There’s just something special about a good video game airship. The moment you step aboard, the entire world opens up. No more random battles every five steps, no more locked-off areas teasing you from across the map, just pure freedom, and a chance to explore places you didn’t even know existed. For gamers growing up in the 90s and early 2000s, airships became a symbol that you had officially made it in the game. If you had an airship, the story was about to hit a whole new level.
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From sleek sci-fi cruisers to floating pirate fortresses, the best airships weren’t just transportation. They became part of the adventure, places where epic moments happened, parties were planned, and betrayals caught you off guard. Some came with laser cannons. Some could break the sound barrier. Others were practically flying cities that made the entire world feel small beneath you.
AndFinal Fantasyships were just glorified boats with wings, but we loved them anyway.
This list is a tribute to the airships that made us feel unstoppable, the ones that proved you weren’t just wandering anymore. You were flying. So, grab your crew, check the fuel gauge, and let’s revisit the best airships to ever grace a pixelated sky.
8The Normandy — Mass Effect series
Saving the Galaxy in Style… Until the Reapers Show Up
Mass Effect Trilogy
The SSV Normandy wasn’t just a ship. It was home. Sleek, stealthy, and packing enough firepower to take on a small fleet, the Normandy made every mission in Mass Effect feel like a proper sci-fi adventure. Walking those metal halls, checking in with crewmates, and staring out into space gave players a rare connection to their ship. It wasn’t just a hub. It was where friendships formed, romances sparked, and tough choices loomed.
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What made the Normandy stand out wasn’t the tech or the weapons. It was how much time you spent there, building your story. Dodging Reapers or hunting Geth, every jump through the galaxy felt great because the Normandy was the one constant (in a gamefilled with tough calls). It wasn’t just a means of transportation. It became a symbol of the journey and sometimes the only safe place left in the universe.
7Lunar Whale — Final Fantasy IV
When a Giant Space Whale Is the Only Way to Travel
Final Fantasy 4
Final Fantasy IV took airships to another world…literally. It was a massive, whale-shaped spaceship that let you leave Earth behind and explore the moon. By the time players unlocked it on the Super Nintendo, they knew the story was heading into the final stretch. Any airship that doubles as a mobile inn deserves respect.
The design made no sense, which somehow made it perfect. Why a whale? No one knew, and no one cared. It came loaded with everything a hero could need: beds to heal, a Fat Chocobo for item storage, and the power to fly through space like it was normal. It wasn’t sleek or fast, but the Lunar Whale was unforgettable. It was pure 90s JRPG logic, and that’s exactly why we loved it.
6Halberd — Kirby Series
The Most Intimidating Ship in a Game About Eating Everything
Kirby Super Star
In a world as bright and cheerful as Kirby’s, Halberd felt like it came from a completely different game. Introduced in Kirby Super Star on the Super Nintendo, this giant battleship belonged to Meta Knight and oozed dramatic energy. Dark clouds, heavy metal wings, and a massive laser cannon made it feel less like a kid’s game and more like you’d stumbled into a serious boss fight.
Despite its appearance, the Halberd became one of the most iconic airships in Nintendo history. Flying across the sky with that unforgettable theme music playing in the background made every encounter feel epic. The ship was so popular it eventually showed up in Super Smash Bros. (one of thebest games on Switch), dragging new players into the chaos. No matter how colorful Kirby’s world got, Halberd always brought the drama.
5Balamb Garden — Final Fantasy VIII
Nothing Says Elite Military School Like Flying an Entire Building
Final Fantasy VIII Remastered
Final Fantasy VIII lets the player fly an entire military training school, which even comes complete with a cafeteria that sells limited amounts of hotdogs. Balamb Garden started as a standard military academy until it transformed into a full-blown mobile fortress. Watching that massive structure rise and drift across the world map on the original PlayStation was one of the game’s biggest surprises.
