Ace Attorney Games in Order: 10 Games in 4 Collections, and Why Half of Steam Players Stall Before Game 1 Ends

Play the Ace Attorney games in this order: the Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy (games 1–3), then the Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney Trilogy (games 4–6), then the two spin-off sets, The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles and the Ace Attorney Investigations Collection (I’d take them in that order, but either works). Those four collections hold all ten games, every one runs on Switch, PS4 and PC, Nintendo lists all four as supported on Switch 2, and Valve rates all four Steam Deck Verified.

The order matters more than usual because of one number. I pulled Steam’s public achievement statistics for all four collections on October 11, 2026. In the Phoenix Wright Trilogy, 86.8% of players cleared the first case, but only 43.5% cleared the fourth, which is the last case of the original game. Half the players who clear case 1 haven’t cleared case 4. Below you get the release order, the story order, a route for each type of player, and what that drop-off means for where you start.

The timing suits a first playthrough. Capcom marks the series’ 25th anniversary on October 12, 2026, exactly 25 years after the first game launched in Japan, and its license page puts series sales at 14 million units as of March 31, 2026. No new game has been announced: GameRant reported on September 23 that the anniversary release so far is a commemorative piece of artwork.

Quick start: the Ace Attorney order in six steps

1. Pick your platform. Switch (including Switch 2), PS4 or PC. Xbox One has three of the four collections; The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles skipped it.
2. Start with the Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy. It holds games 1–3, 14 episodes, and lists at $29.99 on Steam.
3. Set a checkpoint at case 4 of game 1. The Steam numbers below show the attrition is concentrated in game 1, so treat the first four cases as the trial period.
4. Use the bail-out rule. If game 1 isn’t working by case 3, switch to The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles instead of dropping the series. It has an all-new cast and needs no earlier knowledge.
5. Continue with the Apollo Justice Trilogy (games 4–6, 16 episodes including two special episodes).
6. Finish with the spin-offs. Chronicles first, then the Investigations Collection, so you aren’t switching between courtroom and non-courtroom mechanics midway; either order works. Skip Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright unless you already own a 3DS.

The 10 games in 4 collections (plus the 11th you can’t easily buy)

Four collections hold every Ace Attorney game you can buy for a current console or PC: ten games, 50 episodes, roughly 286 hours at crowdsourced estimates, and $159.96 at US list prices on Steam. Wikipedia counts six main-series games and five spin-offs; four of those five spin-offs sit in the last two rows of the table.

The biggest takeaway from the table: the cheapest collection holds the oldest games and is the one to play first, while the Apollo Justice Trilogy costs $20 more than the Phoenix Wright Trilogy for two extra episodes. Prices are Steam’s US list prices checked on October 11, 2026; hours are HowLongToBeat’s crowdsourced figures as shown on Deku Deals, so treat them as a guide, not a promise.

The eleventh game, Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney, is in none of these collections. Prima Games says it is only available in English as a physical 3DS release and was not meant to be canon. A second wrinkle: Dual Destinies and Spirit of Justice were digital-only outside Japan, and the 3DS eShop stopped accepting purchases on March 27, 2023. The Apollo Justice collection is the only way I found to buy them new, and it is not sold game by game: Steam has no standalone listing for any of the three.

Release order vs. story order: why the lists disagree

The main six games line up in release order and story order, but the spin-offs scramble both. That is why every “Ace Attorney timeline” you read looks different. The table gives all 11 titles by Japanese release, with the Western release year and where each sits in the story.

In story order, the two Great Ace Attorney games come first, then the Phoenix Wright trilogy, then both Investigations games, then Apollo Justice, Dual Destinies and Spirit of Justice. Dates and positions come from Wikipedia’s pages for the series and individual games, plus Prima Games’ timeline guide.

Two reasons the lists never agree. First, localization gaps: Capcom did not release the Great Ace Attorney games outside Japan until 2021, and Investigations 2 waited until 2024. Capcom’s Christian Svensson said in 2011 that localization costs were higher than expected returns, while Eshiro, quoted on the same Wikipedia page, said the main reason was scheduling. A 2021 timeline such as HackerNoon’s therefore has no Apollo Justice Trilogy, and no Investigations 2 localization to point at. Second, no game states a year. Prima’s guide puts the Great Ace Attorney games in the “early 1900s”, but Capcom’s own license page says “late 19th century Japan and England”, so I use Capcom’s wording.

