10 BEST Ace Attorney Games Of All Time

It’s been more than a decade since the first game in the Ace Attorney franchise got released. The franchise has gathered millions of fans and is one of the greatest visual novel games in the gaming industry. We would rank All Ace Attorney games, including mainstream games and spinoffs.

The Ace Attorney games can surely keep you on the edge of your seat whether you are busy investigating a case or pointing out criminals in court. The games are sure to grab you in with great suspense and thrilling cases. The Ace Attorney Franchise is surely one of the best when it comes to the mystery genre.

Check out all our picks for the Best Ace Attorney Games:

Ace Attorney Games Ranked

Each Ace Attorney Game is a masterpiece in its own right. However, we have ranked all ace attorney games depending on their overall enjoyability, direction, characters, and cases.

1. Great Ace Attorney Chronicles.

Great Ace Attorney Chronicles is a spinoff done well that outshined the mainstream games. The game looks at the adventures of Naruhodo Ryunosuke, an ancestor of phoenix wright. We see him along with an iconic detective Sherlock Holmes as they try to serve justice in Victorian-era London. It was certainly exciting for many fans to see Phoenix’s ancestors in a classical English setting.

The game introduced many interesting mechanics such as Logic and Reasoning spectacular and Summation Examinations. Both of them were engaging and made the game much more exciting for the fans. Unlike many mainstream Ace Attorney games, Great ace attorney features much darker themes and cases, thus becoming our favorite in this list.

Not to mention, the game features “Baron Van Zieks” who is also the best prosecutor out of any other ace attorney game and was very well appreciated by fans.

Pros

• The case you get at the start of Great Ace Attorney Chronicles is executed perfectly, as you must learn about the facts of the case on the spur of the moment.
• Great Ace Attorney Chronicles features many cases where you have to find the evidence as the trial goes on, which does a much better job of keeping you engaged in the game.
• Great Ace Attorney Chronicles is about the conflict between the East and the West and there are court cases taking place in both British and Japanese Courtrooms.
• The juries in Great Ace Attorney Chronicles have very quirky personalities that can be very fun to explore and understand.

Cons

• The final court case in Great Ace Attorney Chronicles can feel like it might go on forever. 
• The pacing of Great Ace Attorney Chronicles can seem to slow down a lot as you get further into the game, with the later court cases requiring up to 10 hours to complete.
• Some players might conclude a case much earlier on but have to continue it because of the small pieces of the puzzle they have to put together.
• While Great Ace Attorney Chronicles has a very similar feel and gameplay to the main Ace Attorney games, the overall conclusion of the story can be vastly different.

2. Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney

The first game in the series set the stage for many more to come. Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney was a great game in a lot of aspects, whether it comes to character developments or amazing plot twists. The game tends to force you to play it for hours as the suspense is enough to bait you in. Fans also loved the character variety and their quirky and fun traits.

Phoenix and Miles’s character development was also done well from their childhood till the events of this game. The game pacing was great, The cases rarely ever get boring, and the more you play, the better it gets. The game takes you into a fantastic courtroom drama for an amazing murder mystery game experience.

Pros

• Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney has a great focus on not only the court cases but also fishing for evidence so that you can prove the innocence of your client.
• The pacing in Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney is incredibly consistent, since it does not feel like it is dragging on at any point of the game and the court cases feel fluid.
• The Nintendo DS is the most optimal way of experiencing Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney, as the game takes full advantage of the console’s dual-screen feature.
• There are some very hilarious moments spread throughout Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney, as the writers are geniuses at making the most strange puns and witty jokes that are guaranteed to make you laugh.

Cons

• Sometimes the writers of Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney deviate from the well-written aspect of the game and make the court case a bit shallow for the sake of the plot.
• Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney is a very linear game in nature, as the court cases follow a very strict script that you cannot go against and the puzzles feel relatively easy.
• The voice command feature in Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney is supposed to make for a greater immersive experience, but it ends up being useless because the voice recognition system is not the best, and pressing the on-screen option is much more convenient.

3. Phoenix Wright Trials And Tribulations

Phoenix Wright’s Trials and Tribulations served as a fitting end to an amazing trilogy. The game featured many interesting characters, such as Dahlia Hawthorne and Godot. Godot is also one of the most loved prosecutors in the franchise and is also a coffee-loving addict. It’s interesting to see his character from the start to the end.

