Every Final Fantasy Game, Ranked By Length

Final Fantasy has been entertaining gamers for more than three decades, rarely taking a break between mainline entries and spin-offs. RPGs are generally never short affairs, so fans definitely get plenty of bang for their buck when jumping into one of these many worlds. Each of the Final Fantasy games takes quite a while to complete, with these completion figures calculated in howlongtobeat.com.

Related

10 Epic RPGs That Can Be Beaten Surprisingly Fast

RPGs tend to be massive time sinks. Luckily, a few epic games exist that are both ambitious and relatively short.

Posts

Players love the Final Fantasy games because of their epic stories and riveting side content, leading to them spending hours upon hours in these games without any regrets. Each and every title in the series is a blast in its own right despite its problems, and players can definitely find the hours fly by as they get invested in these amazing titles.

Updated on June 19th, 2024, by Ritwik Mitra: Final Fantasy is one of the most popular JRPG franchises around which continues to stay in the mainstream despite the varying quality of its games. There was a time when each and every Final Fantasy title was a must-play in the eyes of many, even if the modern games that have come out aren't all that noteworthy for some. Still, the games in this series boast a lengthy playtime and are almost always value-for-money purchases that fans can't get enough of. That being said, some Final Fantasy games are longer than others, but keep in mind that the length of a title should never decide its overall quality.

30 Dirge Of Cerberus: Final Fantasy 7

12.5 Hours

When it comes to the additions made to the lore of Final Fantasy, there's no denying that Dirge of Cerberus is perfect for players who loved the storytelling in Final Fantasy 7 and wanted to see one of its beloved optional characters get some time in the spotlight. Vincent Valentine's tragic story is a tear-jerker, and players will find their hatred of Hojo increased even more after this game is done.

Unfortunately, while the narrative may be engaging, most people found the gameplay in Dirge of Cerberus to be rather clunky, with the shooting mechanics being barely serviceable in the eyes of many. It's a shame that this title didn't execute its gameplay concepts all that well, as the rest of the package is pretty entertaining regardless.

29 Final Fantasy

18 Hours

The tale that started it all holds up surprisingly well due to its straightforward nature and charm. Of course, gamers are better off playing one of the many ports instead of the NES original. The first release is plagued with weird bugs, causing certain vital gameplay mechanics to function abnormally.

The optimal version is the 20th-anniversary edition released for the PSP. Its sprite art is gorgeous and doesn't look jarringly cartoonish like the updates done to some of the later 2D Final Fantasy games.

28 Final Fantasy 2

24.5 Hours

The second game in the series is often remembered as one of the worst. It pushed things forward with a more nuanced story, but the gameplay veered far from what fans are now accustomed to. The idea of characters leveling up as abilities were used led to the stats easily being broken by players attacking their own party members.

Still, it's not horrid or unplayable by any stretch of the word. People looking to play through all of the games won't find this one a slog. Plus, it's still on the relatively short side of things.

27 Crisis Core: Final Fantasy 7

25 Hours

Given how much of a role Final Fantasy 7 played in making the series more mainstream in the West, it's easy to see why Square Enix went all out in fleshing out the story of this title. This led to the rise of Crisis Core, a prequel with Zack Fair as the protagonist, as he inherited the Buster Sword and formed a lasting friendship with Cloud.

Final Fantasy 7 veterans knew how this story would end, but that didn't stop many players from shedding a tear at the game's ending. It's a great title that doesn't overstay its welcome, and players who missed out on the PSP classic can check out a modern remake that overhauls the gameplay to make it more accessible and appealing to the masses.

26 Stranger Of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin

27.5 Hours

The idea of retelling the story of the first Final Fantasy game with real-time action elements is certainly a bold initiative and Stranger of Paradise does its best with this concept. Featuring a cheesy story and fun characters, the script of Final Fantasy Origin is the perfect example of something that is just hammy enough to become endearing to fans.

The game itself features a ton of fanservice for fans of the series, even if the level design itself can be slightly rudimentary at times. Fans of the series will love the bold initiative to change up the story of the first game, with the protagonist's edgy attitude actually serving the story in its own way.

25 Final Fantasy 12: Revenant Wings

32.5 Hours

Final Fantasy 12 was an interesting experiment that had its fair share of fans, with the ensemble cast and high-stakes narrative making it a beloved entry in the series despite the many changes — good and bad — it brought to the table. Most people don't know that this game received an official sequel on the Nintendo DS, which makes for a pretty lengthy adventure overall.

Related

Every Final Fantasy Protagonist, Ranked

Square Enix's Final Fantasy franchise is responsible for some of gaming's greatest protagonists. Which ones are the best in the JRPG series?

Posts

The mission-based structure and large amount of gameplay content meant that most players who check out the vast majority of cwhat the game has to offer would easily cross the 30-hour mark. The story of Vaan, Penelo, and the rest of the cast is interesting and makes for a fun continuation of a tale set in the world of Ivalice.

24 Final Fantasy 3

36.5 Hours

The third entry sees silent protagonists come back for a more straightforward adventure than its predecessor. Gamers in the West did not know this, however, since they could not get their hands on it until the Nintendo DS 3D remake.

Despite the simplicity of its narrative, it'll take longer than the prior two. Like the first game, however, its charm and whimsy keep players glued to the screen the whole time, making the hours fly by like an airship.

23 Final Fantasy 5

36.5 Hours

Final Fantasy 5 often gets left out of the conversation. It's not quite an all-time great, but it's not as flawed or outdated as Final Fantasy 2, so it kind of just sits there on its own. Still, one will find just as engrossing a world as the others if they take the plunge.

Really, it's hard to go wrong with any of the two-dimensional outings. Not many games this old can occupy gamers' time for more than thirty--five hours.

22 Final Fantasy 4

38 Hours

While Final Fantasy 4 isn't the first one to have a more complicated narrative, it is often seen as the first one that did it right. Because of its strong story, the gameplay is relatively straightforward, and it is always easy to know where the next objective lies. Unless one is stuck at a combat encounter, the game should be a breeze to whisk through in less than a day's worth of gameplay.

Final Fantasy 4 is also followed up by a sequel, though it is less celebrated than the other sequels from the series. It's a shame, but fans who love this universe can definitely check out this new chapter if they wish.

21 Final Fantasy 6

41 Hours

The second half of this game brought a new element to the series, giving players a then-unprecedented level of choice on how to approach tackling objectives. This not only makes it years ahead of other games in the series but also ahead of its time when it comes to the JRPG genre in general.

After the halfway point, one can even dart towards the finish without seeing everything on the newly transformed world map, cutting down game time significantly. However, one is a fool if they don't take a look at everything one of the most celebrated 2D JRPGs of all time has to offer. Anybody wondering how long it takes to beat Final Fantasy 6 should be pleasantly satisfied to know it takes a solid 41 hours, a decent runtime even for modern JRPGs.