The History of the Final Fantasy Series

The history of final fantasy series begins with a single Famicom cartridge that was supposed to be the last game its studio ever made and continues across nearly forty years of mainline RPGs, side games, films, MMOs, and remakes. Final Fantasy has reinvented its mechanics, its setting, and its tone more times than any other major Japanese RPG franchise. This piece walks through the mainline games from Final Fantasy I on the NES through Final Fantasy XVI on PS5, with stops at the entries that mattered most.

The 1987 NES original

Final Fantasy launched on the Famicom in December 1987, designed by Hironobu Sakaguchi at Square (now Square Enix). The studio was in financial trouble; Sakaguchi reportedly considered the game his last shot at success in the industry, and named it “Final Fantasy” in part for that reason. The game succeeded — it sold strongly in Japan, kept Square afloat, and launched what became one of the most important RPG franchises in gaming.

The original Final Fantasy was a turn-based RPG with party-based combat, customizable character classes (Fighter, Black Mage, White Mage, Monk, Red Mage, Thief), and a fantasy-with-airships setting. Most of the recurring series elements were established here: the Crystals as central magical artifacts, the recurring monsters (Chocobo would arrive in FF2), the elemental magic system, and the basic adventure structure.

The NES game arrived in North America in 1990 under the same name, alongside the Dragon Warrior (Dragon Quest in Japan) series that had pioneered the JRPG genre. The two franchises would define console RPGs for decades.

FF2 through FF6: the experimentation years (1988-1994)

Final Fantasy II (1988, NES) replaced experience-point leveling with skill-based progression — the more you used a skill, the better it got. The system was elegant in theory but exploitable in practice. FF2 also introduced Cid, a character name that would recur in nearly every subsequent Final Fantasy game in a different form.

Final Fantasy III (1990, NES) added the Job System — characters could change between different classes during the adventure. FF3 also introduced Moogles, the cute white-furred creatures that became series mascots. The game was Japan-only until a DS remake in 2006.

Final Fantasy IV (1991, SNES) introduced the Active Time Battle (ATB) system, which became a Final Fantasy signature for the next decade. ATB is technically turn-based but characters have action bars that fill in real time — turns are taken when the bar fills, creating a sense of pressure rare in pure turn-based combat. FF4 is also widely regarded as the entry where Final Fantasy’s storytelling became serious. The plot featured genuine character arcs, betrayals, and emotional weight.

Final Fantasy V (1992) refined the Job System; Final Fantasy VI (1994) — the swan song of the 2D era — featured an ensemble cast of 14 playable characters, a steampunk fantasy setting, and the iconic mid-game tragedy where the villain Kefka successfully ends the world (a structural twist still rare in RPGs).

Final Fantasy VII (1997): the global breakout

Final Fantasy VII launched on the Sony PlayStation in January 1997 (Japan) and September 1997 (North America). It was the first Final Fantasy on a CD-based console, the first to use 3D graphics, and the first that successfully sold the series to a mass Western audience. It became one of the bestselling games of all time on the PS1 and is one of the most influential RPGs ever made.

FF7’s design was ambitious. The 3D character models on pre-rendered 2D backgrounds were striking. Full-motion video cutscenes felt cinematic at a level previous games couldn’t match. The Materia system (slottable magic crystals that could be moved between characters) gave the combat depth without overwhelming new players. The story — Cloud Strife, the eco-terrorist group AVALANCHE, the villain Sephiroth, the death of Aerith — became one of the most-discussed video game narratives ever produced.

FF7 made Final Fantasy mainstream in the West. Sales reached over 12 million copies. Cloud and Sephiroth became globally recognized characters. The game spawned a “Compilation of Final Fantasy VII” multimedia project (the film Advent Children in 2005, the prequel game Crisis Core in 2007) and eventually the Final Fantasy VII Remake trilogy (Remake in 2020, Rebirth in 2024).

