Series guide
All Final Fantasy games in order
By Lenn Hodes · founder — every cartridge tested by hand
Final Fantasy is a series of fresh starts: sixteen numbered games since 1987, and almost none of them share a world. That is why the order is confusing — and why Europe’s order is worse, because the first six games arrived here years late under different numbers. Below are all sixteen numbered games in release order, then the VII Remake trilogy, with the platforms linked and buying notes for the cartridges and discs we stock and test.
The short answer
I (1987) → II → III → IV → V → VI (1994) → VII (1997) → VIII → IX → X (2001) → XI (online) → XII (2006) → XIII (2009) → XIV (online) → XV (2016) → XVI (2023). The VII Remake trilogy runs Remake (2020) → Rebirth (2024) → Revelation (2027). Start anywhere — no two numbered games share a story.
Tested Final Fantasy games in stock
DS, Game Boy and PS5 copies — every cartridge and disc play-tested on real hardware and listed exactly as it is.
Mystic Quest (Final Fantasy Adventure)
Personally tested · Good condition
Final Fantasy Adventure — original manual
Personally tested · Good condition
Final Fantasy XII Revenant Wings
Personally tested · Good condition
Final Fantasy III
Personally tested · Good condition
Final Fantasy XVI
Personally tested · Good condition
Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Reunion
Personally tested · Good condition
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth
Personally tested · Good condition
Every numbered Final Fantasy in order
- Final Fantasy · 1987 · NES — the one that saved Square; Europe first got it in 2003 on the PS1 Origins disc and in 2004 on the GBA cartridge Dawn of Souls
- Final Fantasy II · 1988 · NES — levels replaced by skills that grow with use; shares the Origins disc and the Dawn of Souls cartridge with the first game
- Final Fantasy III · 1990 · NES — the job system; never left Japan until the 3D remake on Nintendo DS in 2006 — for Europe that cartridge is the original release
- Final Fantasy IV · 1991 · Super Nintendo — sold as Final Fantasy II in America; Europe got it on GBA (2006) and as the 3D DS remake (2008)
- Final Fantasy V · 1992 · Super Nintendo — the deepest job system of the 2D games; first in Europe on the PS1 Anthology disc (2002), then GBA (2007)
- Final Fantasy VI · 1994 · Super Nintendo — Final Fantasy III in America; Europe got it on PS1 (2002) and GBA (2007), and it is many players’ favourite
- Final Fantasy VII · 1997 · PlayStation — Cloud, Sephiroth, Midgar — the first Final Fantasy released in Europe at all, three discs on PS1
- Final Fantasy VIII · 1999 · PlayStation — Squall and the junction system; remastered in 2019
- Final Fantasy IX · 2000 · PlayStation — the return to crystals and fantasy after two futuristic games; Europe’s copy came in 2001
- Final Fantasy X · 2001 · PlayStation 2 — the first with voices and the first direct sequel (X-2, 2003); both in the HD Remaster on PS4 and Switch
- Final Fantasy XI · 2002 · PS2, PC — the first online Final Fantasy — an MMO, still running on PC, never a single-player game
- Final Fantasy XII · 2006 · PlayStation 2 — Ivalice and the gambit system; Revenant Wings on DS (2007) is its direct sequel and a real-time strategy game
- Final Fantasy XIII · 2009 · PS3, Xbox 360 — Lightning’s trilogy: XIII-2 (2011) and Lightning Returns (2013) followed on the same consoles
- Final Fantasy XIV · 2010 · PC — the second MMO; relaunched as A Realm Reborn in 2013 (also on PlayStation since then) and now the biggest game in the series
- Final Fantasy XV · 2016 · PS4, Xbox One — Noctis and the road trip; ten years in the making, and the last mainline game on PS4
- Final Fantasy XVI · 2023 · PlayStation 5 — Clive Rosfield and the Eikons — a full action game in which you control Clive alone, the biggest break with the turn-based past
The Final Fantasy VII Remake trilogy in order
The remake of VII is three full games, not one — and the prequel about Zack fits between the first two.
- Final Fantasy VII Remake · 2020 · PS4, PS5 (Intergrade 2021) — part one of the trilogy: Midgar only, expanded to a full game
- Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Reunion · 2022 · PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox, PC — the PSP prequel about Zack, rebuilt — play it between Remake and Rebirth
- Final Fantasy VII Rebirth · 2024 · PS5 (Xbox and Switch 2 in 2026) — part two: leaving Midgar, the open world, the Gold Saucer — the biggest game of the three so far
- Final Fantasy VII Revelation · 2027 · PS5, Switch 2, Xbox, PC — part three and the end of the trilogy, announced for 8 April 2027 on all four platforms at once
Do you have to play them in order?
