Final Fantasy VIII vs Final Fantasy XIII
Final Fantasy VIII is a JRPG open-world game from Square (1999) while Final Fantasy XIII is an action-RPG JRPG game from Square Enix (2009).
Quick answer: Final Fantasy VIII rates higher, 7.5 to 6.7 on the GamingPickz Score, and Final Fantasy VIII is the cheaper at $11.99.
What each one is
Final Fantasy VIII is filed under JRPG and Open-World. In contrast, Final Fantasy XIII under Action-RPG and JRPG.
It is a time of war. Galbadia, a Global Superpower, has declared war on Dollet, a country whose training academy is home to two personalities: the hot-headed Seifer and the 'lone wolf', Squall Leonhart. Both are equally at conflict with each other as their country is with Galbadia; to others, Squall appears lacking in team spirit, while...
Final Fantasy XIII is a fantasy RPG in which a band of brave humans struggle against fate in the utopian sky city of Cocoon and the primeval world of Pulse. Follow stylish heroine Lightning's fast paced battles and high adventure in a mysterious new world.
Story, characters and reception
Plot
Setting and characters Main article: Characters of Final Fantasy VIII Most of Final Fantasy VIII is set on an unnamed fantasy world. The setting is highly European in design and features a blend of modern and futuristic locales. The planet contains five major landmasses, with Esthar, the largest, covering most of the eastern portion of the map. (Wikipedia)
Reception
Reception Final Fantasy VIII received critical acclaim. In general, the game was compared favorably to its predecessors. Though questioning the game's lack of voice overs for its characters, Game Revolution praised its storyline and ending. (Wikipedia)
Plot
Setting Final Fantasy XIII is set on the futuristic world of Gran Pulse (often simply called Pulse). Central to the story is Cocoon, a massive artificial sphere that floats above Pulse's surface and is ruled by the Sanctum, a theocratic government. The two worlds are controlled by fal'Cie / f æ l ˈ s iː / , mechanical beings with godlike power. (Wikipedia)
Characters
Main article: Characters of the Final Fantasy XIII series The six main playable characters of Final Fantasy XIII are Lightning ( Ali Hillis / Maaya Sakamoto ), the main protagonist of the game, a former soldier and older sister to Serah; Snow Villiers ( Troy Baker / Daisuke Ono ), Serah's fiancé and leader of NORA, a paramilitary group; Oerba Dia Vanille (Georgia van Cuylenburg/ Yukari Fukui ), the game's narrator and an exile who is later revealed to be a… (Wikipedia)
Reception
Reception Final Fantasy XIII received generally positive reviews. Review aggregator website Metacritic gave the PlayStation 3 version 83/100 based on 83 reviews, the Xbox 360 version 82/100 based on 54 reviews, and the Windows version 65/100 based on 6 reviews. It was rated 39 out of 40 by the Japanese gaming magazine Famitsu . (Wikipedia)
At a glance
| Final Fantasy VIII | Final Fantasy XIII | |
|---|---|---|
| GamingPickz Score | 7.5/10 | 6.7/10 |
| Steam rating | Very Positive (88%, 9,497) | Mostly Positive (75%, 19,914) |
| Critic aggregate | 90/100 | No aggregate |
| Price | $11.99 | $15.99 |
| Install size | 4 GB | 60 GB |
| Steam Deck | playable | playable |
| Released | 1999 | 2009 |
| Developer | Square | Square Enix |
Prices and Steam ratings are read live and move over time.
Final Fantasy VIII vs Final Fantasy XIII, 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.
Genre and premise
Final Fantasy VIIIJRPG open-world gameFinal Fantasy XIIIAction-RPG JRPG gameWhat each is filed as. Each game describes itself in full above; we do not judge a premise.
How it plays
Final Fantasy VIIIJRPG, RPG, ClassicFinal Fantasy XIIIJRPG, RPG, Female ProtagonistThe tags players apply most, in order of votes. A read on feel, not a verdict.
Reception
Final Fantasy VIII ✓Score 7.5 · 88% on Steam · 90 criticFinal Fantasy XIIIScore 6.7 · 75% on SteamThe GamingPickz Score is a composite of player sentiment, critics and popularity, computed the same way for every game.
Content and scale
Final Fantasy VIII9,497 reviews · 4 GBFinal Fantasy XIII19,914 reviews · 3 add-ons · 60 GBReach and footprint, not quality: more reviews or a bigger install is not a better game.
Price
Final Fantasy VIII ✓$11.99Final Fantasy XIII$15.99Read live from Steam and subject to change.
On a Steam Deck
Final Fantasy VIIIPlayableFinal Fantasy XIIIPlayableValve's own Deck compatibility rating.
Final Fantasy VIII takes 2 of the marked rounds to 0. That is only what a number can decide, not which you will enjoy more.
The two on the grid
Compare the whole catalogueFinal Fantasy VIII and Final Fantasy XIII 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
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.
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 VIII (GamingPickz Score 7.5)
- The cheaper right now: Final Fantasy VIII ($11.99)
- Lighter on storage: Final Fantasy VIII (4 GB)
- The safer bet by weight of reviews: Final Fantasy XIII (19,914 reviews)
What they have in common
Both are tagged by Steam players with:
JRPGRPGSingleplayerGreat SoundtrackTurn-BasedStory RichFantasySci-fi
Where they differ
ClassicCard GameOpen WorldRetroNostalgiaRomance
Female ProtagonistLinearCinematicThird PersonTurn-Based CombatAction RPG
Tags players apply to one game and not the other.
Difficulty and who each is for
By the tags players apply, Final Fantasy VIII is middle-of-the-road on difficulty. Final Fantasy XIII is demanding, for players who want a challenge.
System requirements, side by side
| Final Fantasy VIII | Final Fantasy XIII | |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum GPU | DirectX 9.0c compatible card | NVIDIA® Geforce® 8 Series/ ATI Radeon™ HD 2000 series |
| Minimum CPU | 1Core CPU 2GHz | 2GHz Dual Core CPU |
| Minimum RAM | 1 GB | 1 GB |
| Install size | 4 GB | 60 GB |
Can your PC run them? Check each against your own kit: Final Fantasy VIII · Final Fantasy XIII.
Accessibility features
Steam store pages declare 2 accessibility features for Final Fantasy VIII and 5 for Final Fantasy XIII. A declaration is a floor, not a review.
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Common questions
How different are Final Fantasy VIII and Final Fantasy XIII in scope?
Final Fantasy VIII has drawn 9,497 Steam reviews and installs in 4 GB. Final Fantasy XIII has drawn 19,914 Steam reviews, ships 3 add-ons and installs in 60 GB.
Is Final Fantasy VIII or Final Fantasy XIII better?
By the GamingPickz Score, Final Fantasy VIII rates higher (7.5 to 6.7). 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 VIII or Final Fantasy XIII?
Final Fantasy VIII is cheaper right now at $11.99, against $15.99. Prices move, so this is read live from Steam and can change.
Should I get Final Fantasy VIII or Final Fantasy XIII?
Final Fantasy VIII rates higher, 7.5 to 6.7 on the GamingPickz Score, and Final Fantasy VIII is the cheaper at $11.99. It also depends on what you want: the "which to pick" section above calls out which is cheaper, lighter on storage, better on a Steam Deck and the safer bet by weight of reviews.
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.
Related comparisons
All comparisonsHow 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.