Dahlia Hawthorne, too is one of the most hated and despicable villains in video games. The game also gives major highlights to Mia Fey, as we know little about her character in the previous games. The finale of the game is still one of the most thrilling endings ever seen in the video gaming industry.

Pros

• Phoenix Wright Trials and Tribulations features a total of 5 cases that you have to solve.
• The cases are great and you never get tired of them or feel like they are dragging on because they do a great job of engaging you from the start.
• If you are a big fan of Phoenix Wright then this game is for you, as he appears in 3 out of the 5 cases as a lawyer while appearing as a defendant in the other 2 cases.
• While the cases in Phoenix Wright Trials and Tribulations may appear completely unrelated at first sight, they are very nicely connected.
• Phoenix Wright Trials and Tribulations features backstories and delves deeper into iconic characters like Mia Fey.

Cons

• There are little to no changes made to Phoenix Wright Trials and Tribulations compared to the previous games in the trilogy, as it features the same menus, the same UI, and the same ways you approach cases.
• Phoenix Wright Trials and Tribulations suffers from similar issues that haunt the Ace Attorney games, such as how linear each case is.
• You cannot play Phoenix Wright Trials and Tribulations without dabbling with the previous installments in the trilogy, as many plot points might go over your head.

4. Phoenix Wright Dual Destinies

Phoenix Wright Dual Destinies is the fifth mainstream game in the Ace Attorney franchise. The game features a new attorney Athena Cykes and introduces a new mechanic, the mood matrix that would help you read the emotions of witnesses to point out the contradictory ones. This feature certainly breathes a new life into the franchise making it more exciting.

According to many fans, dual destiny was a masterpiece that fixed many of its weak points after an absence in Appolo Justice. Phoenix Wright’s return was an exciting one in this sequel. It stands out compared to many other Ace Attorney games due to its amazing direction. Each case in the game was well written, making even the filler cases thrilling and exciting.

Pros

• Phoenix Wright Dual Destinies features a brand new character, Athena Cykes, who is one of the most beloved characters of the franchise because of her very wholesome but clumsy personality.
• There is a new gameplay mechanic introduced in Phoenix Wright Dual Destinies, thanks to Athena Cykes and her heightened hearing ability that allows her to read people’s emotions using their voices.
• The graphics and visual design of Phoenix Wright Dual Destinies is one of the best when compared to the other Ace Attorney games. 
• There is voice acting during the cutscenes of Phoenix Wright Dual Destinies.
• The voice actors do a greater job of attaching you to the narrative because of the realistic voice acting.

Cons

• There are times in the story of Phoenix Wright Dual Destinies when you might figure out a plot twist or a case a lot earlier than the characters in the game.
• As Phoenix Wright Dual Destinies is a visual novel, many players might be disappointed to be greeted by walls of text and simple button-pressing gameplay.
• While the new addition of some gameplay mechanics is great, you cannot use these mechanics of your own free will because the court cases are incredibly linear.
• There is not much challenge or difficulty in Phoenix Wright Dual Destinies because of the lack of control you have over court cases.
• Even if you notice something off during a trial, you will have to wait for the game to point it out before you can address it.

5. Ace Attorney Investigations Miles Edgeworth 2

While this spinoff is sadly untranslated officially, a lot of fans played the fan-translated version, and it is certainly a great addition to the ace attorney franchise. The game is worth a try if you like miles as a character; his character development in Miles Edgeworth 2 was amazing as he contemplated his prosecutor path. 

You will also see Gregory Edgeworth, who is Miles’s dad in the franchise; not much was known about him in the previous games; however, the game gives him a great spotlight which was much needed. A lot of fans certainly did want to see more of Gregory’s backstory, and the game delivered that spectacularly.

Pros

• While Ace Attorney Investigations 2 never had a western release, the community has done an incredible job of releasing an English-translated patch of the game.
• Ace Attorney Investigations 2 introduces a new side game you can play called “Logic” which the game will activate if a character is not showing some information.
• You can use Logic to figure out the information the character is hiding by reading their words and emotions.
• Many players believe Ace Attorney Investigations 2 has the best sound design out of all the Ace Attorney games, as it features some of the most iconic soundtracks.

