Vagrant Story is an action RPG developed by Square's Product Development Division 4. Square released it in Japan on February 10, 2000, in North America on May 16, 2000, and in Europe on June 21, 2000. Yasumi Matsuno directed, produced and designed it; Hitoshi Sakimoto wrote the music, and the art is by Akihiko Yoshida and Hiroshi Minagawa. Matsuno has said a normal playthrough takes five to six hours.
The game is set in Ivalice, the world later used in Final Fantasy XII, which references places such as Leá Monde. Much of its fame comes from Famitsu: it is the only PlayStation game the magazine scored a perfect 40/40.
The regional versions differ mostly around the game rather than in it. In North America it was part of Square's "Summer of Adventure" and came with a demo disc, and Alexander O. Smith's English script deliberately reads more archaic than the Japanese. Japan later got PS one Books and Ultimate Hits budget editions.12
Names and releases
| Region | Title on the box | Platform | Date | Publisher | Src |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NA | Vagrant StoryBundled with a demo disc of seven Square titles; part of Square's "Summer of Adventure". | PlayStation | May 16, 2000 | Square Electronic Arts | 1 |
| NA | Vagrant StoryGreatest Hits label (selected about three years after release). | PlayStation | 2003 | — | 1 |
| NA | Vagrant StoryPlayStation Store release for PS3/PSP; exact date not confirmed. | PlayStation 3 | 2011 | — | 1 |
| JP | ベイグラントストーリーBeiguranto Sutōrī | PlayStation | Feb 10, 2000 | Square | 2 |
| EU | Vagrant StoryNo demo disc. | PlayStation | Jun 21, 2000 | Square | 1 |
| JP | ベイグラントストーリーPS one Books budget release. | PlayStation | Feb 21, 2002 | Square | 2 |
| JP | ベイグラントストーリーUltimate Hits budget release. | PlayStation | Jul 20, 2006 | Square Enix | 2 |
| JP | ベイグラントストーリーPlayStation Store release for PS3/PSP (Game Archives); Japanese Wikipedia gives August 12, the English article cites an August 11 report. | PlayStation 3 | August 2009 | — | 2 |
| EU | Vagrant StoryPlayStation Store release for PS3/PSP; exact date not confirmed. | PlayStation 3 | 2009 | — | 1 |
Also known as: ベイグラントストーリー JP2Beiguranto Sutōrī JP2ベイグラ JP2
Box art by region

NA Vagrant Story 
EU Vagrant Story 
JP ベイグラントストーリー
Box art © its publishers, shown to identify each release. Scans: libretro-thumbnails.
Version differences
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ContentPS1 (NA)
The North American release shipped with a second disc of demos for seven Square titles, including playable Chocobo Racing, Front Mission 3 and Threads of Fate; the European release had no demo disc.1
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TextPS1 (NA)PS1 (EU)
Alexander O. Smith's English localization uses a deliberately archaic register that is more ornate than the straightforward Japanese text.1
Translations
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English Official
Square / Square Electronic Arts (Alexander O. Smith)2000PlayStation · Japanese versionReleased · complete
The official English translation by Alexander O. Smith is known for its archaic style.1
Reception
Famitsu awarded Vagrant Story a perfect 40/40, the only PlayStation game with that score, and Metacritic lists it at 92/100. It sold 100,000 units in its first 20 days and about 870,000 copies worldwide.1
Sources
- 1en.wikipedia.org
- 2ja.wikipedia.org
- 3es.wikipedia.org
- 4ja.wikipedia.org
- 5ja.wikipedia.org
- 6ja.wikipedia.org
Checked: 2026-10-13Text reviewed: 2026-10-13
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