18 Best Numbered Final Fantasy Games, Ranked
Final Fantasy RPGs from Square Enix are known for being long. Which of the numbered games are the smallest and longest?
Final Fantasy is one of the most well-known RPG titles. Since it started more than 30 years ago, fans have gotten sixteen numbered titles and a lot of other games based on it. Because of how the genre works, every major game is long, but some are longer than others.
You might think that the later games would be the longest, but there are a few interesting exceptions. Both Final Fantasy 11 and Final Fantasy 14 are MMORPGs, but they won’t be on this list. Because of how the genre is put together, these names could go on forever.
Final Fantasy (16 1/2 Hours)
It shouldn’t come as much of a surprise that the first Final Fantasy game is also the smallest. The story isn’t too complicated, and getting through the game isn’t too hard, especially if you use a guide. Like other RPGs, you can level up to improve your stats and buy better gear as you discover new areas.
Even though it is mostly linear, Final Fantasy from 1987 still has a charm that is hard to ignore. In some ways, the short length of the main story makes the game easier to play now. If you’ve ever been interested in where the series came from, it shouldn’t take you more than a few rounds to roll credits.
Final Fantasy 3 (17 1/2 Hours)
Western players had to wait more than ten years for a remake of Final Fantasy 3 on the Nintendo DS, which came out in 2006. In the first Final Fantasy, you choose your class at the beginning and can’t change it, but in FF3, you can switch classes using the “job system,” which would become a staple of the series.
Even though the job system wasn’t as detailed as it would be in later games, FF3 was still a big step forward for the series. The original version of FF3 can be finished in less than 20 hours, but the remake for the DS will take you closer to 30.
Final Fantasy 4 (22 Hours)
Final Fantasy 4 was the first game in the series to come out on the SNES. The hardware was much better than its predecessor, but the game itself wasn’t much longer than the ones that came before it. It’s just over 22 hours long, which is just right. It never feels like it goes on too long.
FF4 is shorter than most 2D games, which is often seen as one of its best features. This is mostly because the story is more important than ever. The game makes it clear where you need to go to move the story forward, so you don’t have to spend as much time wondering around the world map. FF4 shouldn’t take more than 30 hours to finish, even if you want to get every item and do every side quest.
Final Fantasy 2 (23 1/2 Hours)
Similar to the Elder Scrolls series, Final Fantasy 2 tried to change things up by making stat growth depend on how many times a character used a certain skill. The method doesn’t always work, though, and it makes you want to hurt your own party in order to increase their stats. The sequels quickly got rid of this method, but you should still check out FF2 if you’re interested.
FF2, like many of the older Final Fantasy games, has gotten a lot of improved remakes that make the game easier to enjoy even if you don’t like the experience system. The Pixel Remaster version, which came out on PC in 2022 and on devices in 2023, is one of the best ways to play the game.
Final Fantasy 13-2 (28 Hours)
Now that most of the earlier games have been played, it’s time to move on to some of the newer ones. Even though Final Fantasy 13-2 is a sequel, it is much shorter than the game that came before it and the game that comes after it. It’s a good thing that it doesn’t last as long as the first game in this series, because if they all did, it might be too much for some people to finish.
There is a lot to do in this game besides the less than 30-hour story if you want to spend more time with it. If you want to be a completionist and do everything the game has to offer, it could take you up to 60 hours to do everything.
Final Fantasy 15 (28 Hours)
Even though Final Fantasy 15 seems like it should be one of the biggest games in the series, it’s actually one of the smallest, at least if you play straight through the story without getting sidetracked. The first few chapters of the game are open and have side tasks, so the total amount of time you spend playing will depend on how long you spend in these parts.
At first, the game feels very open, but after a while, it starts to feel more like a straight line, and the freedom you felt in the beginning is gone. If you do everything, there are still more than 50 hours of content, and some DLC lets you spend even more time with the main characters.
Final Fantasy 16 (30 Hours)
Final Fantasy 16 is an action-based game that changes the series as a whole. It is the first major game in seven years. This exclusive PlayStation 5 game focuses on the journey of one character instead of a group. It has an epic story with giant monster fights, deception, and more mature themes than any of its predecessors.
It’s also one of the easiest Final Fantasy games because the roads are straight and lead you to your next goal without much room to explore. If you keep going through the main story, you should finish Clive’s quest in about 30 hours. There are, however, a lot of other things to do in FF16 that can make it last up to 60 hours.
Final Fantasy 10-2 (30 1/2 Hours)
Final Fantasy 10-2 was the first sequel to a mainline Final Fantasy game. Even though it’s much shorter than the game before it, it still has just over 30 hours of improved story and gameplay. The PlayStation 2 version of 10-2 came out only a couple of years after FF10, and it was the first game in the series to have three party members who are all women.
Penalty Kick Online has a lot of things to do, and if you choose to do side jobs and other tasks, you can spend a lot more time in its world. It can take about 50 hours to finish the main story and all the extra stuff. While a “completionist run” can take more than 100 hours.
Final Fantasy 5 (32 Hours)
Final Fantasy 5, which is the second-to-last 2D game in the series, is often dwarfed by FF6. Don’t forget about it, though, because it’s a great experience. Even though the story isn’t very good, the job system is great. It wasn’t out in North America until 1999, when a port for the PlayStation came out.
