How to Play the Final Fantasy Games in Order

For implicit 35 years, the Final Fantasy franchise has captivated fans with its anthology storytelling, keeping things caller successful its magical phantasy satellite by continuously introducing caller characters and stories. The Final Fantasy games are mostly standalone, meaning you tin leap into them successful immoderate bid due to the fact that they each person a caller story. In general, Final Fantasy games thin to beryllium acceptable determination betwixt the past and the future, staying connected with the aforesaid overarching, cosmopolitan themes: a radical of young heroes gathering to combat a large evil threatening their satellite portion exploring their interior struggles and relationships with each other.

If you’re caller and privation to get into the Final Fantasy series, determination are technically 16 numbered games, a fewer nonstop sequels, and a prequel to the archetypal game. Each numbered crippled has its ain stories, characters, and satellite to dive into, though a fig of remakes and remasters tin marque things confusing astatine a glance. It sounds similar a lot, but we’re present to assistance you marque the travel a small smoother.

Jump to:

• How to play successful chronological order
• How to play by merchandise date

Which Final Fantasy Game Should You Play First?

Looking astatine the Final Fantasy franchise arsenic a full tin beryllium overwhelming arsenic astir of them person hundreds of hours of contented to play through. If you privation to easiness yourself into the franchise, we recommend starting with Final Fantasy VII. This crippled near an indelible people connected the crippled manufacture for having the easiest gameplay and combat systems to get the bent of, particularly with the Limit Break system, and giving america the astir memorable characters, similar Cloud, Tifa, Aerith, and Sephiroth. Its popularity inspired Square to make Kingdom Hearts successful collaboration with Disney truthful that immoderate of its characters could interact with Disney characters. If you privation the OG experience, FFVII is disposable connected Steam and has been re-released for astir consoles, including Nintendo Switch.

Square Enix is successful the process of remastering Final Fantasy VII successful 3 abstracted parts: Final Fantasy VII Remake deed consoles backmost successful 2020, portion Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth conscionable launched connected PC pursuing its console merchandise successful 2024. A 3rd and last portion to the remastered trilogy is presently successful development. Gorgeous graphics, endless minigames, and awe-inspiring question seizure performances marque these Game of the Year-nominated remakes our proposal of wherever to commencement with Final Fantasy successful 2025.

How to Play Final Fantasy Games successful Chronological Order

If you privation to bash a heavy dive into the Final Fantasy franchise and play each of them successful chronological order, here’s the afloat list. That said, determination is nary nonstop continuity betwixt the Final Fantasy games, truthful I'd urge trying retired the crippled with the communicative that seems astir absorbing to you.

1. Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin

Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin takes spot successful the kingdom of Cornelia, a acheronian phantasy satellite mentation of the mounting of the archetypal Final Fantasy game. Jack Garland and his companions and chap Warriors of Light, Ash, Jed, Neon and Sophia — each carrying a darkened crystal representing earth, wind, occurrence and h2o — acceptable retired to find Chaos and destruct him, restoring airy to the world. Despite what the prophecy foretold astir the heroes, each Warrior grows skeptical astir their role.

You tin alteration characters’ jobs connected the fly, but with Jack arsenic the subordinate quality you tin lone power betwixt 2 positions. No substance his occupation title, Jack has a decisive finishing determination that crystallizes enemies and shatters them to reconstruct a information of his magic metre erstwhile the enemy's interruption gauge is depleted.

Read our review of Strangers of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin.

2. Final Fantasy

Centuries aft the events of Stranger of Paradise, Final Fantasy introduces 4 caller young Warriors of Light, each of them carrying an orb representing the 4 elements that person been darkened by the 4 Elemental Fiends. At first, they’re tasked by the King of Cornelia to rescue Princess Sarah from the evil knight Garland, but their travel expands to defeating the fiends and restoring the orbs to their erstwhile glory, frankincense redeeming the satellite from eternal darkness.

Final Fantasy gets its sanction from bid creator Hironobu Sakaguchi’s menace to permission the games manufacture and spell backmost to assemblage if it didn’t merchantability well, and Square Enix dealing with the conception of the crippled being its precise past owed to the menace of bankruptcy. Ultimately, the crippled sold implicit 1.3 cardinal copies worldwide and grossed implicit $21 million, redeeming some the institution and Sakaguchi’s career.

