Last Fantasy has been entertaining gamers for more than three decades, rarely taking a break between mainline entries and spin-offs. Numbered games lonely go upward to 15. What'due south even more astounding to consider is the length of each game.

RPGs are generally never short affairs, so fans definitely become plenty of bang for their buck when jumping into one of these many worlds. The post-obit listing will particular just how long it takes to vanquish each of the games in the main serial, as measured by howlongtobeat.com. A couple of them autumn on the relatively short side for RPGs, but they are still bully experiences to behold.

Updated October 9, 2021, by Jason Wojnar: Last Fantasy merely never takes a pause. Even though spin-offs have slowed down a chip, Concluding Fantasy Xiv is trudging along, full speed ahead. The wait for the side by side mainline entry, Concluding Fantasy XVI, will likely be a long ane, so fans have enough of time to revisit old favorites or dive into ones they never had a chance to play earlier.

With the new pixel remasters, it is easier to play some of the older 2D games in an optimal manner. To aid make the search for what game to play a fiddling easier, this list will tell fans how long information technology takes to trounce each mainline Final Fantasy championship. 1 of the new games added is not a numbered championship, only it is more highly regarded than other Final Fantasy games, and thus felt worthy of inclusion here.

20 Last Fantasy – 17.5 Hours

The tale that started it all holds upwards surprisingly well due to its straightforward nature and charm. Of form, gamers are better off playing i of the many ports instead of the NES original. The kickoff release is plagued with weird bugs, causing sure vital gameplay mechanics to function abnormally.

The optimal version is the 20th anniversary edition released for the PSP. Its sprite fine art is gorgeous, and doesn't await jarringly cartoonish similar the updates done to some of the later 2D Final Fantasy games.

19 Final Fantasy Iv – 23.5 Hours

Final Fantasy IV

Ofttimes one of the 2 most celebrated second entries, Final Fantasy Four comes in as the second shortest entry. While not the first one to have a more complicated narrative, information technology is often seen equally the outset one that did it correct. Because of its strong story, the gameplay is relatively straightforward, and it is always easy to know where the next objective lies. Unless ane is stuck at a gainsay encounter, the game should be a cakewalk to whisk through in less than a twenty-four hour period's worth of a gameplay

Final Fantasy Four is too followed up by a sequel, though it is less historic than the other sequels from the series. Final Fantasy IV: Interlude only comes in at about ii.five hours. Notwithstanding, the total sequel clocks in at about 36.5 hours, a fairly sizable RPG feel.

18 Last Fantasy Two - 25 i/2 Hours

The second game in the series is oftentimes remembered as ane of the worst. It pushed things forward with a more than nuanced story, but the gameplay veered far from what fans are at present accustomed to. The idea of characters leveling up as abilities were used led to the stats easily existence broken by players attacking their own political party members.

Still, it'due south not horrid or unplayable by any stretch of the word. People looking to play through all of the games won't detect this i a slog. Plus, it's still on the relatively brusk side of things.

17 Final Fantasy XIII-2 – 27.5 Hours

Final Fantasy XIII 2 Moogle

Final Fantasy XIII-2 is the shortest of the Last Fantasy XIII trilogy, at to the lowest degree when it comes to the principal story. This bodes well as information technology's probably the worst of the three games in terms of both gameplay mechanics and story. Fans of the original game will still have some fun with it, but everyone else might be better off watching the cutscenes on YouTube and skipping alee to Lightning Returns instead.

A single playthrough typically takes just over 27 hours, while completing all of the game's tasks will require a little over 72 hours of playtime. Cheers in large to the omission of Lightning and the demand to play as Serah though, this tin feel like a lot of piece of work for very little payoff. The Chocobo racing is a lot of fun, but everything else just feels like busywork.

16 Concluding Fantasy 15 – 28 Hours

The nearly recent numbered entry was somewhat polarizing for fans. It looked undeniably gorgeous, but it was as well piece of cake and the battle system was not engaging enough, despite the fights themselves being marvelous glasses.