Cons

• Similar to many Ace Attorney games, there are no innovative changes made to Ace Attorney Investigations 2.
• The majority of the problems present in most of the Ace Attorney games make their return to Ace Attorney Investigations 2, with the linear court cases that are strictly scripted.
• Some players believe that the narrative of Ace Attorney Investigations 2 is a little weaker than a lot of the Ace Attorney games.

6. Ace Attorney: Spirit of Justice

The main saga of ace attorney continues into this 6th game, and the game introduces many new characters such as Rayfa, Nahyuta, and Dhurke. You would also get to see Maya fey and Larry Butz again. The game also develops Appolo Justice’s character and completes into a spectacular finish.

Spirit of Justice also features an exciting new mechanic known as the divination seances. You would be able to witness the victim’s final memories to get more answers regarding the case. The divination seances were challenging yet proved to be an exciting experience for many fans

Pros

• The story of Spirit of Justice is set in the Kingdom of Khura’in since Phoenix Wright is taking a vacation there.
• Khura’in makes for a very unique narrative when it comes to the gameplay because you have to follow the customs of Khura’in for your court cases.
• Because you are in Khura’in, Spirit of Justice gets a great excuse to introduce a new gameplay mechanic for the court cases called the Divination Seance.
• Phoenix Wright has to use this to look into the last moments of the victims and approach the truth.
• The court battles that include Athena Cykes and Apollo Justice are surprisingly the best thing about Spirit of Justice, as they include a lot less dialogue about spirituality and magic.
• Spirit of Justice does a great job of retaining the soul of Ace Attorney games with its incredibly interesting characters and the classic Ace Attorney humor.

Cons

• The narrative implication of the Divination Seance mechanic might fall flat for a lot of the players since the mechanic sacrifices logical writing for fun gameplay. 
• The Khura’in parts of Spirit of Justice all feel way too supernatural and lack intuitive thinking while relying a lot on spiritualism.
• The way you find clues and evidence in Spirit of Justice can be incredibly boring while having no intuitive thought behind it.
• Most of the time you will be blindly clicking around on the screen until evidence or clues pop up.

7. Professor Layton vs Phoenix Wright

Professor Layton and Phoenix Wright is a crossover game done right. The game carries out its plot, characters, and direction extremely well despite being fanservice. The crossover managed to highlight and incorporate the mechanics and features of both franchises perfectly in a balanced way.

You can solve various puzzles like professor Layton and various other characters or take part in a courtroom drama. The finale of the game was epic and made this a solid Ace Attorney game despite being a spinoff.

Pros

• If you are a big fan of both Professor Layton and Ace Attorney then Professor Layton vs Phoenix Wright is the game of the dreams for you.
• It features the notorious Professor Layton standing with Phoenix Wright to fight the injustices of the world.
• Professor Layton vs Phoenix Wright has a visual design that represents both the classic watercolor-like environments from Professor Layton and the very aesthetically appealing anime-like character models that define the Ace Attorney games.
• Professor Layton vs Phoenix Wright has a very good start that serves as a great introduction to the game.
• The parts of the game that involve Professor Layton encourage you to go explore a very attractive world and hunt for some clues or solve puzzles.

Cons

• The setting of Professor Layton vs Phoenix Wright is the most disappointing part of the game, as they get teleported to a different and supernatural world called Labyrinthia.
• Wright and Layton do not interact with the characters from their respective universes, but instead, they interact with entirely new characters in Labyrinthia.
• The difficulty of Professor Layton vs Phoenix Wright has been lowered a lot compared to the challenge that both of those games provided to players individually.
• The story in Professor Layton vs Phoenix Wright has taken a bit of a hit as well and does not live up to the standard of either game.

8. Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth

The first game in the Miles Edgeworth spin-off series. Ace attorney investigations let you take the role of miles as a protagonist. The game is different from mainstream ace attorney games as it mostly takes a political approach to the story. 

Many new features were added to the game, such as logic chess; moreover, you can carry out investigations through a hologrammatic view of the crime scene. Though the pacing of the game takes a poor direction, it was overall an interesting experience and a good addition to the franchise.

