"Grandia" received near-universal acclaim during its original release in Japan, garnering a 9 out of 10 from both "Sega Saturn Magazine" and "Saturn Fan", as well as an 8.75 out of 10 from "Weekly TV Gamer". "Weekly Famitsu" granted the game a 32 out of 40, earning it an editor's choice Gold Award. Despite not being released outside Japan, GameSpot covered the Saturn version in a 1998 import review, claiming that Grandia "beats out "Final Fantasy VII" in all of the ways that matter," adding that the game was "not only longer, with a more engaging cast of characters, but it lacks the lulls that so many RPGs have because of these merits," awarding the game an Editor's Choice Award. "Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine" called the game "arguably the best RPG for Sega's Saturn console." The game earned an "Excellence Award" during the 1997 CESA Japan Game Awards as runner-up for game of the year.