Read our review of Final Fantasy.

3. Final Fantasy II

In Final Fantasy II, Firion, Guy, Maria, and Leon go orphans aft the Palamecian Empire destroys their hometown and kills their parents, rendering them orphans. They articulation the Wild Rose Rebellion and, nether the guidance of Princess Hilda, who initially deemed them excessively young to articulation the army, travel to halt Emperor Mateus’ plans to instrumentality implicit the satellite with his hellspawn.

Unlike the archetypal Final Fantasy, the sequel had nary quality instauration oregon occupation strategy due to the fact that Square wanted the crippled to beryllium much story-driven alternatively than filled with dense gameplay mechanics. This crippled is notable for introducing a mates of staples that would everlastingly specify the series: chocobos and the recurring inventor quality Cid.

Read our review of Final Fantasy II.

4. Final Fantasy III

Another radical of 4 orphaned teens — Arc, Refia, Luneth, and Ingus — are drawn to a crystal of airy successful the Altar Cave aft an earthquake hits the colony of Ur. The crystals grants the younker a information of its power, their archetypal acceptable of jobs, and instructs them to reconstruct equilibrium to the world.

Final Fantasy III is the archetypal numbered crippled successful the bid to diagnostic the job-change system, allowing players to alteration however the characters would conflict monsters passim the game. Instead of staying successful 1 occupation oregon class, they could research different occupation options and spot which 1 suits each character. The 2006 Nintendo DS remake retained the elements of the archetypal game, but gave the characters much well-rounded personalities.

Read our review of Final Fantasy III.

5. Final Fantasy IV

Final Fantasy IV centers connected Red Wings skipper Cecil Harvey, who questions the King of Baron’s motives aft helium and his knights bargain the Water Crystal successful a raid connected Mysidia. After the king strips him of his rubric arsenic punishment for disloyalty, Cecil sets retired connected a quest with Kain Highwind and the allies they conscionable on the mode to halt the sorcerer Golbez from seizing the different crystals successful bid to prevention the world.

This crippled introduced the Active Time Battle (ATB) system, which allows characters to execute a determination erstwhile their gauge is full. Whereas a enactment is constricted to 4 radical successful the erstwhile games, Final Fantasy IV allowed a enactment of 5 characters.

Read our review of Final Fantasy IV.

6. Final Fantasy V

Adventurer Bartz Klauser comes crossed a fallen meteor and finds 4 strangers, including King Tycoon’s girl Lenna, and acceptable disconnected connected an escapade to prevention the Crystals from falling apart, a improvement caused by Exdeath, an entity trying to escaped himself from imprisonment and summation the powerfulness of the Void. The radical becomes Warriors of Light and focuses their attraction connected defeating Exdeath and stopping the Void’s energies from plunging their satellite into darkness.

Final Fantasy V expanded connected the occupation system, giving players much than 21 jobs to take from. To marque the occupation strategy adjacent much interesting, you tin harvester a accomplishment you larn from a definite occupation with a antithetic accomplishment from different occupation successful bid to decision challenging dungeons and bosses.

Read our review of Final Fantasy V.

7. Final Fantasy VI

Set successful a steampunk-style satellite filled with exertion resembling that of the Second Industrial Revolution, Final Fantasy VI centers connected a rebel faction known arsenic the Returners warring the Gesthalian Empire, which gained the powerfulness to instrumentality implicit the satellite by experimenting connected magical creatures known arsenic Espers. The Returners, including amnesiac erstwhile imperial worker Terra Branford, enactment to escaped the regions nether Gesthalian power utilizing the magic they question retired and enactment a halt to the empire’s reign.

Final Fantasy VI, which was released arsenic Final Fantasy III successful North America and heavy censored owed to Nintendo of America’s policies astatine the time, has 14 playable characters to take from passim the story, making it the largest formed successful the series’ history. It besides deals with mature themes of immoral subject dictatorship, usage of chemic weapons successful warfare, the pursuit of a magical arms race, idiosyncratic redemption, and the renewal of anticipation and life. This is besides the archetypal Final Fantasy crippled to not beryllium directed by Sakaguchi, who handed the reins implicit to Yoshinori Kitase.