Should you play in story order? Only on a replay. It puts the two Great Ace Attorney games first, which run the longest per episode of the four collections (about 7.3 hours by the HowLongToBeat figures) and, in Prima’s words, have “more intricate mysteries and storytelling” than the older games. That is a steep entry for a first run. Release order eases you in with the shortest episodes (about 4.8 hours each in the Trilogy) and builds from there.

Where to start in 2026: a route for each type of player

Start with game 1 unless you have a reason not to, and switch to The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles if game 1 stalls. Work through this decision tree:

• Never played an Ace Attorney game? Phoenix Wright Trilogy, game 1. If you still want to quit at case 3, switch to Chronicles rather than leave the series.
• Played games 1–3 on DS, 3DS or a phone? Go straight to the Apollo Justice Trilogy.
• Finished game 6? Pick Chronicles (courtroom) or the Investigations Collection (no courtroom).
• Want zero courtroom? The Investigations Collection. Wikipedia says the first game was made playable without any earlier title, with in-jokes for veterans.

My default is Prima’s order, adjusted by the data below: Trilogy, Apollo Trilogy, Chronicles, then Investigations. Prima saves Investigations for last so you do not swap between courtroom and non-courtroom mechanics midway. That is a taste call, not a rule: Wikipedia says Investigations is set between games 3 and 4 and is playable cold, so you can slot it in earlier.

What Steam’s achievement data says about where players stall

The Phoenix Wright Trilogy keeps about one player in six from its first case to its last; the other three collections keep 35–45%. The table takes each collection’s first-case achievement, its first game’s finale achievement, and its last-case achievement, from Steam’s global achievement percentages, pulled October 11, 2026.

*The Investigations achievements require finishing without Story Mode, so its real retention is higher than shown.

The cliff is game 1, not the series. Of the players who clear the first case of Justice for All (30.8%), 46.1% go on to clear the finale of Trials and Tribulations (14.2%), which matches or beats the other collections’ 35–45%. The case-5 bonus episode, “Rise from the Ashes”, is a good example of the drag: on DS it was a post-credits bonus episode, significantly longer than the others, and the drop shows up at the bonus case itself (43.5% to 30.1%), while the hop from it to game 2 costs nothing in the data (30.1% to 30.8%).

What the data cannot tell you is why. Treat these as signals, not proof. Steam owners only; no console players. The Phoenix Wright Trilogy is the cheapest of the four, which probably means more casual buyers who never really started. And someone who clears Apollo Justice’s first case has already decided to buy a $49.99 collection. Even with those caveats, a game from 2001 losing half the players who cleared its first case before its fourth is the pattern worth planning around.

Switch 2, Steam Deck or PC: what runs where

All four collections work on Switch, PS4 and PC; three of the four are also on Xbox One. Nintendo lists all four as “Supported – Game behavior is consistent with Nintendo Switch” on Switch 2, and Valve’s own compatibility report rates all four Steam Deck Verified.

One Deck detail from Valve’s testing: the Apollo Justice and Investigations collections need an internet connection for first-time setup. These are text-heavy, turn-based games with no reflex demands, so either handheld suits them. If you’re still choosing between them, our Switch 2 vs. Steam Deck comparison covers what the 2026 price changes mean.

Buying tip: Steam’s US prices were all full price when I checked, but regional Switch eShop prices differ. Deku Deals showed the Polish eShop discounting all four (40% to 67% off) until October 15, so check your own store before paying list. If courtroom drama turns out not to be your pace, our picks of the best cozy games for beginners and the best cozy games on Nintendo Switch suit the same handhelds.

Is each collection worth its price?

Buy the Phoenix Wright Trilogy first; buy the Apollo Justice Trilogy on a sale, not at full price. The Apollo collection is the most expensive and the only one under 90% positive on Steam, while the cheapest collection has the best price per episode.

OpenCritic scores barely separate them (82, 82, 84 and 85 in the table’s order), so the Steam split is the useful signal. I read the 15 English-language negative reviews of the Apollo collection from the past year. Five single out games 5 and 6 (Dual Destinies and Spirit of Justice), three praise Apollo Justice itself, and one reports a launch crash. Fifteen reviews is a thin sample, so read this as a hint: the criticism lands on the second half of the collection, not the first game.

What each collection adds beyond the games

• Phoenix Wright Trilogy: 14 episodes in total: four main cases plus the bonus case in game 1, four in Justice for All, and five in Trials and Tribulations.
• Apollo Justice Trilogy: the two special episodes that used to be DLC-only, plus an Animation Studio, an Orchestra Hall and an Art Library.
• Investigations Collection: redrawn character animations you can switch back to the original sprites, a gallery, and the first official English release of Prosecutor’s Gambit.
• Chronicles: the first official English release of both Great Ace Attorney games, with a faux-Victorian dialect for the British cast. Sherlock Holmes appears as “Herlock Sholmes”, a rename the localization team made because of copyright concerns.

