Final Fantasy has been entertaining gamers for more than 3 decades, rarely taking a break betwixt mainline entries and spin-offs. Numbered games alone become upwardly to 15. What'southward even more astounding to consider is the length of each game.

RPGs are more often than not never short affairs, then fans definitely get enough of bang for their buck when jumping into one of these many worlds. The following list volition detail just how long it takes to beat each of the games in the main series, equally measured by howlongtobeat.com. A couple of them fall on the relatively short side for RPGs, just they are all the same great experiences to behold.

Updated October 9, 2021, past Jason Wojnar: Final Fantasy only never takes a suspension. Even though spin-offs have slowed down a flake, Final Fantasy XIV is trudging along, full speed ahead. The look for the next mainline entry, Final Fantasy XVI, will likely be a long one, then fans accept plenty of fourth dimension to revisit erstwhile favorites or swoop into ones they never had a chance to play before.

With the new pixel remasters, it is easier to play some of the older 2d games in an optimal mode. To aid make the search for what game to play a niggling easier, this list will tell fans how long it takes to beat each mainline Terminal Fantasy championship. One of the new games added is not a numbered championship, just it is more highly regarded than other Concluding Fantasy games, and thus felt worthy of inclusion here.

20 Final Fantasy – 17.v Hours

The tale that started it all holds up surprisingly well due to its straightforward nature and amuse. Of course, gamers are ameliorate off playing one of the many ports instead of the NES original. The offset release is plagued with weird bugs, causing certain vital gameplay mechanics to part abnormally.

The optimal version is the 20th anniversary edition released for the PSP. Its sprite art is gorgeous, and doesn't expect jarringly cartoonish like the updates done to some of the later second Final Fantasy games.

xix Terminal Fantasy IV – 23.5 Hours

Final Fantasy IV

Ofttimes ane of the two virtually celebrated second entries, Terminal Fantasy IV comes in as the second shortest entry. While not the kickoff one to have a more complicated narrative, it is often seen as the first one that did it correct. Because of its stiff story, the gameplay is relatively straightforward, and it is ever easy to know where the next objective lies. Unless one is stuck at a gainsay encounter, the game should exist a cakewalk to whisk through in less than a day's worth of a gameplay

Final Fantasy Four is also followed upwards by a sequel, though information technology is less historic than the other sequels from the series. Final Fantasy IV: Interlude only comes in at about 2.v hours. Notwithstanding, the total sequel clocks in at about 36.v hours, a fairly sizable RPG experience.

18 Final Fantasy Ii - 25 1/2 Hours

The second game in the serial is often remembered as 1 of the worst. It pushed things forward with a more nuanced story, but the gameplay veered far from what fans are now accustomed to. The idea of characters leveling up as abilities were used led to the stats hands being broken by players attacking their own party members.

However, it's non horrid or unplayable by any stretch of the give-and-take. People looking to play through all of the games won't notice this ane a slog. Plus, information technology's notwithstanding on the relatively short side of things.

17 Final Fantasy XIII-2 – 27.5 Hours

Final Fantasy XIII 2 Moogle

Terminal Fantasy XIII-ii is the shortest of the Last Fantasy Thirteen trilogy, at to the lowest degree when it comes to the main story. This bodes well as information technology'south probably the worst of the 3 games in terms of both gameplay mechanics and story. Fans of the original game volition still have some fun with it, but everyone else might be improve off watching the cutscenes on YouTube and skipping ahead to Lightning Returns instead.

A single playthrough typically takes just over 27 hours, while completing all of the game's tasks will require a piffling over 72 hours of playtime. Thanks in big to the omission of Lightning and the need to play as Serah though, this can feel like a lot of piece of work for very little payoff. The Chocobo racing is a lot of fun, just everything else simply feels like busywork.

16 Final Fantasy XV – 28 Hours

The most recent numbered entry was somewhat polarizing for fans. It looked undeniably gorgeous, simply it was also easy and the battle system was not engaging enough, despite the fights themselves beingness marvelous spectacles.

