Though it first debuted on Nintendo consoles, the genre-defining Final Fantasy franchise is now considered a PlayStation series by many. Several of its most iconic entries were released exclusively for Sony's systems, and, though many can now be played on PC, Xbox, or Switch, games like Final Fantasy VII Remake and Final Fantasy XVI suggest that the special relationship between Sony and Square Enix is still very much alive.
At the time of writing, there are 15 Final Fantasy games available on the PlayStation 4; a figure that will soon rise to 21 when Square Enix brings the six titles from its Pixel Remaster project to consoles. In the meantime, though, PS4 players still have access to plenty of excellent Final Fantasy games, as evidenced by the ranked list below.
Updated December 29, 2022, by Tom Bowen: Having started life on the NES way back in the late eighties, Final Fantasy is now widely considered to be a PlayStation franchise. Many of its biggest entries were released exclusively for Sony's long-running line of systems, with others often coming to PlayStation consoles long before making their way to Xbox and PC. With this in mind, it should come as little surprise that there are so many Final Fantasy games available on the PlayStation 4. Granted, not all of them are must-plays, but the majority of them are definitely worth a look if nothing else.
15 A King's Tale: Final Fantasy XV
A King's Tale: Final Fantasy XV is a 2D brawler spinoff from the series fifteenth entry. It effectively serves as a prequel to the game and stars Noctis’ father Regis and his friends who are on a similar journey to the one that his son would later take in Final Fantasy XV.
On paper, a retro-themed Final Fantasy brawler sounds like a wonderful idea, but, sadly, the execution leaves quite a lot to be desired. Worse still, the game doesn't feature co-op, which, considering the genre and how simple it would have been to implement, seems like a massive oversight on the developer's part.
14 Monster Of The Deep: Final Fantasy XV
Monster Of The Deep: Final Fantasy XV is another standalone spinoff game that was borne from Final Fantasy XV. It's a PSVR exclusive title and offers up an expanded version of the fishing game that can be found in the main campaign. This may sound a little dull at first, but it actually works surprisingly well.
The VR effect is, at times, quite stunning and there's a surprising amount of depth and variety on offer as well. Unfortunately, however, the game was a little pricey for what was ultimately just a mini-game, which, when combined with the PSVR's relatively low install base when compared to the PS4 itself, led to mediocre sales.
13 Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles Remastered Edition
The original GameCube version of Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles was an innovative multiplayer experience when it first launched back in 2004 for the North American market. It wasn't the most accessible game out there, however, as players technically needed four Game Boy Advance handheld systems in order to make it fully work.
The game's remastered edition, which was released in mid-2020, didn’t change all that much when it came to gameplay and graphics, which is perhaps one of the main reasons why it ended up receiving such average reviews. It's far from a terrible game though and one that fans of the franchise would do well to check out.
12 Dissidia Final Fantasy NT
Dissidia Final Fantasy NT was first released in Japanese arcades back in 2015 and is the third entry in the once PSP-exclusive Dissidia fighting game series. When the game finally came to home consoles in 2018, it added a few things that didn't make it into the original release, though also ended up leaving out some content in the process.
The most controversial omissions came in the form of numerous missing game modes, which had been popular in the PSP games that preceded NT. Worse still, the console release locked certain content away behind DLC paywalls. All that aside, it's actually a pretty decent fighting game, though it perhaps lacks the kind of depth needed to remain relevant for more than a few months.
11 Final Fantasy Type-0 HD
Final Fantasy Type-0 is an action RPG that was first launched in Japan in 2011 for the Sony PSP. The game never made its way West, but did eventually get an English patch translation, so most series fans had all but given up any hope of it ever coming to the states in an official capacity.
Fast forward to 2015, however, and not only did the game receive a full North American release, but it did so as part of an HD remaster project which tweaked a lot of the gameplay mechanics on top of polishing up the visuals. It isn't quite on the same level as a mainline entry but served as a pretty decent warm-up act for Final Fantasy XV, which was released the following year.
10 Final Fantasy VIII Remastered
Just in time for the game's 20th anniversary, Square Enix gave Final Fantasy VIII the full remastered treatment. For context, this is a game that was first released in 1999 for the PlayStation 1, so bringing it up to somewhere that's even close to modern-day remaster standards was no easy feat for the team behind the project.
VIII was the last of the mainline Final Fantasy games released on the PS1 to get a remastered version for PS4 and other home consoles. This is probably because many see it as the black sheep of the family, with very few people holding it in the same high regard as the series' sixth, seventh, ninth, and tenth entries.
9 World Of Final Fantasy
World Of Final Fantasy was a PS4 and PS Vita release before eventually making its way onto other consoles. It's a bit like Kingdom Hearts, but exclusively for the Final Fantasy franchise; in that the two main heroes travel to regions from across the mainline entries in the series as part of the game's central narrative.