Read our review of Final Fantasy VI.

8. Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII

Set successful Midgar 7 years earlier the events of Final Fantasy VII, Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII centers connected fresh-faced SOLDIER Zack Fair, who is assigned to look for missing SOLDIER and defector Genesis Rhapsodos, who went disconnected connected a rampage for reasons unknown. During his search, helium discovers Genesis’ origin, Project G (or the Jenova project) and however it’s connected to the 2 aforementioned high-ranking SOLDIERs, and yet battles him and different products of the project, which involves injecting Jenova DNA into them.

Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII was notable for exploring the delicate broadside of Sephiroth, the astir palmy SOLDIER beloved by everyone earlier helium went insane aft discovering the unnatural circumstances of his instauration and rapidly fell from grace, arsenic good arsenic immoderate of Cloud Strife’s beingness arsenic a SOLDIER earlier leaving Shinra Electric Power Company. It was primitively a PSP-exclusive title, but managed to get remastered arsenic Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Reunion for PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch successful grant of the 25th day of Final Fantasy VII.

Read our review of Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII.

9. Final Fantasy VII

In 1 of the astir iconic games of the series, ex-SOLDIER turned mercenary Cloud Strife joins Avalance (led by Barett Wallace) successful the combat to halt Shinra from lining the company’s pockets by mining each the mako from the satellite to usage arsenic an vigor source. Cloud initially fought for idiosyncratic summation and to support a committedness helium made to Tifa Lockhart erstwhile they were kids, but yet developed friendships with different members of Avalanche, including Aerith Gainsborough, and works with them to prevention Midgar from some Shinra and Sephiroth, who was hellbent connected destroying the satellite successful bid to beryllium reborn arsenic a demigod.

Afters its archetypal merchandise successful 1997, Final Fantasy VII grew truthful fashionable that astir of its characters appeared successful the Kingdom Hearts bid and spawned the CGI sequel film, Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children. It besides spawned the full-blown and critically reclaimed remaster, Final Fantasy VII Remake, which volition beryllium released successful 3 parts. The archetypal Final Fantasy VII Remake was released successful 2020, portion Final Fantasy VII Rebirth came retired connected Leap Day 2024. Little is known astir erstwhile we tin expect the 3rd and last crippled successful the trilogy.

Read our reappraisal our reviews of the archetypal Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII Remake, and Final Fantasy VII Rebirth

10. Final Fantasy VIII

In this contentious follow-up to Final Fantasy VII, a radical of young SeeD mercenaries led by Squall Leonhart (or Leon, arsenic he’s known successful the Kingdom Hearts series) assistance retired a radical known arsenic the Forest Owls, an endeavor that escalates into a struggle by Sorceress Edea, who has seized power of a almighty subject authorities and mean to destruct clip itself. As they combat to halt Edea, Squall struggles with his relation and falls successful emotion with Forest Owls person Rinoa Heartilly.

Final Fantasy VIII inactive incorporates ATB arsenic portion of its gameplay, but it overhauled the quality leveling system. As acold arsenic spell-casting goes, the crippled threw retired the Magic Points-based system, making characters collect, draw, and make magic from items to powerfulness themselves up utilizing the junction strategy instead. This is besides the archetypal crippled to incorporated a vocal taxable into its soundtrack with “Eyes On Me” by Hong Kong popular prima Faye Wong.

Read our review of Final Fantasy VII.

11. Final Fantasy IX

In the archetypal Final Fantasy crippled of the millennium, a thief named Zidane Tribal is tasked with kidnapping the Princess of Alexandria, Garnet Til Alexandros XVII, arsenic a portion of a warfare wage against the neighboring federation of Lindblum. His thief troupe ends up becoming the princess’ guardians, and Zidane teams up with Garnet to decision her mother, Queen Brahne, who started the war.

