Final Fantasy XIII vs Final Fantasy XV
Final Fantasy XIII is an action-RPG JRPG game from Square Enix (2009) while Final Fantasy XV is an action-RPG game from Square Enix (2016).
Quick answer: Final Fantasy XIII and Final Fantasy XV are too close, or too thinly reviewed, to separate on the numbers; the table below shows what each holds.
Final Fantasy XV
What each one is
Final Fantasy XIII is filed under Action-RPG and JRPG. In contrast, Final Fantasy XV under Action-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 XV is a 2016 action role-playing game developed and published by Square Enix. The fifteenth main installment of the Final Fantasy series, it was released for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in November 2016, Windows in March 2018, and as a launch title for Stadia in November 2019. The game features an open world environment and action-based battle system, incorporating quick-switching weapons, elemental magic, and other features such as vehicle travel and camping. The base campaign was later expanded with downloadable content (DLC), adding stand alone story content and further gameplay options such as additional playable characters and multiplayer.
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 Final Fantasy XV takes place on the Earth -like world of Eos, which is divided between four nations: Lucis, Accordo, Tenebrae and Niflheim. Lucis, occupying a whole landmass, possesses a magical artifact known as the Crystal, gifted to the reigning Caelum dynasty by the world's deities in antiquity and accessed through the hereditary Ring of the Lucii. Accordo, located in the southern part of Eos, is an island nation formed through a union of… (Wikipedia)
Characters
Main article: Characters of Final Fantasy XV Promotional artwork featuring the core and supporting cast of Final Fantasy XV and its expanded media The game's protagonist is Noctis Lucis Caelum ( Ray Chase / Tatsuhisa Suzuki ), the Crown Prince of the Kingdom of Lucis, who loses his father in the Niflheim invasion. Noctis is accompanied on his journey throughout the world of Eos by his three friends: Gladiolus Amicitia ( Chris Parson / Kenta Miyake ), the… (Wikipedia)
Reception
Reception Final Fantasy XV has received "generally favorable" reviews from critics for all versions, according to review aggregator Metacritic . Japanese gaming magazine Famitsu gave both versions of the game a score of 38 points out of 40. Various game designers stated Final Fantasy XV was their favorite game of 2016, including Final Fantasy series creator Hironobu Sakaguchi , Atlus ' Shigeo Komori, Koei Tecmo 's Takashi Morinaka, and Sony Interactive… (Wikipedia)
At a glance
| Final Fantasy XIII | Final Fantasy XV | |
|---|---|---|
| GamingPickz Score | 6.7/10 | — |
| Steam rating | Mostly Positive (75%, 19,914) | — |
| Critic aggregate | No aggregate | 85/100 |
| Price | $15.99 | Unknown |
| Install size | 60 GB | — |
| Steam Deck | playable | Untested |
| Released | 2009 | 2016 |
| Developer | Square Enix | Square Enix |
Prices and Steam ratings are read live and move over time.
Final Fantasy XIII vs Final Fantasy XV, 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 XVAction-RPG 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 XVNo 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 XV—Reach and footprint, not quality: more reviews or a bigger install is not a better game.
Price
Final Fantasy XIII$15.99Final Fantasy XVUnknownRead 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 XV is middle-of-the-road on difficulty.
System requirements, side by side
| Final Fantasy XIII | Final Fantasy XV | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 XV.
Accessibility features
Steam store pages declare 5 accessibility features for Final Fantasy XIII and 0 for Final Fantasy XV. A declaration is a floor, not a review.
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Common questions
How different are Final Fantasy XIII and Final Fantasy XV in scope?
Final Fantasy XIII has drawn 19,914 Steam reviews, ships 3 add-ons and installs in 60 GB. Final Fantasy XV lists little scope data.
Is Final Fantasy XIII or Final Fantasy XV 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 XV?
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 XV?
Final Fantasy XIII and Final Fantasy XV 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.