Its length also wildly varies because of its structure. The start several chapters are brimming with side quests. I tin can spend dozens of hours doing favors for town folk, profoundly inflating the playtime. Afterwards a certain point, the story puts the players on runway and beelines towards a finish. 28 is nigh the average one can expect, if they don't dilly dally too long in the open up-world segments.

15 Final Fantasy 3 – 30 Hours

Final Fantasy III 3D version

The third entry sees silent protagonists come back for a more straightforward take a chance than its predecessor.

Despite the simplicity of its narrative, it'll have longer than the prior 2. Similar the first game, yet, its charm and whimsy proceed players glued to the screen the whole time, making the hours wing by like an airship.

14 Concluding Fantasy X-2 – 31 Hours

Final Fantasy X 2 Shuyin talking

Final Fantasy Ten-2 was a fairly groundbreaking game, in as much that it was the first time that Square Enix developed a sequel to a mainline Final Fantasy game. It continues the story of Tidus and Yuna while farther expanding upon the lore of Spira. It's non quite as good as its predecessor, only it's certainly not without its charms.

While the PS2 release's master story took almost twoscore hours to complete, quality of life updates implemented in modernistic ports has brought this time down considerably making it a much more palatable experience. The 'Truthful' catastrophe yet requires a second playthrough though, and players will need to tackle the incredibly frustrating belfry alignment mini-game if they're attempting a completionist run.

13 Final Fantasy V – 32 1/2 Hours

Final Fantasy Five oft gets left out of the chat. Information technology's non quite an all-time great, but it'south not equally flawed or outdated as Final Fantasy 2, so information technology kind of just sits there on its own. Even so, 1 volition detect simply as engrossing a world every bit the others if they accept the plunge.

Really, information technology'southward difficult to go wrong with whatsoever of the two-dimensional outings. Non many games this sometime can say they will occupy gamers' time for more than thirty hours.

12 Lightning Returns: Terminal Fantasy XIII – 34 Hours

final fantasy lightning returns lightning

Not also many people stuck with Lightning through to the cease of her trilogy, but those who did likely spent at least 110 hours beyond all three games. Lightning Returns: Concluding Fantasy XIII accounts for around 34 hours of that, although this fourth dimension tin can increase dramatically if players opt to do more than only the main story.

Completing everything that the game has to offer volition take players around 65 and a half hours, which actually makes it the shortest of the three games from a completionist's perspective. Information technology provides a plumbing fixtures decision to Lightning'south journey and and so is definitely worth doing for those who are fans of the character, although getting through XIII-2 first tin exist a fleck of a slog.

11 Last Fantasy 7 Remake – 34 Hours

The FF7 remake has an excellent fighting system

Despite only covering the Midgar section of the original game, a standard playthrough of Final Fantasy Vii Remake clocks in at a whopping 34 hours. That the original release doesn't take too much longer, should give a fairly good thought of simply how much Tetsuya Nomura and his team changed and added to the release.

Those hoping to complete all of the game's side quests can expect to spend an additional 7 and one-half hours on top of their principal playthrough, while a total completionist run will take a staggering 84 hours. This is largely down to players needing to complete the game once more on hard mode, where there are as well some boosted challenges for players to take on.

The PlayStation 5 Release, Final Fantasy seven Remake Intergrade, comes with a slew of upgrades to the visuals and performance along with a new story expansion starring Yuffie Kisaragi. This DLC episode takes about five hours to complete. However, completionists tin expect to spend about 17 hours in the new content, since it has to exist beaten at least twice along with the side quests.

x Final Fantasy 6 – 35.5 Hours

The second half of this game brought a new element to the serial, giving players a and so-unprecedented level of choice on how to approach tackling objectives.

After the halfway betoken, one can even sprint towards the finish without seeing everything on the newly transformed globe map, cutting down game fourth dimension significantly. However, one is a fool if they don't take a await at everything ane of the nigh historic 2D JRPGs of all time has to offer.

ix Final Fantasy VII – 38 one/2 Hours

Cloud and his friends' journey not only elevated the serial to new heights, only the medium as a whole. Its massive detailed world, cosmic story, and difficult-hitting emotional beats were unlike annihilation else gamers saw at the fourth dimension.

