GamingPickz
Game vs game · side by side

Final Fantasy II vs Final Fantasy V

Final Fantasy II is a JRPG RPG game from Square (1988) while Final Fantasy V is a JRPG RPG game from Square (1992).

Final Fantasy II

1988 · Square

6.9GamingPickz Score

$11.99

Steam: Very Positive

Final Fantasy V

1992 · Square

7.3GamingPickz Score

$17.99

Steam: Very Positive

What each one is

Steam files Final Fantasy II under JRPG and RPG. In contrast, it files Final Fantasy V under JRPG and RPG.

Final Fantasy II

The original FINAL FANTASY II comes to life with completely new graphics and audio! A remodeled 2D take on the second game in the world-renowned FINAL FANTASY series! Enjoy the timeless story told through charming retro graphics.

Description from its Steam store page

Final Fantasy V

The original FINAL FANTASY V comes to life with completely new graphics and audio as a 2D pixel remaster! A remodeled take on the fifth game in the world-renowned FINAL FANTASY series! Enjoy the timeless story told through charming retro graphics.

Description from its Steam store page

At a glance

Final Fantasy IIFinal Fantasy V
GamingPickz Score6.9/107.3/10
Steam ratingVery Positive (82%, 3,501)Very Positive (90%, 2,493)
Critic aggregateNo aggregateNo aggregate
Price$11.99$17.99
Install size1 GB1 GB
Steam Deckverifiedplayable
Released19881992
DeveloperSquareSquare

Prices and Steam ratings are read live and move over time.

Final Fantasy II vs Final Fantasy V, point by point

Each facet side by side. A round is marked won only where a figure settles it; feel and "which is better" carry no mark, because no number we hold decides them.

  1. Genre and premise

    Final Fantasy IIJRPG RPG game
    Final Fantasy VJRPG RPG game

    What each is filed as. Each game describes itself in full above; we do not judge a premise.

  2. How it plays

    Final Fantasy IIRPG, JRPG, Party-Based RPG
    Final Fantasy VRPG, JRPG, 2D

    The tags players apply most, in order of votes. A read on feel, not a verdict.

  3. Reception

    Final Fantasy IIScore 6.9 · 82% on Steam
    Final Fantasy VScore 7.3 · 90% on Steam

    The GamingPickz Score is a composite of player sentiment, critics and popularity, computed the same way for every game.

  4. Content and scale

    Final Fantasy II3,501 reviews · 1 add-on · 1 GB
    Final Fantasy V2,493 reviews · 2 add-ons · 1 GB

    Reach and footprint, not quality: more reviews or a bigger install is not a better game.

  5. Price

    Final Fantasy II$11.99
    Final Fantasy V$17.99

    Read live from Steam and subject to change.

  6. On a Steam Deck

    Final Fantasy IIVerified
    Final Fantasy VPlayable

    Valve's own Deck compatibility rating.

Final Fantasy II takes 2 of the marked rounds to 1. That is only what a number can decide, not which you will enjoy more.

The two on the grid

Compare the whole catalogue

Final Fantasy II and Final Fantasy V on the axes the GamingPickz Score is built from, on the full 0 to 100 scale so each dot is its real position. Change either axis to compare them on any measure.

2 games have both

01000100PlayersPopularity

Players. The share of Steam reviews marked positive, pulled toward the catalogue average in proportion to how few reviews stand behind it. A game with 200 reviews moves a long way toward the average; one with 200,000 barely moves at all. Without this a title sitting at 100 percent on nine reviews outranks Half-Life 2 at 98 percent on 278,000.

Popularity. A blend of two things that are not the same. Audience is how many people wrote a Steam review, which is a floor on how many played it. Reach is how many language editions of Wikipedia document the game, which is cultural footprint rather than sales. A game can score high on one and low on the other: a huge free-to-play title has audience without reach, and a landmark console exclusive has reach without a Steam audience at all. Where both exist they are averaged; where only one does, that one carries it.

  • Mobile

Every point links to that game's entry. The value map and the reception map are fixed views of the same data.

See the whole grid

How positions are decided

No paid placement, no favouritism, live third-party data
  • Placed by the published method, not by us. Every coordinate is computed from the axis definitions and weights printed on this site. Nobody moves a point. See the axes.
  • Nothing here is paid for. No sponsored placements, no promoted slots, no arrangement of any kind affects a position. If that ever changes it will be labelled and sit outside the ranking.
  • No favouritism, including our own. The 16 games we have written full reviews of are scored by exactly the same formula as the other 1,510, from the same third-party inputs, and they land where it puts them. Our own opinion of a game does not enter its coordinates.
  • A position is not an endorsement. It says how a game was received and what it costs, not that we recommend it. Where we do recommend something, it carries a written review with a name on it.
  • Fetched from live third-party data. Player sentiment from Steam, critic aggregates as published on store pages, prices checked hourly, attention from Wikipedia. Each figure carries its source and the date it was read, and we do not adjust any of them.

Which to pick, by what you want

  • The higher-rated of the two: Final Fantasy V (GamingPickz Score 7.3)
  • The cheaper right now: Final Fantasy II ($11.99)
  • Better on a Steam Deck: Final Fantasy II (verified)

What they have in common

Both are tagged by Steam players with:

RPGJRPGParty-Based RPGExploration2DTurn-Based CombatFantasyClass-Based

Where they differ

Final Fantasy II is also

Nostalgia

Final Fantasy V is also

Great SoundtrackClassic

Tags players apply to one game and not the other.

Difficulty and who each is for

By the tags players apply, Final Fantasy II is middle-of-the-road on difficulty. Final Fantasy V is middle-of-the-road on difficulty.

Accessibility features

Steam store pages declare 6 accessibility features for Final Fantasy II and 6 for Final Fantasy V. A declaration is a floor, not a review.

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Common questions

How different are Final Fantasy II and Final Fantasy V in scope?

Final Fantasy II has drawn 3,501 Steam reviews, ships 1 add-on and installs in 1 GB. Final Fantasy V has drawn 2,493 Steam reviews, ships 2 add-ons and installs in 1 GB.

Is Final Fantasy II or Final Fantasy V better?

By the GamingPickz Score, Final Fantasy V rates higher (7.3 to 6.9). That is a composite of player sentiment, the critic aggregate and popularity, not our taste. "Better" also depends on price, length and platform, which the table above lays out.

Which is cheaper, Final Fantasy II or Final Fantasy V?

Final Fantasy II is cheaper right now at $11.99, against $17.99. Prices move, so this is read live from Steam and can change.

Do you rank one above the other for a fee?

No. Neither game, nor anyone else, pays for placement or a verdict here. The order and every figure come out of the same public data the rest of the site uses.

How we compare, and what we will not do

The GamingPickz Score is a composite of player sentiment (adjusted for sample size), the critic aggregate and popularity, computed by the same code every ranked list on this site uses. The Steam rating label is Valve's own, reconstructed from the positive percentage and review count. Prices are read live. We do not write an opinion of which game is "better": we report the numbers and say which wins each measurable question above.

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