If you’re a complete newcomer to the Final Fantasy series, the breadth of numbered entries and various different spinoffs can be intimidating. You may look at all of the different gameplay styles that change out for each installment and wonder which game, if any, would be a right fit for you. So here, we will break down the best Final Fantasy games to help you get into the series! For the sake of simplicity, I’m only going to be discussing mainline titles here, since these are the ones that define the franchise. If you want to explore fun spinoffs like the slick Dissidia fighting games or the chaos-filled Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin afterward, then that’s great too!
The Best Final Fantasy Games to Get Started with the Series
Final Fantasy IV
Because Final Fantasy is an anthology series, each new game has an entirely different setting and cast of characters, mostly carrying over themes and ideas between each installment. A mechanic that would be first introduced in Final Fantasy IV is the Active Time Battle (ATB) system, which added an extra element of speed and excitement to the menu-based combat. This would be the predominant gameplay of the series until at least Final Fantasy X, so starting off with the game that introduces it makes sense.
But Final Fantasy IV is also arguably the most beginner-friendly game in the series. The plot is fairly linear (but highly engaging for its era) with party compositions being made for you. Party members will join and leave your party throughout the story, allowing you to experiment with different roles and party compositions. Grinding is rarely a thing, and with quality-of-life additions like fast-forwarding combat added to the Pixel Remaster version, you can finish the game in well under 20 hours. Final Fantasy IV also just establishes a lot of foundational ideas of the RPG genre in general, and it would become an important influence on much more than just future Final Fantasy titles.
All six of the Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster games are readily available on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation, PC, and mobile too. If you don’t want to be overwhelmed right out of the gate, this is the best one to go with.
Final Fantasy VI
Considered by many to be the best Final Fantasy game, Final Fantasy VI takes what worked in Final Fantasy IV and cranks it up dramatically. While IV limited your party and where you could visit at which time, VI has plenty of party composition customization and nonlinearity in the second half of the game. You can break the game easily by teaching party members certain spells or pairing certain combinations of characters together as you just lay waste to any enemy around you. The best part is that when you reach the second half of the game, you’re free to open up and explore the world however you want, completing sidequests with tangible rewards all to prepare you for the best climax in the entire series.
And the reason why that final boss is so satisfying has entirely to do with how good the story is. Final Fantasy VI tells a story of nature versus humans, magic versus machine, with the largest central party the series has ever seen, including fan-favorite characters like the thief Locke, the playboy Setzer, the compassionate soldier Celes, and their ultimate antagonist, the mad jester Kefka. The game builds up this wonderful story with a shocking twist halfway through that propels the cast into uncharted territories, featuring several monumental moments that stuck with gamers for years. If you’re a fan of RPGs that offer up more experimentation, Final Fantasy VI is the way to go, and you can also find it as part of the Pixel Remaster series on modern consoles.
(However, even though we haven’t dedicated a full entry to it here, it is definitely worth checking out Final Fantasy V if all you care about is party customization. It has some of the best customization and replayability in the franchise.)
FInal Fantasy VII
This is by far the most popular entry in the series. Final Fantasy VII is what brought the franchise into the mainstream and made it into one of the go-to franchises on PlayStation 1. Fans were clamoring for years for a remake, and whether or not their words had any weight, it didn’t change the fact that Final Fantasy VII did get a remake for modern consoles. But for as good as Final Fantasy VII Remake is, it’s not the best way to experience the plot of Final Fantasy VII. For now, that title is still held by the original PS1 game.
Final Fantasy VII features a mixture of the elements that worked so well in previous entries. There’s a lot of customization that players have access to, and the game features a wonderful cast of characters. It’s fairly linear for most of its runtime, allowing newcomers to clearly progress through the narrative and see many scenes that have become iconic for the entire medium. It’s not exactly the prettiest game to look at now, but Final Fantasy VII really elevates the story that was present in earlier games. Before the stories were compelling, but now with more dynamic camera angles and a soundtrack with stronger audio capabilities, Final Fantasy VII took the series to an entirely different level.
Final Fantasy XIV
Unlike every other game in the series except XI, Final Fantasy XIV is an MMORPG, one that has been ongoing in its current form for nearly a decade. With several expansion packs and tons of minor updates, Final Fantasy XIV is a thriving MMO that has had players raving about it for years. The people who love Final Fantasy XIV really love Final Fantasy XIV, and thanks to a lot of its accessible features, anyone can get in and enjoy it. That makes it one of the best Final Fantasy games to get into the series with.
I’m not partial to MMOs personally, but even I gave Final Fantasy XIV a go when it first released and found a lot to like. I had never played an MMO before, but the game guided me through several early areas and I learned quickly how to play. Before long, I was joining in raids and playing through the surprisingly solid story. And I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the soundtrack of the game, which is ostensibly just a primer on why Final Fantasy music is so good. Due to its active status and a plethora of content for newcomers to experience, Final Fantasy XIV is for those gamers who are looking to lose themselves to a gargantuan and highly detailed world for months, if not years.
Final Fantasy XVI
Longtime fans may deem it a bit controversial putting Final Fantasy XVI on this list over beloved, largely traditional entries like IX and X, but this is a list about which games will best help newcomers get into the series — and XVI fits the bill. You can play a demo of this story-driven action game on PlayStation 5 at this very moment.
Featuring cutting-edge graphics and fast-paced action, as well as plenty of spectacle, Final Fantasy XVI is shaping up to be a bold new direction for the series. It’s Final Fantasy for a generation of people who love Game of Thrones storytelling and/or the combat of games like Devil May Cry, with tons of abilities to unlock and customize. It’s definitely not a turn-based RPG anymore, but it is still a grand Final Fantasy adventure with an ability to entice a lot of people — maybe you?
If enough new gamers dive into XVI and love what they see, maybe the style and gameplay of XVI will be the new series standard moving forward. (Or maybe it will become Call of Duty.) Or if people are dissatisfied, at least there are plenty of other entries in the series to experiment with and find out which one works for you. That’s the joy of Final Fantasy, and hopefully this will help all you new gamers out there decide which game in the franchise will be your best jumping-on point to get into the series!