Pros

• Ace Attorney Investigations features some unique aspects that are not found in your typical Ace Attorney game.
• The protagonist you follow is not Phoenix Wright but Miles Edgeworth, and instead of defending clients in a courtroom, you have to solve crime mysteries and question possible suspects.
• While Ace Attorney Investigations might not feature the classic court trials, it still manages to capture the spirit of the Ace Attorney games perfectly.
• There is a lot of witty humor with the same old wacky logic that the players have come to love and enjoy.
• This game not only features Miles Edgeworth as the main protagonist of the game but also shows a lot of his backstory and explores his character very thoroughly,
• You have to think outside the box and be very clever if you want to decipher the crimes in Ace Attorney Investigations.

Cons

• There are times when Ace Attorney Investigations can get a bit frustrating, especially when you are trying to solve a crime by picking out a very specific piece of evidence and presenting it. 
• Some of the cases in Ace Attorney Investigation have horrible pacing issues and drag on for way too long.
• While Ace Attorney Investigations is not a bad game at all, the other games in the Ace Attorney series outshine it completely.
• You have little to no reason to play this game even if you are a fan of Miles Edgeworth since the sequel is much better and it also includes him.

9. Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney Justice for all

The second game in the ace attorney trilogy. While the pacing and direction of the game were poor, this was still a decent entry to the series. The 2nd case of the game plays an important role in building up the story for the 3rd game in the series. The game does however, introduce Franziska Von Karma, who is still one of the greatest prosecutors in the game.

Moreover, you would also get to see interesting characters such as Shelly De Killer, who is an iconic serial killer in the franchise with multiple appearances in miles Edgeworth games as well. While most of the cases in the games felt tedious and lacked direction, It is still a solid addition to the franchise.

Pros

• Justice for All retains all of the amazing elements that make the Ace Attorney series great.
• There is an addition of a new gameplay mechanic in Justice for All, called the Psyche-Lock.
• Justice for All boasts 4 chapters and every single chapter is incredibly consistent while being very well-written.
• You can tell from playing the game, how much passion and heart went into the writing and making of these chapters that are bursting with personality.

Cons

• Justice for All, like many other Ace Attorney games, suffers the same fate of horribly linear court cases.
• Other than the new gameplay mechanic, Psyche-Lock, there has been virtually nothing new added to Justice for All.
• Justice for All has a bit too much text, as the majority of the main story is told through walls of text, which is excessive even for an Ace Attorney game.
• While the chapters are well-written and have some great moments, the court cases have way too many occasions where the logic does not make sense and makes the characters look very dumb.

10. Appolo Justice Ace Attorney

Many fans initially were unsure about replacing Phoenix as a protagonist by Appolo. While Appolo served as a decent protagonist, The lack of direction and interconnectedness ruined a major portion of the game. The game took a non-linear approach to the plot, and the cases that filled the major part of the game felt tedious.

The game, however, was still a decent addition to the ace attorney franchise. The finale of the game was fantastic and makes the game worthy of playing.

Pros

• Apollo Justice Ace Attorney has many similarities to the Ace Attorney trilogy, from a similar UI to some of the most iconic characters making appearances throughout the game.
• One of the best aspects of Apollo Justice Ace Attorney is that you can play it as a standalone game. 
• Apollo Justice Ace Attorney does a great job of introducing the protagonist, Apollo Justice, and building a connection with him very quickly.
• Apollo Justice Ace Attorney is an incredibly relaxing and comfortable game that you can play after a long day.
• It allows you to sit back and play the game entirely using the stylus of the Nintendo DS without having to worry about any time constraints or execution.

Cons

• Unlike a lot of the Ace Attorney games, Justice Apollo Ace Attorney has a severe lack of animated cutscenes during the story.
• Some of the veteran Ace Attorney players were not happy about the change of the protagonist from Phoenix Wright to Apollo Justice.
• One of the court cases in Apollo Justice Ace Attorney is horrible, as it forces you to watch the same animation over and over again.

That’s all for our ranking of all Ace Attorney games. Do you agree with our list? What are your thoughts? Let us know in the comments below.

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