Ever since the first Final Fantasy title was released in 1987, the devs have released over 90 games, with 20 being core to the series. But as these titles were released in no apparent order, it’s hard to know which order to play the Final Fantasy games in.
What’s the best order to play the Final Fantasy games in?
Even though there are nearly 100 games with “Final Fantasy” in their title, not all are considered mainline games as most are spin-offs. There are only 21 games in the series that are included in the mainline series, and the best order to play them is based on their number, which means playing them in the following order:
- Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin
- Final Fantasy
- Final Fantasy 2
- Final Fantasy 3
- Final Fantasy 4
- Final Fantasy 5
- Final Fantasy 6
- Crisis Core: Final Fantasy 7
- Final Fantasy 7 (There’s also Final Fantasy 7 Remake and the upcoming Final Fantasy 7: Rebirth that are great to play here as well)
- Final Fantasy 8
- Final Fantasy 9
- Final Fantasy 10
- Final Fantasy 10-2
- Final Fantasy 11
- Final Fantasy 12
- Final Fantasy 13
- Final Fantasy 13-2
- Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy 13
- Final Fantasy 14
- Final Fantasy 15
- Final Fantasy 16
It’s important to note that you can play these games in whatever order you want, as they each have their own storylines and can be played as stand-alone games.
But the order doesn’t matter because there’s practically no continuity between the mainline series titles. The only things that carry over from previous games are the themes, monsters, and different versions of the same characters, such as Moogles, a recurring race of creatures, or the engineer named Cid.
So, you can start with any game in the mainline series you want to without worrying about jumbling up the plot and missing out on essential progressions in the story.
If we were to recommend a starting game for new players, it would be the origin story or the first game in the series, Final Fantasy, so you can experience the essence and roots of the game. Final Fantasy can also be purchased as part of a remastered bundle on Steam that features the first game until the sixth game, Final Fantasy 6. But if you do not like the old-school pixel graphics and slightly outdated gameplay, I’d start with FF7.
While there is no proper order to play the main Final Fantasy titles because they are considered stand-alone games, this is how we recommend playing them because it’s easier to remember your place when you’re working from one to 16.
Or you can try the Star Wars movie method, which means playing from FF7 to FF16 and then from Origin to FF6. Ultimately, it’s up to you.
