Final Fantasy XIII vs Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn
Final Fantasy XIII is an action-RPG JRPG game from Square Enix (2009) while Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn is an RPG game from Square Enix (2013).
Quick answer: Final Fantasy XIII and Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn are too close, or too thinly reviewed, to separate on the numbers; the table below shows what each holds.
Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn
What each one is
Final Fantasy XIII is filed under Action-RPG and JRPG. In contrast, Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn under RPG.
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.
Final Fantasy XIV is a subscription-based massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) developed and published by Square Enix. Directed and produced by Naoki Yoshida and released worldwide for PlayStation 3 and Windows in August 2013, it replaced the failed 2010 version, with subsequent support for PlayStation 4 in April 2014, macOS in July 2015, PlayStation 5 in May 2021, Xbox Series X/S in March 2024, and Nintendo Switch 2 in August 2026. Final Fantasy XIV is set in the fantasy region of Eorzea, five years after the devastating Seventh Umbral Calamity which ended the original version. In the Calamity, the elder primal Bahamut escaped from his prison, an ancient space station called Dalamud, unleashing an apocalypse across Eorzea. Through temporal magic, the player character of the original version escaped, reappearing at the start of A Realm Reborn. As Eorzea cements its recovery, the player must fend off a reignited invasion from the Garlean Empire.
Story, characters and reception
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)
Plot
Setting See also: Final Fantasy XIV (2010 video game) § Synopsis Final Fantasy XIV is set on Hydaelyn, a fictional world of diverse environments across multiple continents, focused on the region of Eorzea. Eorzea features four prominent city-states : Gridania, in the heavily forested Black Shroud; Ul'dah, a trade-centric sultanate in arid Thanalan; Limsa Lominsa, a thalassocracy on the island of Vylbrand; and Ishgard, an isolationist theocracy in snowy,… (Wikipedia)
Characters
The player character is an Eorzean adventurer during the Seventh Umbral Era who joins one of the Grand Companies: Gridania's Order of the Twin Adder, under Elder Seedseer Kan-E-Senna; Ul'dah's Immortal Flames, under Flame General Raubahn Aldynn; and the Maelstrom of Limsa Lominsa under Admiral Merlwyb Bloefhiswyn. Their allies include Minfilia and her Scions of the Seventh Dawn, a rebuilt Sixth Astral Era organization uniting Louisoix's Circle of Knowing… (Wikipedia)
Reception
Reception In contrast to the original version, Final Fantasy XIV has earned a generally positive reception and robust sales numbers. Prior to release, both the game's press and fans were surprised by its quality and level of polish. IGN s Charles Onyett cited many specific improvements over aspects of the initial game and recognized that "it seems like Square's doing the right things to fix the many mistakes made with Final Fantasy XIV' s original… (Wikipedia)
At a glance
| Final Fantasy XIII | Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn | |
|---|---|---|
| GamingPickz Score | 6.7/10 | — |
| Steam rating | Mostly Positive (75%, 19,914) | — |
| Critic aggregate | No aggregate | 83/100 |
| Price | $15.99 | Unknown |
| Install size | 60 GB | — |
| Steam Deck | playable | Untested |
| Released | 2009 | 2013 |
| Developer | Square Enix | Square Enix |
Prices and Steam ratings are read live and move over time.
Final Fantasy XIII vs Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn, 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 XIIIAction-RPG JRPG gameFinal Fantasy XIV: A Realm RebornRPG gameWhat each is filed as. Each game describes itself in full above; we do not judge a premise.
How it plays
Final Fantasy XIIIJRPG, RPG, Female ProtagonistFinal Fantasy XIV: A Realm RebornNo descriptive tagsThe tags players apply most, in order of votes. A read on feel, not a verdict.
Content and scale
Final Fantasy XIII19,914 reviews · 3 add-ons · 60 GBFinal Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn—Reach and footprint, not quality: more reviews or a bigger install is not a better game.
Price
Final Fantasy XIII$15.99Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm RebornUnknownRead live from Steam and subject to change.
Across the rounds a number can settle, it is level at 0 each. Which one is "better" is the part no figure decides, so we leave it to what you want from the two.
Where they differ
JRPGRPGFemale ProtagonistLinearGreat SoundtrackSingleplayer
Tags players apply to one game and not the other.
Difficulty and who each is for
By the tags players apply, Final Fantasy XIII is demanding, for players who want a challenge. Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn is middle-of-the-road on difficulty.
System requirements, side by side
| Final Fantasy XIII | Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn | |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum GPU | NVIDIA® Geforce® 8 Series/ ATI Radeon™ HD 2000 series | — |
| Minimum CPU | 2GHz Dual Core CPU | — |
| Minimum RAM | 1 GB | — |
| Install size | 60 GB | — |
Can your PC run them? Check each against your own kit: Final Fantasy XIII · Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn.
Accessibility features
Steam store pages declare 5 accessibility features for Final Fantasy XIII and 0 for Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn. A declaration is a floor, not a review.
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Common questions
How different are Final Fantasy XIII and Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn in scope?
Final Fantasy XIII has drawn 19,914 Steam reviews, ships 3 add-ons and installs in 60 GB. Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn lists little scope data.
Is Final Fantasy XIII or Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn better?
Neither carries enough reviews for us to score it reliably, so we do not call a winner. The table above shows what each does have.
Which is cheaper, Final Fantasy XIII or Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn?
One or both do not have a current listed price, so a straight comparison is not possible. See the table above.
Should I get Final Fantasy XIII or Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn?
Final Fantasy XIII and Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn are too close, or too thinly reviewed, to separate on the numbers; the table below shows what each holds. 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.