Xxx-viii hours is about how long it takes to get through it, only doing everything there is to practice can at to the lowest degree double the playtime. The PS1 was a revolutionary console, and Foursquare was there every bit i of the leaders of the charge with their JRPG classic.

eight Terminal Fantasy Nine – 40 Hours

Via: GameFAQs

The ninth entry was a counter-point to the two scientific discipline-fiction themed titles before information technology. The render to form stands every bit the PlayStation'due south swan vocal, and what a corking send off it was.

xl hours of gaming was plenty enough time to stave off PS2 cravings. Who wanted the next-gen console when the PS1 was withal pumping out RPGs of this quality?

7 Final Fantasy Tactics – 40 Hours

Final Fantasy Tactics

Fifty-fifty though information technology is not a mainline entry, Final Fantasy Tactics deserves its place on the list, every bit information technology is ofttimes considered one of the best RPGs of all time. The gameplay builds upon the foundation set by Tactics Ogre: Let united states Cling Together.

The task system and party formal is malleable, letting players build whatever kind of squad they wish. The 40 hour time is mostly due to the game'due south difficulty. Experts can easily cut this downwards to between 24 or thirty.

6 Final Fantasy VIII – 42 Hours

The follow-up to Final Fantasy Vii doesn't become every bit much praise as its predecessor, just it still basks in plenty celebrity on its own.

Additionally, it differentiates itself from the pack with its unique Draw mechanic, addictive carte du jour game Triple Triad, and the enemies scaling to the player's level which makes grinding unnecessary. With the recent remaster, one can experience this magnificent hazard more than comfortably than ever before.

5 Final Fantasy X – 48 Hours

Yuna's pilgrimage through Spira and developing relationship with Tidus forever stick in players' minds. The series had tackled dear stories earlier, simply never had they felt then real, thanks to the fully vocalism-acted cutscenes and enhanced graphics. The protagonist's human relationship with his begetter was also new to the medium.

The Sphere Grid progression system added a new layer to progression, offer players increased command on how their political party advanced. Getting every graphic symbol'south angelic weapon and upgrading them to the max as well ensures completionists won't chop-chop put this one down.

4 Final Fantasy XIII – 49 Hours

Final Fantasy Thirteen got flack for its linearity, but no one could deny how beautiful it was. Unfortunately, looks aren't plenty for everybody.

Its story may be hard to follow, but the bandage of characters ensures at that place is never a dull moment. The direct sequels garnered diminishing returns, but Xiii is solid on its own.

3 Final Fantasy XII – 60 Hours

The longest one by a long shot, Final Fantasy XII was almost too big for its ain skillful. It eschewed a formal world map, merely players sometimes trekked through open up lands for hours before reaching their destination.

Information technology gave a grand sense of scope, but re-releases offered the ability to speed upward these segments. Fifty-fifty with the fast-forrard push button, players are in for a long journey inside Ivalice.

2 Final Fantasy Eleven – 106.v Hours

final fantasy 11 shantotto

MMORPGs take a reputation for being incredibly long and Final Fantasy Eleven definitely does its level all-time to uphold this. Starting time released in 2002, the game is nonetheless going strong despite new expansions having dried up some time ago. The last one came in 2015 and was the game'southward 12th slice of major DLC.

Together, Final Fantasy XI'southward DLC provides hundreds of hours of extra playtime, although the main story tin can typically be completed in around 100 hours. Of course, games like this can't ever exist fully completed and so how long a role player gets out of the game is entirely up to them. There's always something else to practise though, so it's not uncommon for players to spend thousands of hours with Final Fantasy XI.

1 Final Fantasy 14 – 122 Hours

final fantasy 14 classes

Another MMORPG, another ridiculous average playtime. Last Fantasy XIV is Square Enix's latest attempt at taking the series online and undoubtedly its most ambitious. The game has received three major expansions since releasing in 2010 with a 4th, Endwalker, expected to drib on Nov 23, 2021.

Between them, the new story content in Heavensward, Stormblood and Shadowbringers takes around 185 hours to complete, although when raids and other side content are deemed for that figure is far closer to the 300 hr mark. For those looking for a game that they can sink some serious time into; this is information technology.

MORE: Best Final Fantasy Games (According To Metacritic)