If you’ve played Trails in the Sky for the PSP at some point or have recently picked up Trails of Cold Steel for the PS and Nintendo Switch, know that these games aren’t standalone narratives. They’re part of Falcom’s overarching The Legend of Heroes IP, which spans four countries (Liberl, Crossbell, Erebonia, and Calvard) and over 10 games.
No matter where you begin, you will definitely reach a point where you're going to need knowledge about ALL of them to understand the overarching plot. This is because all Trails stories are connected. Some games even happen simultaneously, just in different countries. The Trails lore is also so vast that it needed to be tackled separately per series. If you liked a Trails game and would like some context to everything you’re missing, here’s the proper order to play them.
How to play the Trails games in order
There is a proper order to play Trails. But for the longest time, the community's biggest issue was the inaccessibility of most of these titles in the West. In fact, Trails from Zero was only localized in 2022, when it contained integral characters to Trails of Cold Steel. If you're getting into Trails just now, you're very lucky. Most games are available on modern consoles or on PC.
Liberl Arc (Trails in the Sky)
The Sky series follows the story of Estelle Bright and her adopted brother Joshua. They're mercenaries (called “bracers”) working hard to keep the country of Liberl’s autonomy from the Erebonian Empire.
- Trails in the Sky
- Trails in the Sky Second Chapter (SC)
- Trails in the Sky the 3rd
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Crossbell Arc (Trails from Zero and Trails to Azure)
Three months after the events of Sky the 3rd, a new character is introduced—a rookie police detective named Lloyd Bannings. He leads the Special Support Section in the city of Crossbell, which is an independent state. Crossbell is located between the infamous Erebonian Empire and the secretive Calvard Republic, so its sovereignty is always under threat.
- Trails from Zero
- Trails to Azure
Erebonia Arc (Trails of Cold Steel)
Also known as the “main” arc of The Legend of Heroes series, the Cold Steel series follows the story of an Erebonian military student named Rean Schwarzer. The first and second game happen simultaneously with the Crossbell ones.
- Trails of Cold Steel
- Trails of Cold Steel II
After Cold Steel II, Rean graduates from school and becomes a Thors instructor. Trails of Cold Steel III is set two years after and introduces the main cast from both Liberl and Crossbell. The Legend of Heroes’ main story ends with Trails of Cold Steel IV, tying most loose ends, lore, and character arcs left behind in all previous games.
- Trails of Cold Steel III
- Trails of Cold Steel IV: End of Saga
Trails into Reverie
Trails into Reverie is the next game to play in the series. It takes place five months after Trails of Cold Steel IV, serving as the main series' epilogue and the prequel into the next arc. Every Liberl, Crossbell, and Erebonia main character joins in on this “last” mission, aided by a mysterious group.
Calvard Arc (Trails through Daybreak)
All the Calvard games aren't all localized yet; there are two of them currently. The first game, officially titled as Trails through Daybreak, will get a Western release in summer 2024.
There is no information about the second one at the moment, but it is available in Japanese as 黎の軌跡 II or literally "Trails in the Dark II." However, given Falcom's naming sense, this will eventually be localized to Trails through Daybreak II in the West.
Trails through Daybreak is set a year after Trails into Reverie, featuring a new protagonist named Van Arkride, who works for the intelligence sector. It tackles Calvard postwar. The Daybreak seres is said to be a much shorter series compared to Cold Steel, but with all the twists that Reverie brought into play, I'm not so sure anymore.
If you're interested in similar lore-heavy, anime-like RPGs, check out Final Fantasy and Epic Seven on Pro Game Guides.
Published: Oct 1, 2023 10:57 pm