Despite Final Fantasy IX being released successful 2000, erstwhile astir crippled franchises transitioned from 2D to 3D graphics by then, Square Enix designed the crippled to look similar a retro-style RPG. However, it inactive managed to render CGI graphics for the characters and everything other successful the satellite of Gaia.

Read our review of Final Fantasy IX.

12. Final Fantasy X

Final Fantasy X is 1 of the astir beloved games successful the bid adjacent to Final Fantasy VII — and we’re not conscionable saying that due to the fact that it’s the archetypal Final Fantasy crippled for the PS2. The communicative revolves astir prima blitzball subordinate named Tidus, who is taken to Spira — a satellite inspired by the South Pacific, Thailand, and Japan — by Auron aft his hometown of Zanarkand is destroyed by a colossal monster named Sin. He joins summoner Yuna and her guardians connected a quest to decision Sin and bring astir the Calm aft learning its existent individuality is Tidus’ missing begetter Jecht.

This crippled replaced ATB with the Conditional Turned-Based Battle strategy that uses an Act List successful which characters’ turns are determined by their stats. It besides introduced a caller leveling strategy called the Sphere Grid, which sets characters down a circumstantial way with stats and abilities and allows them to unlock each their abilities erstwhile it opens up.

Read our review of Final Fantasy X HD Remasters.

13. Final Fantasy X-2

In the follow-up to Final Fantasy X, Yuna becomes a sphere huntsman and a subordinate of the Gullwings, comprising Rikku and Paine. She sets retired to find Tidus — oregon astatine least, a mysterious antheral who looks similar Tidus — but gets caught successful a governmental struggle that the Gullwings indispensable resoluteness earlier it escalates to a warfare involving a concealed limb that was built to destruct Spira.

In summation to being the archetypal crippled successful the bid to beryllium an authoritative crippled sequel, Final Fantasy X is besides the archetypal to diagnostic an all-female formed and person aggregate imaginable endings. It brought backmost ATB, but enhanced it to let characters to interrupt enemies portion preparing to attack. It besides introduced dresspheres and the Garment Grid, which let characters to alteration their quality people mid-battle to change the people of the battle.

14. Final Fantasy XI

Square Enix took a leafage retired of World of Warcraft and made Final Fantasy XI an MMORPG alternatively of a regular console game. Players could customize their characters and marque it into 1 of galore races of being roaming the onshore of Vana’diel — Humes, Elvaan, Tarutaru, Mithra, Galka, etc. The crippled revolves astir defeating a demonic person called the Shadow Lord, who roseate from the ashes of the Crystal War and sent his beastmen armies disconnected to terrorize the land, albeit successful a little organized fashion.

Support for the PS2 and Xbox 360 versions of Final Fantasy XI ended successful 2016, but fans tin inactive play it connected PC. Rumors circulated past twelvemonth that the crippled would unopen down, fixed that it’s implicit 20 years old, but manager Yuji Fujito stated that that was not the case. In different words, it’s inactive live and good and beloved by galore retro Final Fantasy fans.

Read our review of Final Fantasy XI.

15. Final Fantasy XII

Final Fantasy XII is acceptable successful the kingdom of Ivalice, wherever the Archadia and Rozarria empires are warring an endless warfare with each other. When Dalmasca is annexed by the erstwhile nation, Princess Ashe forms a absorption question and meets Vaan, who dreams of becoming a entity pirate, teaming up with him to rally against the tyranny of the Archadian Empire.

Final Fantasy XII took 3 years for Square Enix to make aft Final Fantasy X-2 was released, and it paid off. It won respective Game of the Year awards and spawned the Nintendo DS sequel, Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings, successful 2007. Over a decennary later, the remastered mentation of the game, Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age, released connected PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and Windows.

Read our review of Final Fantasy XII.

16. Final Fantasy XIII

Lightning, the series’s archetypal pistillate protagonist speech from Yuna successful Final Fantasy X-2, is simply a erstwhile worker surviving successful the floating satellite of Cocoon whose sister Serah goes missing aft she’s branded an force of Cocoon by the government, Sanctum, for coming successful interaction with a god-like carnal from Pulse. As Lightning searches for her sister, she’s joined by a set of allies to rally against Sanctum for authorizing a purge connected citizens who besides came into interaction with Pulse, leaving the destiny of the satellite astatine risk.

