The Final Fantasy series, one of the largest franchises in gaming history, has become a legendary name among gamers, even among ones who have never played the game, thanks to the effective word-of-mouth promotion of its excellence.
The franchise has been active for over three decades, with the first game appearing in 1987 and the next edition scheduled for Summer 2023.
However, if you’re a player who hasn’t waded into the Final Fantasy series yet, the sheer size of the franchise’s library may come as a bit of a shock. Final Fantasy games number close to triple digits, with precisely 95 titles in the series’ history.
We know it might be difficult to determine where to start when first discovering the series, what with there being so many games available. We’re here to assist you with that little problem, so don’t worry.
In this article, we’ll tell you all the final fantasy games in order of their release.
How Many Games in the Fantasy Games Series?
In totality, there are 95 games in the series of “Final Fantasy”, but not all of them are considered mainline games. Most of them are just spinoffs of the original series. The core series consists of just 15 games, or 16 if you count Final Fantasy X-2, the sequel to X, as a separate entry.
Most of the games are just spin-offs, standalone titles which don’t have any order. This also applies to the main series order. It can be played in random order and doesn’t have any series to connect. You may be confused by the numbered games i.e. Final Fantasy I or Final Fantasy II, but that is not the case. It can be played in any sequence.
The primary series titles are totally unrelated to one another and there is almost no connection between them. Although, there are some themes and monster that which series carry throughout its games i.e. Moogles, a recurring race of creatures, or the engineer named Sid. Â In simple words, you can start the series with any game in the series without worrying about the sequence.
All Final Fantasy Games in Order by Release Date
It is good to know that the fantasy games series can be played in any order unless it is a direct prequel or sequel to the main series. You may select whatever Final Fantasy to play since they all take place in their own unique universes.
Most people like to start the series with VII remake, VI, and X, and go on to the other part of the series.
Direct sequels to previous games are usually denoted by adding a “-2,” such as in Final Fantasy X-2, a sequel to Final Fantasy X. In the case of the sequels, starting with the original game and then going to the sequel. Spinoffs such as Final Fantasy Tactics, the Chocobo series, and the Dissidia series are also available.
But, in this list, we have only mentioned the mainline series i.e. 17 in numbers. Here’s the list of the mainline series.
1. Final Fantasy – 1987
Release date:Â December 18th, 1987
Supported Platforms:Â NES, MSX, WonderSwan Color, PlayStation, Game Boy Advance, iOS, Android, Playstation Portable, Windows Phone
2. Final Fantasy II – 1988
Release date:Â December 17th, 1988
Platforms:Â Famicom, WonderSwan Color, Playstation, Game Boy Advance, Playstation Portable, iOS, Android, Windows Phone
3. Final Fantasy III – 1990
Release date:Â April 27th, 1990
Platforms:Â Famicom, NES, Nintendo DS, Wii U, Windows, Android, iOS, Windows Phone, Playstation Portable
4. Final Fantasy IV – 1991
Release date:Â July 19th, 1991
Platforms:Â SNES, Playstation, WonderSwan Color, Gameboy Advance, FOMA 903i/ 703i, Playstation Portable
5. Final Fantasy V – 1992
Release date:Â December 6th, 1992
Platforms:Â Super Famicom, Playstation, Gameboy Advance, iOS, Android, Windows
6. Final Fantasy VI – 1994
Release date:Â April 2nd, 1994
Platforms:Â SNES, Playstation, Gameboy Advance, Android, iOS, Windows
7. Final Fantasy VII – 1997
Release date:Â January 31st, 1997
Platforms: Playstation, Windows, Android, iOS, Playstation 4, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One
8. Final Fantasy VIII – 1999
Release date:Â February 11th, 1999
Platforms:Â Playstation, Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch, Playstation 4, Xbox One
9. Final Fantasy IX – 2000
Release date:Â July 7th, 2000
Platforms:Â Playstation, Microsoft Windows, iOS, Android, Playstation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch
10. Final Fantasy X – 2001
Release date:Â July 19th, 2001
Platforms:Â Playstation 2
11. Final Fantasy XI – 2002
Release date:Â May 16th, 2002
Platforms:Â Playstation 2, Microsoft Windows, Xbox 360
12. Final Fantasy XII – 2006
Release date:Â March 16th, 2006
Platforms:Â Playstation 2, Microsoft Windows, Playstation 4, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One
13. Final Fantasy XIII – 2009
Release date:Â December 17th, 2009
Platforms:Â Playstation 3, Xbox 360, iOS, Android, Microsoft Windows
14. Final Fantasy XIV – 2010
Release date:Â August 27th, 2013
Platforms:Â Playstation 3, Microsoft Windows, Playstation 4, Xbox One, OS X
15. Final Fantasy XV – 2016
Release date:Â November 29th, 2016
Platforms:Â Playstation 4, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows, Stadia
16. Final Fantasy VII Remake – 2020
Release date:Â 10 April 2020
Platforms:Â PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Microsoft Windows
17. Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin – 2022
Release date:Â 18 March 2022
Platforms:Â PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4
Which “Final Fantasy” Game is the Best?
You must be wondering which one is the best final fantasy game in the series. But, there are many debates over the best game in the series. While most fans feel that Final Fantasy 7 is the best of the series, some websites like Metacritic would disagree.
Final Fantasy IX has the highest score on Metacritic, with Final Fantasy VII not far behind. The Final Fantasy VI on the GBA comes in at a tight third, ranking just ahead of Final Fantasy X at fourth. While Final Fantasy VIII has a higher Metascore, Tactics Advance has a better user score, therefore the two games are practically tied for fifth place.
To conclude, the best final fantasy game depends upon the user and there is no ready reckoner for this. So, start the final fantasy series and let us know your best game of all.