No. Each numbered game has its own world, cast and rules; the numbers only show when they came out. The exceptions are the direct sequels — X-2 follows X, XIII-2 and Lightning Returns follow XIII, Revenant Wings follows XII — and the VII Remake trilogy, which retells and reshapes the 1997 game across three parts. What the order does show is the shape of the series: 2D turn-based on Nintendo until VI, the PlayStation era from VII, the move to action combat that XV started and XVI completed.
Which Final Fantasy should you buy now?
- The modern entry point: Final Fantasy VII Remake, then Rebirth — Rebirth is a PS5 disc, Remake also exists on PS4.
- Pure action: Final Fantasy XVI — the Eikon battles are the spectacle of the series.
- Classic turn-based on a handheld: Final Fantasy III or IV on DS — region-free cartridges that play on any DS or 3DS.
- The 2D peak: Final Fantasy VI Advance on GBA — check that the cartridge still saves.
- Strategy instead: Tactics Advance (GBA), Tactics A2 (DS) or the 2025 Ivalice Chronicles on Switch and PS5.
Buying Final Fantasy second-hand
Mystic Quest on Game Boy is not Final Fantasy
The Game Boy cartridge sold in Europe as Mystic Quest is Final Fantasy Adventure — the first game in the Mana series, later remade as Sword of Mana. It is a fine action RPG, but it is not a numbered Final Fantasy, and it is not the SNES Final Fantasy Mystic Quest either (that one was called Mystic Quest Legend here). Three names, three different games.
The DS cartridge is the first European release of Final Fantasy III
Final Fantasy III never left Japan until the 2006 DS remake, so that cartridge is the first version Europe ever had — and the 3D remake is a different experience from the 2021 Pixel Remaster, with the job system intact but a new look. The DS Final Fantasy IV is the same kind of 3D remake, with voiced cutscenes. Both are region-free and run on every DS, DS Lite, DSi and 3DS.
Dawn of Souls is two games on one GBA cartridge
Final Fantasy I & II: Dawn of Souls holds both NES games with bonus dungeons, and it is the cheapest way to own the first two on a cartridge. IV, V and VI Advance each carry one game with extra content over the SNES originals. On any GBA cartridge the save is the thing to check second-hand — we test it on every copy before it is listed and say what we found.
PS4 discs play on a PS5
Final Fantasy XV, VII Remake, XII The Zodiac Age and the X/X-2 Remaster on PS4 all run on a PlayStation 5 with a disc drive. XVI and Rebirth are PS5-only discs. A PS5 Digital Edition has no drive at all, so a disc is no use to it.
Every copy tested before it is listed
Booting, gameplay, saving, disc and label condition — checked on real hardware. We have been doing this since 2019, with 1400+ verified reviews at 5.0★, and we ship tracked to all 27 EU countries. Originals only; if something ever turns out not to be genuine, you get your money back.
Browse tested PlayStation gamesQuestions we get asked
Do I need to play the Final Fantasy games in order?
No. Every numbered Final Fantasy is a new world with new characters; only the direct sequels connect (X-2 to X, XIII-2 and Lightning Returns to XIII, Revenant Wings to XII) and the VII Remake trilogy, which should be played Remake → Rebirth → Revelation with Crisis Core as the prequel.
How many Final Fantasy games are there?
Sixteen numbered games, of which two (XI and XIV) are online games. Add the direct sequels, the VII Remake trilogy, the Tactics and Crystal Chronicles branches, Type-0, the Theatrhythm rhythm games and the mobile titles and the count runs well past fifty.
Which Final Fantasy should I start with?
Final Fantasy VII Remake if you want the modern series, IX or X if you want the classic turn-based one, VI if you want the best of the 2D games. XVI is the one to pick if you prefer action combat.
What is the newest Final Fantasy game?
Final Fantasy XVI (June 2023) is the newest numbered game. After it came Final Fantasy VII Rebirth (February 2024) and Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles (30 September 2025). Final Fantasy Resonance, the first HD-2D game in the series, arrives on 22 October 2026, and Final Fantasy VII Revelation closes the Remake trilogy on 8 April 2027.
Which Final Fantasy games are on a Nintendo cartridge?
GBA: I & II Dawn of Souls, IV, V and VI Advance, and Tactics Advance. DS: III, IV, XII Revenant Wings, Tactics A2, Crystal Chronicles Ring of Fates and Echoes of Time, and The 4 Heroes of Light. 3DS: Theatrhythm and Curtain Call, and Explorers. Switch: the Pixel Remaster of I to VI, X/X-2, XII, Crisis Core Reunion and the Ivalice Chronicles.
Do you ship outside the Netherlands?
We ship to all 27 EU countries with track & trace. Parcels leave from the Netherlands, there are no customs charges within the EU, and your country’s exact rate appears at checkout before you pay.
Years given are the first release, usually in Japan; the European route for the early games is in each note. Onze Nintendo DS-collectie in het Nederlands.