Its length also wildly varies because of its structure. The start several chapters are brimming with side quests. 1 can spend dozens of hours doing favors for boondocks folk, greatly inflating the playtime. Afterwards a sure point, the story puts the players on rails and beelines towards a stop. 28 is about the average ane can look, if they don't dilly coquet too long in the open up-earth segments.

15 Concluding Fantasy Iii – 30 Hours

Final Fantasy III 3D version

The 3rd entry sees silent protagonists come up back for a more straightforward run a risk than its predecessor.

Despite the simplicity of its narrative, it'll take longer than the prior two. Like the first game, however, its charm and whimsy keep players glued to the screen the whole time, making the hours wing by like an airship.

14 Final Fantasy X-2 – 31 Hours

Final Fantasy X 2 Shuyin talking

Final Fantasy X-2 was a fairly groundbreaking game, in equally much that information technology was the first time that Square Enix developed a sequel to a mainline Final Fantasy game. It continues the story of Tidus and Yuna while further expanding upon the lore of Spira. It's non quite as skilful equally its predecessor, only it's certainly not without its charms.

While the PS2 release's main story took almost xl hours to complete, quality of life updates implemented in modern ports has brought this fourth dimension down considerably making information technology a much more than palatable feel. The 'True' ending withal requires a second playthrough though, and players will demand to tackle the incredibly frustrating tower alignment mini-game if they're attempting a completionist run.

13 Final Fantasy V – 32 1/ii Hours

Final Fantasy V often gets left out of the conversation. Information technology's not quite an all-time great, but it'due south non every bit flawed or outdated as Concluding Fantasy II, so information technology kind of just sits there on its ain. Yet, one will observe just as engrossing a world as the others if they accept the plunge.

Actually, information technology's difficult to go wrong with any of the two-dimensional outings. Not many games this old tin can say they will occupy gamers' time for more than thirty hours.

12 Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII – 34 Hours

final fantasy lightning returns lightning

Non too many people stuck with Lightning through to the end of her trilogy, but those who did probable spent at least 110 hours across all three games. Lightning Returns: Concluding Fantasy Thirteen accounts for around 34 hours of that, although this time tin can increase dramatically if players opt to do more than just the main story.

Completing everything that the game has to offering will take players around 65 and a half hours, which actually makes it the shortest of the three games from a completionist'south perspective. It provides a fitting conclusion to Lightning's journey and then is definitely worth doing for those who are fans of the character, although getting through 13-2 commencement tin can be a bit of a slog.

xi Terminal Fantasy 7 Remake – 34 Hours

The FF7 remake has an excellent fighting system

Despite merely roofing the Midgar section of the original game, a standard playthrough of Final Fantasy VII Remake clocks in at a whopping 34 hours. That the original release doesn't take likewise much longer, should give a fairly good thought of just how much Tetsuya Nomura and his team inverse and added to the release.

Those hoping to complete all of the game'due south side quests can expect to spend an additional 7 and half hours on top of their main playthrough, while a total completionist run will have a staggering 84 hours. This is largely downward to players needing to complete the game again on hard mode, where there are besides some boosted challenges for players to accept on.

The PlayStation 5 Release, Last Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade, comes with a slew of upgrades to the visuals and operation along with a new story expansion starring Yuffie Kisaragi. This DLC episode takes about five hours to complete. Notwithstanding, completionists tin can expect to spend about 17 hours in the new content, since it has to exist beaten at least twice along with the side quests.

ten Last Fantasy VI – 35.5 Hours

The second half of this game brought a new element to the series, giving players a and then-unprecedented level of choice on how to approach tackling objectives.

After the halfway bespeak, 1 tin even sprint towards the end without seeing everything on the newly transformed world map, cutting down game time significantly. However, one is a fool if they don't take a look at everything i of the about celebrated 2D JRPGs of all time has to offering.

9 Final Fantasy VII – 38 one/2 Hours

Cloud and his friends' journey non simply elevated the series to new heights, only the medium equally a whole. Its massive detailed earth, cosmic story, and hard-hitting emotional beats were unlike anything else gamers saw at the time.