In terms of gameplay, World Of Final Fantasy is a bit like Pokemon, with players able to catch and battle miniature versions of some of the series' many iconic monsters. Granted, there's nowhere near as much depth as there is in a traditional Pokemon game, but, for a Final Fantasy title, it's still incredibly unique.
8 Final Fantasy XV
Final Fantasy XV spent over a decade in the oven and, as a result, went through many changes during its time in development. Whether all of the hype — not to mention all of the money that was spent creating the game — was really worth it is a matter for debate, though there's a pretty strong argument for the answer being "yes."
Final Fantasy XV did the series right; providing it with its first true open-world adventure. Then there's the innovative new battle system, which would later go on to form the basis of the one used in Final Fantasy VII Remake. It should also be noted that XV received a demake for iOS — Final Fantasy XV: Pocket Edition — which later came to the PS4.
7 Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age
Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age is a remaster of the series' twelfth entry and was released around the same time as the game's tenth anniversary. It adds a surprising amount of new content, while also tidying up the graphics and menus and providing some much-needed quality-of-life updates.
Final Fantasy XII was a PS2 exclusive in 2006, before making its way to the PS4 in 2017 and other consoles in the years that followed. It bridged the gap between Final Fantasy XI’s MMO style of combat and more traditional gameplay and story themes from some of the other games in the series.
6 Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Reunion
Due to it having been released exclusively on the PSP, not a lot of people got a chance to play Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII when it was first released back in 2007. More than a decade and a half later though, a remake of the game, Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Reunion, was released across multiple platforms, including on the PlayStation 4.
Given that Final Fantasy VII Rebirth will not be coming to the PS4, it was starting to look as though Reunion may well be the last Final Fantasy game to make its way to the platform. However, to celebrate the series' 35th anniversary, Square Enix announced that the Pixel Remaster collection would also be coming to the console, ensuring that every mainline Final Fantasy game will be available on the PS4 by the spring of 2023.
5 Final Fantasy IX
Final Fantasy IX was the last mainline game in the series to be released on the PS1 when it launched in July of 2000. It was intended to be a return to the series’ roots thematically, and, if the universal acclaim that the game received is anything to go by, it seems safe to say that the developers really hit the ball out of the park in this regard.
Seventeen years on, the game was celebrated again with a somewhat basic remaster, which offers up some visual upgrades as well as cheats for things like fast-forwarding and making the party invincible. The PS4 versions of Final Fantasy VIII and Final Fantasy VII also got these upgrades, though IX arguably got a raw deal when compared to the other two games.
4 Final Fantasy XIV
Though many still prefer PCs when it comes to playing MMORPGs, that's not to say that there aren't still viable options for console gamers. One of those comes in the form of Final Fantasy XIV, which was released for the PS4 back in April of 2014 and remains popular even to this day.
Visually, the game looks almost as good as the PC version and the inclusion of Crossplay means that PS4 players can play with their friends even if their playing on a PS5 or Windows machine. For fans of the series who are also partial to the MMO genre, XIV and its many excellent expansions really is a no-brainer.
3 Final Fantasy VII
It took almost two decades to happen, but Final Fantasy VII finally set about making its return with its 2015 PS4 remaster. Save for a handful of quality-of-life upgrades, it's an incredibly basic remaster. It does, however, allow players to experience the PS1 classic on modern hardware, which is all that many people really wanted in the first place.
When all's said and done, the game ended up being a tease for bigger and better things to come. with a full remake announced not too long after the remaster's release. It was therefore like an appetizer for the main course, even if five years did end up separating the two titles.
2 Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster
Though it was originally released for the PS3 and the PS Vita in early 2014, Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster made its way to the PlayStation 4 in May of the following year. It brought with it yet more graphical improvements and instantly became the definitive version of Final Fantasy X as a result. That X-2 also happens to be included is a nice bonus.
Given that Final Fantasy X was originally released for the PS2 rather than the PS1, its remaster looks infinitely better than some of the other Final Fantasy remasters that are available on the PS4. What's more, that many consider it to be one of the best Final Fantasy games ever made makes this a must-play for fans of the series.
1 Final Fantasy VII Remake
Final Fantasy VII Remake blew most people’s expectations completely out of the water when it was released in early 2020. It is far more than just a simple remake and instead kicks off a brand new reimagined series that's set within the pre-existing Final Fantasy VII universe.
With only one of multiple parts having been released so far, exactly how long it will take for Square Enix to complete the remake saga really is anybody's guess. One thing is for sure though, fans, and even one or two of the initial naysayers, are heavily invested in where this new series goes next.