17 mainline entries1987 — today
Final Fantasy
A last-ditch bet that became the RPG that defined a generation.
The story of the series
In 1987, a failing studio named Square released what it believed would be its final game — a fantasy RPG built in defiance of bankruptcy. It saved the company, named a genre, and began a series that has reinvented itself with nearly every numbered entry. Final Fantasy is the great chameleon of gaming: each mainline title throws out the combat system, the world, and the cast, keeping only a handful of recurring motifs — crystals, chocobos, a Cid, and a summoned bestiary. Across thirty-seven years it has moved from sprites to polygons, from turn-based menus to real-time action, and from cartridges to a multi-part cinematic epic.
Every release
The release timeline
From the first cartridge to the latest entry — every mainline game in the Final Fantasy series, in the order it reached players.
- 1987 · NES
Final Fantasy
The desperate original. Four Warriors of Light, four crystals, a class system — the JRPG foundation laid in one cartridge.
- 1988 · NES
Final Fantasy II
No levels — skills grow with use, and a scripted tragedy drives the story. The first time Final Fantasy bet on narrative over systems.
- 1990 · NES
Final Fantasy III
The job system arrives. Swap classes freely and build a party your way — the mechanical ancestor of every FF class game to come.
- 1991 · SNES
Final Fantasy IV
The ATB gauge is born — combat now has timing. A fixed, dramatic cast makes this the first truly cinematic Final Fantasy.
- 1992 · SNES
Final Fantasy V
The job system perfected, hidden inside a lighter, globe-trotting adventure. A fan favorite for its mechanical depth.
- 1994 · SNES
Final Fantasy VI
An ensemble of fourteen, a villain who wins, and an opera. The 16-bit peak — proof that games could carry real grief.
- 1997 · PlayStation
Final Fantasy VII
The breakout. Pre-rendered cities, a global eco-terrorist story, and the death that broke a generation’s heart.
- 1999 · PlayStation
Final Fantasy VIII
Junction systems, a romance, and a draw mechanic that divided players. Beautiful, strange, and unafraid to be unpopular.
- 2000 · PlayStation
Final Fantasy IX
A warm return to medieval fantasy and the series’ roots — a love letter to the classic era on the way out of the PS1.
- 2001 · PS2
Final Fantasy X
Voiced characters, the Conditional Turn-Based system, and the first true 3D world. The sphere grid rewrote progression.
- 2002 · PS2 / PC
Final Fantasy XI
A surprise MMO. Final Fantasy goes online and stays there for over two decades — a living world that outlived its successors.
- 2006 · PS2
Final Fantasy XII
Gambits program your party’s AI, and the combat feels near-real-time. A political, Ivalice-set epic ahead of its time.
- 2009 · PS3 / 360
Final Fantasy XIII
A linear, cinematic sprint with the Paradigm system. Gorgeous and divisive — the first HD Final Fantasy, and a lightning rod.
- 2013 · PC / PS3
Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn
The MMO rebuilt from disaster into one of the most beloved games in the genre. A redemption arc as dramatic as any in the series.
- 2016 · PS4 / Xbox One
Final Fantasy XV
A road trip with four friends, real-time combat, and an open world. Long in development, intimate in feeling.
- 2023 · PS5
Final Fantasy XVI
Dark fantasy, full action combat, and a political revenge story. The series leans hardest yet into cinematic, character-action play.
- 2024 · PS5
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth
The second part of the Remake trilogy — an open world across a reimagined planet, expanding the series’ most beloved story.
How it changed
What changed across releases
The Final Fantasy series never stood still. Here is how it reinvented itself, era by era.
The 8-bit foundation (1987–1990)
The first three games invented and then refined the class-based JRPG, swapping between fixed classes, use-based growth, and the flexible job system.
The ATB era (1991–1994)
The Active Time Battle gauge added urgency to turns, while IV, V, and VI pushed story, ensemble casts, and emotional stakes to the 16-bit ceiling.
The cinematic leap (1997–2001)
VII through X moved to discs, CGI, voice acting, and 3D — turning Final Fantasy into a global blockbuster and a showcase for each new console.
The online and open-world detours (2002–2016)
XI proved an MMO could carry the brand, XII gambited its way toward real-time, and XIII and XV chased linearity and openness in turn, each polarizing.
The action rebirth (2013–today)
A Realm Reborn salvaged the MMO into a juggernaut, while XVI and the VII Remake trilogy abandoned turn-based combat entirely for cinematic action — the biggest mechanical break in the series’ history.