Thirty-eight hours is about how long it takes to get through it, simply doing everything in that location is to do tin can at least double the playtime. The PS1 was a revolutionary console, and Square was in that location as one of the leaders of the accuse with their JRPG archetype.

8 Concluding Fantasy IX – forty Hours

Via: GameFAQs

The ninth entry was a counter-point to the two science-fiction themed titles before it. The return to form stands as the PlayStation's swan song, and what a neat send off it was.

twoscore hours of gaming was plenty enough time to stave off PS2 cravings. Who wanted the adjacent-gen console when the PS1 was still pumping out RPGs of this quality?

7 Final Fantasy Tactics – forty Hours

Final Fantasy Tactics

Even though information technology is not a mainline entry, Final Fantasy Tactics deserves its place on the listing, equally it is often considered i of the best RPGs of all time. The gameplay builds upon the foundation set up by Tactics Ogre: Let us Cling Together.

The task organisation and party formal is malleable, letting players build whatever kind of team they wish. The 40 hour fourth dimension is mostly due to the game's difficulty. Experts can easily cut this down to betwixt 24 or thirty.

half-dozen Final Fantasy VIII – 42 Hours

The follow-up to Final Fantasy VII doesn't get equally much praise as its predecessor, but information technology however basks in enough glory on its own.

Additionally, it differentiates itself from the pack with its unique Describe mechanic, addictive menu game Triple Triad, and the enemies scaling to the role player'due south level which makes grinding unnecessary. With the contempo remaster, one can experience this magnificent run a risk more comfortably than ever earlier.

five Final Fantasy X – 48 Hours

Yuna's pilgrimage through Spira and developing human relationship with Tidus forever stick in players' minds. The series had tackled love stories before, but never had they felt so real, thanks to the fully voice-acted cutscenes and enhanced graphics. The protagonist'due south relationship with his father was likewise new to the medium.

The Sphere Filigree progression system added a new layer to progression, offering players increased command on how their party advanced. Getting every character's celestial weapon and upgrading them to the max also ensures completionists won't quickly put this one down.

4 Final Fantasy Thirteen – 49 Hours

Final Fantasy Xiii got flack for its linearity, simply no 1 could deny how beautiful it was. Unfortunately, looks aren't plenty for everybody.

Its story may be difficult to follow, but the cast of characters ensures there is never a dull moment. The direct sequels garnered diminishing returns, but XIII is solid on its own.

three Final Fantasy XII – 60 Hours

The longest one past a long shot, Terminal Fantasy XII was almost likewise big for its own skilful. Information technology eschewed a formal world map, simply players sometimes trekked through open up lands for hours before reaching their destination.

It gave a grand sense of scope, simply re-releases offered the ability to speed upwards these segments. Even with the fast-forward button, players are in for a long journey inside Ivalice.

2 Last Fantasy 11 – 106.5 Hours

final fantasy 11 shantotto

MMORPGs have a reputation for beingness incredibly long and Final Fantasy Xi definitely does its level all-time to uphold this. Get-go released in 2002, the game is still going strong despite new expansions having stale upward some time agone. The last i came in 2015 and was the game's 12th slice of major DLC.

Together, Final Fantasy XI's DLC provides hundreds of hours of extra playtime, although the main story can typically be completed in around 100 hours. Of course, games like this tin't ever be fully completed and so how long a player gets out of the game is entirely up to them. There's always something else to practise though, so it's not uncommon for players to spend thousands of hours with Concluding Fantasy XI.

1 Terminal Fantasy XIV – 122 Hours

final fantasy 14 classes

Another MMORPG, another ridiculous average playtime. Final Fantasy XIV is Foursquare Enix's latest endeavour at taking the series online and undoubtedly its virtually aggressive. The game has received three major expansions since releasing in 2010 with a fourth, Endwalker, expected to driblet on November 23, 2021.

Between them, the new story content in Heavensward, Stormblood and Shadowbringers takes effectually 185 hours to complete, although when raids and other side content are accounted for that figure is far closer to the 300 60 minutes mark. For those looking for a game that they can sink some serious time into; this is it.

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