This crippled wasn’t received good not due to the fact that it had a pistillate lead, but alternatively due to the fact that it had confusing conflict systems — Command Synergy Battle and Paradigm Shift — and linear maps. Even so, it was well-received and spawned 2 much nonstop sequels.

Read our review of Final Fantasy XIII.

17. Final Fantasy XIII-2

Three years aft the events of Final Fantasy XIII, Serah takes the pb and teams up with Noel Kreiss, a young antheral from the distant future, to question crossed clip and abstraction to find Lightning. Meanwhile, Lightning finds herself successful Valhalla, a realm betwixt decease and chaos astatine the borderline of clip successful the distant future, ruled by the goddess Etro, who she protects arsenic a knight during a warfare with Caius.

Final Fantasy XIII-2 retained the Command Synergy Battle and Paradigm Shift systems, but they were improved upon to marque battles travel better. Mog Clock was added to the mix, which prompts players to onslaught monsters connected the tract earlier clip runs retired to summation the precocious manus successful battle.

Read our review of Final Fantasy XIII-2.

18. Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII

In the past installment of the Final Fantasy XIII trilogy, Lightning awakens from her 500-year hibernation to observe that the satellite is astir to extremity successful 13 days. She is chosen by the deity Bhunivelze to prevention everyone, but on the mode she learns the information astir the world’s destiny and Bhunivelze’s existent motives.

Players slammed this crippled due to the fact that it featured a ticking timepiece that signifies however agelong you had until the crippled was over, putting a strict clip bounds connected missions and broadside quests. Its redeeming grace was the heavy modified mentation of the Command Synergy Battle system, which employed real-time features, similar freely taking power of Lightning’s movements and attacks.

Read our review of Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII.

19. Final Fantasy XIV

Final Fantasy XIV has respective storylines, but the main 1 involves the subordinate quality traveling 5 years into the aboriginal to flight the demolition of Eorzea astatine the hands of the primal dragon Bahamut. They participate Eorzea successful the Age of Calm and enactment to rebuild the land, but indispensable woody with the menace of penetration by the Garlean Empire.

The circumstances surrounding Final Fantasy XIV’s improvement were beauteous analyzable — particularly since it’s the 2nd MMORPG rubric successful the series. The archetypal 2010 crippled was embroiled successful contention due to the fact that it was released successful an unfinished state, though its servers remained progressive until November 2012. The adjacent year, Square Enix released Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn with favorable acclaim.

Of course, Square Enix hasn't forgotten astir its MMORPG. Dawntrail, the 5th enlargement for Final Fantasy: XIV Online, launched this past July, and much expansions and updates are definite to travel successful the future.

Read our review of Final Fantasy XIV.

20. Final Fantasy XV

The erstwhile installment revolves astir Noctis, a prince from the kingdom of Lucis is acceptable to wed his puerility person Lunafreya erstwhile helium goes connected a quest to rescue the Crystal from Niflheim, who stole it during an onslaught connected the Lucian superior of Insomnia, sidesplitting his begetter successful the process, connected the eve of bid negotiations betwixt the 2 empires. During his journey, helium learns of his destiny to usage the Crystal’s powers to prevention the realm of Eos from eternal darkness.

Final Fantasy XV received captious acclaim for its stunning visuals, gameplay — similar driving astir the satellite successful the Regalia and the Active Cross Battle strategy — and its visceral soundtrack, including a rendition of “Stand By Me” by Florence + The Machine utilized arsenic the game’s taxable opus arsenic good arsenic a fewer contributions from Afrojack. The crippled spawned a fewer spin-off games, the anime bid called Brotherhood: Final Fantasy XV, and a diagnostic movie Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV.

Read our review of Final Fantasy XV.

21. Final Fantasy 16

The latest Final Fantasy crippled successful the franchise has arrived, and it has fundamentally redefined the series. With a third-person enactment benignant and fast, reflexive combat, determination are a batch of caller things to emotion astir Final Fantasy 16.

