has no Western streaming service or date announced as of early August 2026; a simulcast announcement before October is plausible but nothing is confirmed, check current listings

Availability changes often and varies by region - links search each platform for Suikoden.

Frequently asked questions

How many Suikoden games are there?

14 in total: five numbered mainline games (I, II, III, IV, V), Suikoden Tactics, four Japan-only spin-offs (Gaiden Vol. 1, Gaiden Vol. 2, Card Stories and Tsumugareshi Hyakunen no Toki), the Japan-only PSP compilation of I & II, the separate-continuity Tierkreis, the 2025 Suikoden I & II HD Remaster, and the new free-to-play Suikoden STAR LEAP arriving in Japan in August 2026. Counting the 2026 anime, the franchise spans 15 entries.

Do I need to play Suikoden I before the anime?

No. The anime adapts Suikoden II's story, the Dunan Unification War, and II was built to stand alone. That said, II reuses Suikoden I's cast and offers a save-import bonus that unlocks extra McDohl content, so the HD Remaster, which bundles both games, is the ideal preparation. Suikoden I is optional background, not a prerequisite.

What order should I play the Suikoden games in?

Recommended: the HD Remaster (I then II), then III, then IV together with Suikoden Tactics, then V, which is mainline release order with the remaster as the entry point. For a second, lore-focused pass, the chronological order is IV, Tactics, V, I, II, III, with Star Leap slotting between V and I once it is playable in English.

Is Suikoden STAR LEAP the same thing as the HD Remaster?

No, they are two separate products. The HD Remaster (March 2025) contains Suikoden I and II on consoles and PC. STAR LEAP is a brand-new free-to-play game launching August 7, 2026 in Japan on mobile, set in the timeline between Suikoden V and I, with no Western release date yet. Star Leap has never been a name for the remaster.

Which Suikoden games can't I play in English?

Four were never localized: Genso Suikogaiden Vol. 1 and Vol. 2, Card Stories, and Tsumugareshi Hyakunen no Toki. The PSP compilation of I & II is also Japan-only, but it loses you nothing since both of its games exist in English via the PS1 originals and the HD Remaster.

Are Tierkreis and Tsumugareshi Hyakunen no Toki part of the same story?

No. Both are separate continuities that do not share the mainline world of the 27 True Runes, so neither belongs on the series timeline. Tierkreis was localized and is playable in English as a standalone; Hyakunen no Toki is Japan-only.

When and where can I watch the Suikoden anime?

In Japan, an advance theatrical screening of episodes 1-3 runs for two weeks from August 21, 2026 in 10 theaters, and the TV broadcast starts in October 2026 across 32 stations nationwide, including TOKYO MX, Kansai TV and BS Asahi; the exact TV day has not been announced. No Western streaming service or date has been confirmed as of early August 2026.

Is Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes a Suikoden game?

No. It is a 2024 spiritual successor from Suikoden creator Yoshitaka Murayama, who died in February 2024 shortly before its release. It was made outside Konami and has no canonical connection to the Suikoden world.

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Last verified · Sources: suikoden-anime.com, animation.konami.net, animenewsnetwork.com, gematsu.com, myanimelist.net, en.wikipedia.org, konami.com

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