Exploration has always played an important role in the Final Fantasy franchise, with players often needing to traverse entire worlds in order to arrive at their final destination. As they do so, they'll find themselves visiting a lot of different towns and cities, where they'll be introduced to key characters and important plot points.
However, the best towns and cities in Final Fantasy games are far more than just locations, with each one standing out in its own special way. Some may provide context to help explain the motivations of the game's protagonists, while others serve not just as homes, but also as vehicles with which to explore complicated concepts and ideologies.
7 Cornelia (Final Fantasy)
The Final Fantasy series helped to define the JRPG genre, with countless firsts credited to the long-running franchise over the years. With this in mind, it seems important to celebrate the first of these firsts; that being the town of Cornelia where the very first game starts out.
For years, Cornelia served as the basic template for countless towns and villages, not just in Final Fantasy games, but in other JRPG series as well. For this reason alone, it's one of the most iconic towns in the history of the franchise and one that most players will recognize even if they've never been there themselves.
6 Altissia (Final Fantasy XV)
Final Fantasy XV was the first mainline Final Fantasy game to fully embrace the concept of a truly open world. Sadly, however, the world in question, Eos, was largely underwhelming, save, that is, for a few key locations toward the second half of the game.
When Noctis and the rest of the party first visit Altissia during Chapter 9, it's difficult not to be blown away by the floating city. The sheer scale of this metropolis is certainly impressive, but it's the stunning waterfalls and picturesque canals that really help to set Accordo's capital apart.
5 Kugane (Final Fantasy XIV)
Final Fantasy XIV is chock full of fantastic and memorable locations, with more being added with each new expansion. It's Stormblood's Kugane that is perhaps the pick of the bunch though, thanks in large to its amazing Asia-inspired aesthetic.
The architecture throughout the port town is heavily inspired by Japan's Edo period, while the mountains that surround it are a bit more reminiscent of rural China. It's also a cultural melting pot, with people from all over Hydaelyn passing through.
4 Luca (Final Fantasy X)
The world of Spira may not be able to compete with Hydaelyn when it comes to sheer scale, but it can be every bit as vibrant if one knows where to look. There are actually a lot of locations that demonstrate this fact, but it's once again a port town that does so best.
Luca definitely isn't the most glamorous location in Final Fantasy X, nor does it hold much significance to the plot. However, it does do a fantastic job of showcasing the game's fantastic lore and worldbuilding, which just helps it to edge out some of Spira's other iconic locations like Besaid and Zanarkand.
3 Academia (Final Fantasy XIII-2)
There are plenty of futuristic settings in the Final Fantasy series, from the aforementioned Zanarkand to Final Fantasy VIII's Esthar City. However, it is Academia, the vibrant megalopolis from the oft-overlooked Final Fantasy XIII-2, that really captures the idea of a sci-fi supercity the best.
This neon-drenched monstrosity of a city evokes memories of movies like Blade Runner and The Fifth Element, with its cyberpunk aesthetic really helping to make it stand out. A lot of the locations that players visit throughout the Final Fantasy XIII trilogy can be pretty underwhelming, but Academia is anything but.
2 Narshe (Final Fantasy VI)
As far as preludes go, the introduction to Final Fantasy VI is about as close to perfect as one can ever expect to get. It focuses on a mysterious mage and two imperial soldiers as they march slowly toward the mining town of Narshe in powerful Magitech armor.
Though Narshe isn't a particularly large town, it and its sprawling network of caves do play an important part in the game's narrative. It's here that players finally learn the truth about Terra, which, at the time, was one of the franchise's most shocking plot twists.
1 Midgar (Final Fantasy VII)
When it comes to the most iconic towns and cities in Final Fantasy games, Midgar will likely top most peoples' lists. The Mako-fuelled metropolis introduces players to a lot of the central themes of Final Fantasy VII, not to mention most of the game's key characters.
The sheer size of Midgar is certainly impressive, but it's perhaps the structure of the city that makes it so memorable. High on the city's upper plates, the rich and wealthy live out their lives in blissful ignorance, all while the poor and needy struggle to survive down beneath them in an endless sea of slums.