FF8, FF9, and the PS1 finale (1999-2000)

Final Fantasy VIII (1999) leaned harder into cinematic presentation, with a more realistic art style, a love-story focus, and the divisive Junction System for combat. The game was a commercial hit but has aged into a more polarizing reputation than FF7.

Final Fantasy IX (2000) was a deliberate return to the series’ fantasy roots — chibi character designs, a fantasy-medieval setting, a return to a more conventional party-based RPG structure. Many long-time fans consider IX their favorite. The game was released near the end of the PS1’s lifecycle and arrived with somewhat less fanfare than FF7 and FF8, but its reputation has grown over time.

FFX, FFXII, and the PS2 era (2001-2006)

Final Fantasy X (2001, PS2) was the first FF on the PS2, the first with fully voiced dialogue, and the first to replace random encounters with on-screen enemy positioning. The game’s “Sphere Grid” progression system, its emotional story (Tidus and Yuna’s pilgrimage through the world of Spira), and the Final Fantasy X-2 sequel (2003) marked a clear stylistic shift in the series.

Final Fantasy XI (2002) was the series’ first MMO, released for PS2 and PC. It was a moderate commercial success but is now mostly a footnote. Final Fantasy XII (2006), directed largely by Yasumi Matsuno (who’d designed Final Fantasy Tactics and Vagrant Story), introduced the Gambit system that automated combat decisions and used a more political, less melodramatic story structure. FF12 is divisive — many consider it underrated, others find it cold.

FFXIII and the FFXIV disaster (2009-2013)

Final Fantasy XIII (2009) was the first mainline FF on PS3 and Xbox 360. The game was visually stunning but mechanically and narratively controversial — the famously linear opening hours, the dense in-game terminology, the Paradigm Shift combat system — divided the fanbase. Two direct sequels followed (FFXIII-2 in 2011, Lightning Returns in 2013) without restoring full series momentum.

Final Fantasy XIV launched in September 2010 as a critical and commercial disaster. The game was unfinished, the user interface was broken, the gameplay was tedious. Square Enix took the extraordinary step of shutting down the game and rebuilding it from scratch under new director Naoki Yoshida. The result was Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn, released in August 2013.

FFXIV: A Realm Reborn and the MMO success (2013-present)

A Realm Reborn was a comeback story unique in gaming. The relaunched FFXIV started small but grew steadily through its expansions: Heavensward (2015), Stormblood (2017), Shadowbringers (2019), Endwalker (2021), and Dawntrail (2024). Each expansion has been better received than the last, with Shadowbringers and Endwalker in particular regarded by many MMO fans as the best storylines in the genre.

FFXIV has become one of the largest MMOs in the world. As of the mid-2020s it has over 30 million registered players (counting cumulative all-time accounts), an active subscriber base measured in the millions, and a community that includes both dedicated raid players and casual story-followers. Yoshida and his team rebuilt the game into one of Square Enix’s most reliable revenue sources and one of the most respected modern MMOs.

FFXV, FFXVI, and the action-RPG shift (2016-2023)

Final Fantasy XV (2016) had a famously troubled development — it was originally announced in 2006 as Final Fantasy Versus XIII for the PS3, then rebooted, then renamed, and finally released a full decade later. The result was an open-world action-RPG with a road-trip premise (Prince Noctis and his three friends traveling across the world) and real-time combat. The game was divisive but commercially successful.

Final Fantasy XVI (2023, PS5) leaned harder into the action-RPG direction. The combat was fully real-time with no party command system, designed by team members with Devil May Cry experience. The story leaned into mature, gritty themes — political intrigue, war, slavery — that broke from the more fantastical tone of earlier games. FFXVI was the most controversial mainline FF since XIII but also the bestselling Final Fantasy in some time.

The remakes and the FF7 trilogy

Final Fantasy VII Remake (2020) and Final Fantasy VII Rebirth (2024) are the first two parts of a planned trilogy retelling FF7. The remakes use modern action-RPG combat (closer to FFXV than to the 1997 original), expand the world with new areas and characters, and introduce metanarrative twists that suggest the remakes are technically a sequel-disguised-as-remake. The reception has been generally strong with intense fan debate over the timeline changes.

