Tales of Symphonia: which version should you get?

Tales of Symphonia launched on GameCube in Japan on August 29, 2003 and in North America on July 13, 2004, the release that made Tales a Western name. The GameCube original is a two-disc production with Fujishima character art and the series' first full 3D presentation, and it is the version a generation of Western fans grew up on.

Japan then did what Japan often did with Tales: it made a bigger one. The PlayStation 2 version (September 22, 2004) added content the GameCube never had, including extra events, costumes and Mystic Artes, and it stayed in Japan for nine years. Japanese guidebooks document the PS2 additions, which is why a Japanese Symphonia guide and the BradyGames English guide for the GameCube version do not describe quite the same game.

The unification came with Tales of Symphonia Chronicles for PlayStation 3 (Japan October 10, 2013; North America February 25, 2014), which paired the PS2-based Symphonia with its Wii sequel Dawn of the New World in one package. The Japanese Chronicles sold for ¥6,980 (about US$70 at the time), and a PC version followed in 2016. This is the fullest Symphonia ever sold in English.

Buyers should treat the standalone Tales of Symphonia Remastered (February 17, 2023, for Switch, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One) with care. It was widely criticized at launch for its thin presentation next to Chronicles, and it remains the version with the least around the game itself. The collector's order is Chronicles first, GameCube for the original object, and the 2023 remaster only for convenience.