Balamb Garden was your home, your mission hub, and a floating symbol of everything complicated about Squall’s world. Battles broke out on board, romances bloomed in the hallways, and somehow, no one ever worried about how it stayed in the air as long as hotdogs were supplied. It made no sense, but it didn’t have to. Flying a school was ridiculous and over the top, which is exactly why it became one of the most memorable airships in any RPG (on top ofa great story).
4Epoch — Chrono Trigger
Time Travel Hits Differently When You Have Your Own Flying Machine
Chrono Trigger
Chrono Trigger (whichturns 30 this year) already had time travel, but getting the Epoch turned everything up a notch. The first-time players took off in this sleek little time machine. It felt like the whole game cracked wide open. No more relying on portals or random time gates. Now you could fly through time on your own schedule, and it felt incredible.
The Epoch was not aesthetically pleasing, but it did provide freedom. Flying over the world map on the Super Nintendo while deciding which era to visit next made every trip feel like an adventure. The best part was watching it transform from a ground-based vehicle into a full-blown airship. It wasn’t even originally built for the skies, but the game made sure it got there anyway, and that’s exactly why it stuck with us.
3Arwing — Star Fox series
Barrel Rolls Optional, Bragging Rights Guaranteed
Star Fox 64
Star Fox gave us the Arwing and someawesome animal protagonists, a sleek little fighter jet that somehow made flying through space feel fast and dangerous. The first-time players took control, it was clear this wasn’t just another stage. You are a pilot now, dodging lasers, weaving through asteroids, and spamming barrel rolls like a crazy person. Hopefully we will be barrell rollingwith Star Fox on the Nintendo Switch 2.
The Arwing became iconic for on-rail shooting games. Surviving entire runs without losing a wing felt like an accomplishment, and clearing a mission made you feel like a real hotshot pilot. The best part was hearing Peppy yell, “Do a barrel roll!” It became a gaming legend all on its own. Even if you have never mastered the loop, flying the Arwing makes you feel unstoppable. Who doesn’t love a good barrell roll?
2Highwind — Final Fantasy VII Rebirth
Finally, an Airship Worth the Wait
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth
The Highwind gave players what they had been waiting for: real aerial freedom. After hours of grinding battles and crossing the world map on foot, flying over mountains and oceans felt like a reward. The cinematic takeoff scene, paired with soaring, blood-pumping music, made it unforgettable and marked the start of the final stretch of the story.
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Speed was what set the Highwind apart. There were no more random ambushes or blocked paths, just open skies, and every location is now accessible to Cloud. Backtracking stopped feeling like a pain, and the world felt smaller in the best kind of way.
Cid’s explosive attitude gave the ship some edge, but even he knew the Highwind was something special. In the end, it felt less like transportation and more like the home base for one of the greatest RPG adventures ever made. We cannot wait to see the Highwind inaction in the final installment of the Final Fantasy VII Remake trilogy!
1Delphinus — Skies of Arcadia
The Only Ship That Made You Feel Like a TRUE Sky Pirate
Skies of Arcadia
Skies of Arcadia (which recentlyhad its trademark renewed) had plenty of airships, but the Delphinus was in a league of its own. Once Vyse and the crew took command, everything about the game felt bigger. It was a flying battleship, complete with cannons, armor upgrades, and a crew that made every victory feel earned. Did we mention that there is an insanely large cannon hidden in the front of the ship? Sailing through the clouds never felt so good, and it was a blast recruiting crew members for the ship.
What set Delphinus apart was the sense of scale. Exploring floating islands, battling massive enemy ships, and facing off against monsters made the world feel endless. The Dreamcast pushed its limits with this one, and it showed. Every time Delphinus took off, it felt like the sky pirates were ready for anything. No airship before or after captured that perfect mix of freedom, power, and discovery quite like this one. Will the Delphinus make a comeback in a potential Skies of Arcadia re-release? Please? Sega? Hello?
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