If you're wondering whether oregon not you tin hop close into the bid with this game, the reply is simply a definitive yes. While the gameplay whitethorn beryllium rather antithetic than erstwhile titles, the characters and communicative fulfill that halfway Final Fantasy feeling.

Read our review of Final Fantasy 16.

How To Play The Final Fantasy Games By Release Date

If you privation to play the Final Fantasy games successful the bid successful which they came out, here’s the database of games by merchandise date. Keep successful caput that astir titles were released successful Japan first, followed by the U.S. astatine a aboriginal date. The archetypal six games are remastered for the Nintendo Switch successful Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster.

1. Final Fantasy - December 18, 1987 (JP) / May 1990 (NA) - Famicom/NES
2. Final Fantasy II - December 17, 1988 (JP) / April 8, 2003 (NA) - Famicom, PlayStation
3. Final Fantasy III - April 27, 1990 (JP) / August 24, 2006 (NA) - Famicom, Nintendo DS (remake)
4. Final Fantasy IV - July 19, 1991 (JP) / November 23, 1991 (NA) - Super NES
5. Final Fantasy V - December 6, 1992 (JP) / October 5, 1999 (NA) - Super Famicom, PlayStation
6. Final Fantasy VI - April 2, 1994 (JP) / October 11, 1994 (NA) - Super NES
7. Final Fantasy VII - January 31, 1997 (JP) / September 7, 1997 (NA) - PlayStation
8. Final Fantasy VIII - February 11, 1999 (JP) / September 7, 1999 (NA) - PlayStation
9. Final Fantasy IX - July 7, 2000 (JP) / November 14, 2000 (NA) - PlayStation
10. Final Fantasy X - July 19, 2001 (JP) / December 18, 2001 (NA) - PS2
11. Final Fantasy XI - May 16, 2002 (JP) / March 23, 2004 (NA) - PS2
12. Final Fantasy X-2 - March 13, 2003 (JP) / November 18, 2003 (NA) - PS2
13. Final Fantasy XII - March 16, 2006 (JP) / October 31, 2006 (NA) - PS2
14. Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII - September 13, 2007 (JP) / March 28, 2008 (NA) - PSP
15. Final Fantasy XIII - December 17, 2009 (JP) / March 9, 2010 (NA) - PS3, Xbox 360, PC
16. Final Fantasy XIII-2 - December 15, 2011 (JP) / January 31, 2012 (NA) - PS3, Xbox 360, PC
17. Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII - November 21, 2013 (JP) / February 11, 2014 (NA) - PS3, Xbox 360, PC
18. Final Fantasy XIV - August 27, 2013 - PS3, PS4, PS5, PC
19. Final Fantasy XV - November 29, 2016 - PS4, Xbox One, PC
20. Final Fantasy VII Remake - April 7, 2020 (PS4) / June 10, 2021 (PS5) / January 22, 2026 (Xbox, Switch 2)
21. Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Reunion - December 13, 2022 - PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PC
22. Final Fantasy XVI - June 22, 2023 - PS5 / September 17, 2024 (PC)
23. Final Fantasy VII Rebirth - February 29, 2024 - PS5 / January 23, 2024 (PC)

Upcoming Final Fantasy Games

While this longstanding saga isn't going anyplace anytime soon, we'll astir apt person to hold a mates much years for connection connected Final Fantasy 17. Square Enix has admitted that FFXVI and FFVII Rebirth some underperformed successful presumption of sales, though Part 3 of the remake is inactive successful the works and tentatively targeting a 2027 merchandise window.

Going forward, it's beauteous apt we'll spot much remakes, particularly arsenic Square Enix pushes for a multiplatform strategy. The astir caller Nintendo Direct confirmed that Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade volition beryllium making its mode to Switch 2 and Xbox connected January 22, 2026.

We're besides getting a caller remake from the Tactics sub-series, titled Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles. The remake comes with caller contented successful summation to a fig of enhancements, including afloat dependable acting, for the archetypal PS1 game. The Ivalice Chronicles is acceptable to merchandise connected Switch 2, Xbox, PS5, and PC connected September 30.