Spanning across several decades and multiple console generations, Final Fantasy is one of the most iconic gaming franchises of all time. Starting the series may be an intimidating task for someone who isn’t familiar with the series.
The Final Fantasy series consists of more than 10+ titles, which can be pretty daunting for a new player. Those looking to get into the series should follow either the chronological or the release order. In this case, both the orders are same.
This guide has been put together for new players who are looking to dive into the world of Final Fantasy. Obviously, that includes the veteran Final Fantasy players as well. Take a look at all the Final Fantasy games in their definitive order:
1. The Definitive Order to Play the Final Fantasy Series:
The definitive order contains every mainline Final Fantasy game that have been released throughout the years. If you’re looking to get into the series, following this order will help you get through the series easily.
Take a look at the definitive order for all the Final Fantasy games:
- Final Fantasy I (1987)
- Final Fantasy II (1988)
- Final Fantasy III (1990)
- Final Fantasy IV (1991)
- Final Fantasy V (1992)
- Final Fantasy VI (1994)
- Final Fantasy VII (1997)
- Final Fantasy VIII (1999)
- Final Fantasy IX (2000)
- Final Fantasy X (2001)
- Final Fantasy XI Online (2002)
- Final Fantasy X-2 (2003)
- Final Fantasy XII (2004)
- Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings (2007)
- Final Fantasy XIII (2009)
- Final Fantasy XIV (2010)
- Final Fantasy XIII-2 (2011)
- Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII (2013)
- Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn (2013)
- Final Fantasy XV (2016)
- Final Fantasy VII Remake (2020)
- Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade (2022)
- Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin (2022)
- Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII- Reunion (2022)
There are over 90 Final Fantasy games, with some of them being spin-offs, mobile games or collections. However, you’ll only need to play the mainline games which are core to the Final Fantasy lore.
2. Which Final Fantasy game should you play first?
According to Square Enix, you can start with any Final Fantasy game which is to your liking. almost every game in the series acts as a standalone adventure with its own distinct world, characters and even gameplay mechanics. There’s neither a wrong nor a right place to start.
If you’re still really confused about which game to start with, I’d recommend starting with Final Fantasy VII Remake, which is available on the PlayStation consoles, Xbox One as well as PC.
3. Do you need to play the Final Fantasy series in order
It’s been confirmed by Square Enix, the publishers behind the Final Fantasy series, that the games can be played in any order. Almost all the games in the series contain separate stories, separate characters and lore as well as different gameplay mechanics.
The Final Fantasy series has no continuity, neither does it have an order to play through the series. However, if you’d like to stick to an order while playing through all the games, refer to the order mentioned above.
4. Which is the longest Final Fantasy game?
Final Fantasy XI tops the list, being the longest game in the franchise with an outrageous duration of more than 700 hours required to 100% the entire game. The main story in the game takes around 100 hours to beat, which is an insane amount by itself, let alone going for a completionist run.
The DLCs for the game add hundreds of hours of extra playtime to it, expanding the game in interesting and unique ways. It’s no surprise that some players have clocked in over thousands of hours in the game as there’s always something to do.
5. What is the next Final Fantasy game?
The next game in the Final Fantasy series, Final Fantasy XVI (alternatively Final Fantasy 16), will release on 22 June later this year. It’s being produced by Naoki Yoshida and directed by Hiroshi Takai, both of whom had a major say in the rebirth and renewed success of Final Fantasy 14.
We got our first look at the game during The Game Awards in 2022. Recently, we got another trailer for the game titled “Revenge”. You can check out the trailer below.
The game will be a PlayStation exclusive for a certain period of time, meaning it will be available exclusively on the PlayStation 5 on release. PC players are going to have to wait for some time to get their hands on it. However, there’s no news of an Xbox release as of now.
6. About Final Fantasy XIV Online
Final Fantasy XIV is an MMORPG developed and published by Square Enix.
Due to the failure of the game’s original 2010 version, the current one was made to address all the criticisms and features a new game engine, revamped gameplay, story as well as improved servers.
The vast improvements from the original version, as well as the introduction of new content on a daily basis, has been the cause for the game to be received with a largely positive reception and staying relevant after almost a decade since it’s release!
The game is available for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, Microsoft Windows, and macOS, with an Xbox One version currently in development.
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