Want to know the Final Fantasy 16 PC release date? We’re fast approaching seven years since we last had a new mainline Final Fantasy title, but fans won’t have to wait much longer for the next one to make its way to PC, we hope.
Following its main character, Clive Rosfield, the JRPG game takes place in Valisthea, a land divided between six powerful nations. Peace is threatened between the nations as Valisthea learns to deal with the mysterious threat known only as the Blight. So with all that out of the way, it’s time to look at everything we know about Final Fantasy 16 coming to PC, including trailers, story, and more.
Final Fantasy 16 PC release date estimate
Based on the latest information from producer Naoki Yoshida, Final Fantasy 16 PC is currently “in the finals stages of optimization”. With that in mind, we believe Final Fantasy 16 PC is going to launch during Q3 2024 at the latest.
This most recent development update comes courtesy of Game Informer who spoke to Yoshida on Monday, March 11. Unfortunately, the developer was unwilling to give a date to the project, stating “In terms of when it’s going to come out or when we can announce it, I’d like to ask for more time on that.”.
“While Final Fantasy 16 was released as a PlayStation 5 exclusive, we are aware that many of you have been asking for a PC version,” Yoshida said in a panel at Pax West on Saturday, September 2, 2023. “So let me take this opportunity to officially announce that development on a PC version is currently underway. I hope to be able to give you more information on both the upcoming DLC and the PC version before the end of the year, so please stay tuned.”
Final Fantasy 16 PC demo
In Game Informer’s interview with Yoshida, we received confirmation that a Final Fantasy 16 PC demo is coming later this year. Yoshida stated the team wants to announce the game’s specifications ahead of launch, theorizing that they’re going to be high given the quality of the game’s visuals and seamless loading technology. Before they announce this, the team wants to launch a Final Fantasy 16 PC demo first.
Again, just like with the PC port’s release date, Yoshida refused to give any release window time frame. “Again, we can’t really talk about too much in terms of details of when it’s going to come out – I think in a little bit more time we’ll be in a better place to announce things. But one thing’s for sure: It won’t be too distant in the future; it won’t be a year, it won’t be two years, it will probably be shorter than that, so stay tuned.”.
Final Fantasy 16 PC delay
While we knew Final Fantasy 16 was only exclusive to the PlayStation 5 for half a year, there were hopes the PC version could launch as early as Q4 2023. Unfortunately, Yoshida has explained how the devs have struggled to implement seamless loading which is vital to the FF16 experience.
During a recent FF16 livestream, Yoshida’s comments were roughly translated by Genki, a content creator: “Yoshi-P says they want to make a PC version of FF16 but they want to create an experience with seamless loading, so they didn’t have enough time to optimize for PC. He says when the time comes, they will talk more about it.”
Final Fantasy 16 trailers
The first trailer for FFXVI, “Awakening”, was shown in 2020 at the September PS5 showcase and has four minutes of cinematic and gameplay footage. This trailer provides a brief insight into how the game’s medieval fantasy setting, gameplay, and the introduction of Dominants and Eikons. The Eikons are hugely powerful, godlike creatures that look to feature heavily in the story – more on those later.
The second trailer, “Dominance” focused on the aforementioned Eikons. It contains cinematics of individual fights and large-scale battles between armies, as well as clashes between the Eikons. It also teases some of the political intrigue that Final Fantasy games are so often full of.
The third trailer, “Ambition”, features a lot more exposition than the previous two, giving more insight into the game’s narrative. It introduces the Mothercrystals, a magical material that provides aether energy to Valisthea’s population, as well as the Blight, a mysterious threat depleting the Mothercrystals’ power. It also introduces the six major powers of Valisthea, all of whom are at war with one another in an attempt to secure the dwindling Mothercrystals.
The final and most recent trailer, “Revenge”, focuses heavily on the Eikons through gameplay and cinematic clips. It showcases multiple clashes between the gargantuan Eikons, illustrating their destructive power. It also shows off a few different areas of Valisthea, such as a castle, a desert, and more. It also confirms that FFXVI will have a mature rating – a first for the series.
Final Fantasy 16 story
Final Fantasy 16’s story revolves around the Mothercrystals, the Blight that threatens them, and the conflicts this threat has caused. Central to this are the Eikons, creatures with incredible magic powers that are controlled by people known as Dominants, who range from weapons of war to political leaders.
Clive Rosfield begins the game as a bodyguard to his younger brother Joshua. Joshua is the Dominant of the Phoenix, the Eikon of Fire, and he’s bestowed Clive with the power to harness the Phoenix energy to take on rival Eikons.
FFXVI sees a shift towards more mature and realistic themes, allegedly featuring nudity, gore, and bad language. The devs have confirmed this by no means spells the end of some of the cuter elements that have become series mainstays.
And that’s everything you need to know about the Final Fantasy 16 PC release date. If you want to play something similar to FFXVI to pass the time, we have a list of the best RPG games featuring 100-hour-long adventures. Don’t forget to read our best PC games list if you only want to spend your time with the greatest titles ever made.