Final Fantasy
Final Fantasy is a 1987 role-playing video game developed and published by Square for the Nintendo Entertainment System. It is the first game in Square's Final Fantasy series, created by Hironobu Sakaguchi. The story follows four youths called the Warriors of Light, who each carry one of their world's four elemental crystals which have been darkened by the four Elemental Fiends. Together, they quest to defeat these evil forces, restore light to the crystals, and save their world.
Summary from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA, read 5 September 2026.
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- Released
- 1987
- Developer
- Square
- Platforms
- 9 systems
- Critics
- Not scored
- Steam Deck
- Unknown
- Download
- Not stated
The record
| First released | 18 December 1987 |
|---|---|
| Developer | Square |
| Publisher | Square |
| Platforms | Nintendo Entertainment System, iOS, Android, iPad, Android Tablet, PlayStation Portable, PlayStation, Nintendo Wii, Steam Deck |
| Genres | Role-Playing |
Source. Catalogue facts from Wikidata Q1415970, seeded 30 August 2026.
How long is Final Fantasy? How long to beat it
Total play time for Final Fantasy is about 17.8 hours to do everything, and around 15.1 hours to reach the end of the main story. These are player-submitted times from HowLongToBeat, not our own, shown with the number of players behind each.
| How you play | Hours | Players logged |
|---|---|---|
| Just the main story: straight through the critical path | 15.1h | 1,049 |
| Main + the extras: story plus the side content most people do | 17.1h | 874 |
| Completionist: everything: 100% the game | 17.8h | 963 |
Source: HowLongToBeat community submissions, read 2026-10-19.
Where Final Fantasy sits on the grid
The grid places every game in the catalogue on measured axes rather than on an opinion. This is where Final Fantasy lands on each map it has the data for, with the share of the catalogue it beats on each axis.
- Year
- 39ahead of 2% of the catalogue
- Reach
- 65ahead of 97% of the catalogue
Percentiles are against the games that carry a reading on that axis, not the whole catalogue: counting a game with no figure as a zero would flatter everything that has one. How the grid works.
What readers say about Final Fantasy
Reviews written by people who have played it. These are separate from the GamingPickz Score and are never averaged into it: that score comes from thousands of Steam reviews with a sample-size correction, and a handful of unverified ratings would distort it rather than improve it.
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Where Final Fantasy appears
The ranked lists and finder pages Final Fantasy qualifies for, from its own genre and platform to what it takes to run.
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Part of the Final Fantasy series
Final Fantasy is one of 29 Final Fantasy games we track. See the whole series ranked by the GamingPickz Score, plotted on the grid, and listed in release order:
Final Fantasy head to head
See Final Fantasy compared side by side, on score, price, specs and more:
More Final Fantasy comparisons: vs Final Fantasy X-2, vs Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles, vs Final Fantasy XIII, vs Final Fantasy XIV, vs Final Fantasy Type-0, vs Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn, vs FINAL FANTASY XIV Online, vs FINAL FANTASY X/X-2 HD Remaster, vs FINAL FANTASY IX, vs Final Fantasy XV, vs FINAL FANTASY XV WINDOWS EDITION, vs FINAL FANTASY XII THE ZODIAC AGE, vs FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE INTERGRADE, vs Final Fantasy XVI
Common questions about Final Fantasy
What platforms is Final Fantasy on?
Final Fantasy is available on Nintendo Entertainment System, iOS, Android, iPad, Android Tablet, PlayStation Portable, PlayStation, Nintendo Wii, Steam Deck. It first released in 1987.
Who made Final Fantasy?
Final Fantasy was developed by Square and published by Square.
How long does it take to beat Final Fantasy?
about 15.1 hours for the main story, 17.1 hours with the main extras, 17.8 hours to complete everything, from HowLongToBeat's player-submitted times. These are community medians, so your own run may be shorter or longer.