Final Fantasy is less one continuous saga than a long-running RPG laboratory. The numbered games usually stand alone, sharing motifs like crystals, chocobos, summons, Cid, and dramatic party arcs rather than a single world or chronology. That makes it unusually flexible for newcomers: you can start with a modern remake, a pixel classic, a tactical branch, or a big cinematic entry without needing a timeline primer.
SINCE 1987 · 20 GAMES
▶ WHERE DO I START?
The original crystals-and-Warriors-of-Light quest: simple, rough, and still the blueprint for the name Final Fantasy.
10 releases & editions
The odd second game swaps levels for use-based growth and starts the series habit of changing systems radically.
9 releases & editions
The first big job-system Final Fantasy, finally made widely available in its original form through the Pixel Remaster.
5 releases & editions
Cecil, Kain, and the Active Time Battle system push Final Fantasy toward sharper character drama and faster combat.
10 releases & editions
A job-system playground where party builds matter more than melodrama, loved for how freely it lets you break encounters.
8 releases & editions
A ruined world, an ensemble cast, and the series' most famous 16-bit tragedy make VI the classic Final Fantasy to beat.
9 releases & editions
A brilliant tactical RPG where job builds and political tragedy make Ivalice feel sharper than a normal spin-off.
3 releases & editions
Cloud, Midgar, materia, and Sephiroth turn Final Fantasy into a global PlayStation-era phenomenon.
7 releases & editions
A divisive, stylish romance about mercenary students, memory, and the junction system that lets stats bend wildly.
8 releases & editions
A warm return to castles, black mages, and theatrical adventure that quietly becomes one of the series' most emotional games.
7 releases & editions
Tidus and Yuna cross Spira in the first voiced Final Fantasy, pairing a clean turn system with pilgrimage tragedy.
9 releases & editions
The DS remake gives the four Onion Knights names, 3D models, and the first worldwide version of Final Fantasy III.
5 releases & editions
Ivalice turns Final Fantasy into political fantasy with programmable party behavior and MMO-like field flow.
7 releases & editions
A harder, fully voiced remake of Final Fantasy IV that adds augments and reframes the SNES drama through 3D staging.
4 releases & editions
The MMO that famously rebuilt itself, turning a failed launch into one of Square Enix's biggest long-running RPGs.
5 releases & editions
A road-trip action RPG about Noctis and his friends, messy in structure but memorable for its party intimacy.
3 releases & editions
Midgar becomes a full action-RPG chapter, reimagining Final Fantasy VII as both remake and sequel-minded mystery.
5 releases & editions
A unified remaster line for Final Fantasy I-VI, preserving the pixel-era arc with modern conveniences.
4 releases & editions
A darker action-RPG Final Fantasy built around Eikons, revenge, and character-action combat.
2 releases & editions
The second FF7 remake-project entry opens the world beyond Midgar and turns the old journey into a bigger, stranger road trip.
4 releases & editions