Ace Attorney order FAQ

Do you have to play the Ace Attorney games in order?

Play games 1–6 in order, but not the spin-offs. Apollo Justice is set seven years after Trials and Tribulations, so the main six share one continuing story. The Great Ace Attorney games have an all-new cast, and the first Investigations game was designed to be playable with no earlier game.

Can I play Investigations 2 without Investigations 1?

You can, but you shouldn’t. Prosecutor’s Gambit is a direct sequel set roughly one week after Investigations, with the same cast and mostly the same mechanics, so the first game is the better door in.

Is Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright worth hunting down?

Not unless you already own a 3DS. Prima Games describes it as a physical-only English release that is not meant to be canon, so you lose nothing in the main story by skipping it.

Is a new Ace Attorney game coming?

Capcom has not announced one. The 25th anniversary so far has brought a commemorative visual, which GameRant calls “not as good as a new Ace Attorney game announcement”, and it says whether Capcom makes a new game “remains in the air”. I wouldn’t plan around one.

How long does it take to play every Ace Attorney game?

About 286 hours across 50 episodes, using HowLongToBeat’s crowdsourced numbers for each collection. That works out to roughly $0.56 per hour at US list prices, and far less on sale.

Sources

1. Capcom. License Business: Ace Attorney series (series sales 14 million units as of March 31, 2026). Capcom Co., Ltd.
2. Wikipedia. Ace Attorney (series overview, compilations). Wikimedia Foundation
3. Wikipedia. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney (release dates, Rise from the Ashes). Wikimedia Foundation
4. Wikipedia. Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth (timeline placement, gameplay). Wikimedia Foundation
5. Wikipedia. Ace Attorney Investigations 2: Prosecutor’s Gambit (timeline, localization history). Wikimedia Foundation
6. Wikipedia. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney − Justice for All (Western release). Wikimedia Foundation
7. Wikipedia. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney − Trials and Tribulations (Western release). Wikimedia Foundation
8. Wikipedia. Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney (setting, Western release). Wikimedia Foundation
9. Wikipedia. Ace Attorney Investigations Collection (release, platforms). Wikimedia Foundation
10. Wikipedia. The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles (release, setting, platforms). Wikimedia Foundation
11. Wikipedia. Nintendo eShop (3DS and Wii U closure, March 27, 2023). Wikimedia Foundation
12. Nintendo. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy, US eShop listing (Switch 2 status, 14 episodes). Nintendo
13. Nintendo. Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney Trilogy, US eShop listing (Switch 2 status, 16 episodes). Nintendo
14. Nintendo. Ace Attorney Investigations Collection, US eShop listing (Switch 2 status). Nintendo
15. Nintendo. The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles, US eShop listing (Switch 2 status, five episodes per game). Nintendo
16. Steam. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy (price, reviews, Steam Deck report). Valve
17. Steam. Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney Trilogy (price, reviews, Steam Deck report). Valve
18. Steam. Ace Attorney Investigations Collection (price, reviews, Steam Deck report). Valve
19. Steam. The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles (price, reviews, Steam Deck report). Valve
20. Steam Community. Global achievement percentages: Phoenix Wright Trilogy, Apollo Justice Trilogy, Investigations Collection, Great Ace Attorney Chronicles. Valve, pulled October 11, 2026
21. Push Square. The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles review (8/10), July 26, 2021
22. Prima Games. The Ace Attorney Timeline: What Order Should You Play the Games? Niki Fakhoori, June 25, 2024
23. HackerNoon. The Ace Attorney Timeline: All Phoenix Wright Games in Chronological Order. Marc Magrini, September 8, 2021
24. GameRant. New Ace Attorney 25th Anniversary Release Officially Revealed, September 23, 2026
25. Deku Deals. HowLongToBeat and OpenCritic figures: Phoenix Wright Trilogy, Apollo Justice Trilogy, Investigations Collection, Great Ace Attorney Chronicles. Pulled October 11, 2026

Michael R.

I've been playing video games for over 20 years, spanning everything from early PC titles to modern open-world games. I started Switchblade Gaming to publish the kind of accurate, well-researched guides I always wanted to find — built on primary sources, tested in-game, and kept up to date after patches. I currently focus on Minecraft and Pokémon GO.