Other recent remakes include Final Fantasy III and IV pixel remakes, Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Reunion (2022, a remaster of the 2007 PSP prequel), and the Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster series (2021-2023, which collected the first six games in updated pixel art form).

The spin-offs and side games

Final Fantasy Tactics (1997, PS1) is one of the best tactical RPGs ever made and has a devoted following. Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles (2003, GameCube) experimented with multiplayer. Dissidia Final Fantasy (PSP fighter), Theatrhythm (rhythm game), World of Final Fantasy (chibi-style RPG), Kingdom Hearts (technically a Disney crossover but co-designed by Tetsuya Nomura with Final Fantasy DNA) — the spin-offs are numerous and varied.

The Final Fantasy Trading Card Game has run since 2011. Multiple anime adaptations, novels, and a notoriously expensive 2001 film (Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within, which lost Square’s animation division money and prompted layoffs) have been produced. The Final Fantasy franchise Wikipedia entry tracks the complete release history.

Why Final Fantasy keeps reinventing

Final Fantasy’s defining feature is that each numbered entry is mechanically and narratively independent. FF1 and FFXVI share almost nothing other than the brand, Cid, Chocobos, Moogles, and the basic idea of a heroic party adventure. Each entry can rebuild combat from scratch, choose a new setting, tell a new story, and adopt a new tone.

That structural openness is what’s let the series survive nearly four decades. When a particular FF stumbles (FFXIII, FFXIV at launch, sometimes FFXV) the next entry isn’t required to follow the same formula. The series can pivot. Few major RPG franchises have that kind of structural flexibility, and few have used it as aggressively as Final Fantasy. For a low-stakes break between FF marathons, the Chrome Dino game is the minimum-commitment one-tab game that asks nothing of you.

Frequently asked questions

When was the first Final Fantasy released?

Final Fantasy launched on the Famicom in Japan in December 1987. The NES version arrived in North America in 1990. The game was designed by Hironobu Sakaguchi at Square (now Square Enix), reportedly as a “final” attempt to save the financially struggling studio.

Are the Final Fantasy games connected?

No. Each numbered mainline entry has its own world, characters, and story. Recurring elements (Cid, Chocobos, Moogles, Crystals, certain monster names) appear across games but in different forms. The exceptions are direct sequels like FFX-2, FFXIII-2, the FF7 Remake trilogy, and the various expansions to FFXIV.

Which Final Fantasy is the best?

Common top picks include FF6, FF7, FF9, FFX, and FFXIV (especially Shadowbringers and Endwalker). The “best” is heavily generation-dependent — older fans tend to favor the SNES and PS1 entries, while newer fans often pick FFXIV or the FF7 Remake series.

Should I play Final Fantasy in order?

No. Because each game is independent, you can start anywhere. Common entry points include FF7 (the most influential), FFX (accessible PS2-era storytelling), FFXIV (if you want the MMO), and FFXVI (for modern action combat). Many fans suggest starting with whichever entry’s aesthetic and combat style appeals most to you.

What is FFXIV: A Realm Reborn?

A Realm Reborn is the relaunched version of Final Fantasy XIV. The original FFXIV launched in 2010 as a critical disaster; Square Enix shut it down and rebuilt the game from scratch under director Naoki Yoshida, relaunching it as A Realm Reborn in August 2013. The relaunched game became one of the most successful MMOs in history.

The takeaway

Final Fantasy’s history is the history of a franchise that refuses to settle. Nearly forty years and sixteen mainline entries in, the series is still capable of reinventing itself with each release. From the NES original through FFXVI’s real-time action combat, the series has produced multiple all-time-great RPGs and earned its place as one of the defining franchises in gaming. For a different kind of one-tab classic that demands nothing of you between Final Fantasy sessions, the T-Rex Runner is the arcade-minimalism contrast to JRPG sprawl.

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