Even though it came out a year after FF4, FF5 is much, much longer. Its main mission lasts about ten hours longer, for a total of 32 hours. The side stuff doesn’t add much to the game. And you can finish it in less than 40 hours even with all of it.
Final Fantasy 7 Remake (33 Hours)
Final Fantasy 7 Remake could be seen as more of a side story than a major story. But because of how big and ambitious it is, it has the same level of respect as the main series. Also, the gameplay feels like a natural extension of the active time fight system of the numbered games. Final Fantasy 7 Remake fixed all of the problems that FF15 had with its gameplay.
Like the Resident Evil remakes, this version of FF7 finds a way to combine updated gameplay and images with a familiar story. Even though only the first few hours of the original game are in this remake. It will still take you more than 30 hours to play through its story.
Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy 13 (33 1/2 Hours)
The third and final game in the Final Fantasy 13 series is a lot longer than the second. But not nearly as long as the first. Lightning Returns is the last major game before FF15. And it has a great story and one of the best battle systems in the series. It’s a controversial entry, but if you liked 13 and 13-2, you’ll probably like how everything ends.
If you only do the main quest, it will take you just over 33 hours to finish Lightning Returns and see the credits. There is always more to do in a FF game, though, and it can take anywhere from 40 to 70 hours to find and do all the side tasks and other optional things.
Final Fantasy 6 (35 Hours)
Most fans think Final Fantasy 6 is one of the best RPGs ever made. Even if they compare it to the most famous 3D games. FF6 was different from most JRPGs at the time. Because of how it was set up and how the story changed in the middle of the game. Kefka is still one of the most dangerous and evil bad guys in the game.
As the last 2D FF game, it’s amazing that it’s longer than all the others. At exactly twice the length of the first FF. This is the best way to say goodbye to the series before FF7 moves to 3D models. Of course, you can play FF6 for just over 60 hours and see everything it has to offer.
Final Fantasy 7 (36 1/2 Hours)
Final Fantasy’s first 3D game was a big deal not only because of how it looked. But also because it made JRPGs popular in the West. Before FF7, this type of game was mostly seen as a niche. But it went on to become one of the best-selling PlayStation games of all time, second only to Gran Turismo. Even though there is FF7 Remake, the original is still a great game.
If you play FF7 on the original PlayStation, it will take you just under 37 hours and a few disc swaps to save the world from Sephiroth. If you play any of the updated versions of the game on a current console, you can cut this time down by a lot because different settings can speed up the game and make battles easier.
Final Fantasy 9 (39 Hours)
After Final Fantasy 7 and 8, where the worlds were based more on science fiction. The last FF game for the original PlayStation went back to a more standard look. It was nice to go back to a world with more magic, like in the NES and SNES games.
Even though closing Fantasy 9 can be played for an average of 40 hours. You can only get the Excalibur II weapon if you reach the closing dungeon within 12 hours. It’s a hard task, but modern re-releases make it easier by letting you skip movie scenes and turn off random encounters.
Final Fantasy 8 (40 Hours)
FF games were the longest they’ve ever been at the end of the PlayStation era and up until the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 eras. Even if you skip all of FF8’s extra stuff, it will still take you close to 40 hours to finish. The length of Final Fantasy 8 can also be changed by how much time you spend playing Triple Triad, an extra card game.
Even though the Junction System is unique, it slows down fights because most of the time. Players use their turns to draw spells from their enemies over and over again. The fact that the re-release can speed up game play makes this less of a problem, though. The last dungeon is also hard, and you may have to grind for hours to get through it.
Final Fantasy 12 (40 1/2 Hours)
FF12 tries hard to feel like a big game. You will have to walk across big areas, giving you the feeling of really going on an adventure across an entire continent. The game play is also different. Instead of random encounters, enemies can be seen wandering around the environments.
The original version of FF12 had slow fighting and exploration. In 2017, a new version of the game called FF12: The Zodiac Age came out. Which was improved and made the game twice as fast. Even with this ability, a completionist run can still take more than 100 hours to finish.
Final Fantasy 10 (46 Hours)
Square came out strong on the PlayStation 2. Final Fantasy 10 has one of the most detailed worlds of any Final Fantasy game. It also has beautiful images. It was also the first game in the series to get a sequel, which was called Final Fantasy 10-2. Even though it doesn’t have a standard world map. It still has a lot of things to do in the endgame.
The storyline for Final Fantasy 10 is a jaw-dropping 46 hours long, which is longer than games like God of War: Ragnarok and Metal Gear Solid 5. If you want to do all the side tasks, it can take up to 70 hours. And a full completionist run can take up to 150 hours.
Final Fantasy 13 (48 Hours)
The first book in the Final Fantasy 13 trilogy was daring and caused a lot of controversy. It is one of the most controversial books in the series. Most people either love it or hate it, mostly. Because it takes so long for the story to start and for key game systems to become available. It would be strange if another mainline Final Fantasy game had a story that was almost as long as Final Fantasy 13’s, which was almost 50 hours long.
Even though it has a long story, it doesn’t have nearly as much extra stuff as games like Final Fantasy 10 or 12. Final Fantasy 13 is about 50 hours long. But if you play it all the way through, it’s about 100 hours long. It’s not for everyone, but the time it takes to build the world and get to know the people pays off in the end and in the two sequels that came after it.
