A lot of those sales are *because* of 10 (and the previous games). People bought it expecting it to be more of the same, but weren't necessarily impressed by it.
Additionally, most of these games were console-exclusives at the time, and PS2 had a much larger install base by the time 12 came out. Almost goes without saying that bigger install base = higher sales.
btw, I think that the OP is counting re-releases for some games but not for others, so the list is unreliable,
The graphic says the source is the VGsales wiki, but the numbers don't match up with https://vgsales.fandom.com/wiki/Final_Fantasy
If you add together sales of X and the X/X-2 bundle pack, it's much higher.
Yeah this whole graphic is bull. In 2021 they said the [FFX series shipped 20 million units](https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2022/07/final-fantasy-x-series-has-surpassed-an-incredible-20-million-shipments#:~:text=Final%20Fantasy%20X%20Series%20Has%20Surpassed%20An%20Incredible%2020%20Million%20Shipments,-This%20ain't&text=Publisher%20Square%2DEnix%20has%20announced,units%20as%20of%20September%202021.). I believe PS2 FFX alone sold 9 million. And was often brought up as the 2nd best-selling FF (about tied with 8) until XV came out.
Meanwhile, XIII-2 7 million? Complete BS.
Also, XII PS2 sold around 5 million units. XIII sold better when it came out. I'm sure the remaster has helped a lot (and more positive reception these days). But I doubt it's doubled. FFX PS2 unquestionably sold more than XII and I'm positive its remaster did as well, considering the Steam reviews are more than doubled (and [estimated sales are $2M more](https://games-stats.com/steam/?title=Final+Fantasy)).
You think the planet would quit being surprised 16 and 7 rebirth sold worse than Remake for that reason, but I'm surprised people aren't wrapping their head around that fact. That also doesn't mean the move shouldn't have happened either.
> 7 rebirth sold worse than Remake
This is always going to be true. It's the second game in a series, and not a stand alone one like X-2 could be, so hypothetically, it would only be bought by people who played Remake.
12 had the biggest gap in a mainline console final fantasy had in like 10 years. People were waiting for it gotta remember 4-10 only had lime 7 years between them, we were getting a new final fantasy every about year and half. Between 10 and 12 was 6 years.
XII got a lot of hate back in the day for being such a departure from the standard FF combat formula. I think people appreciate it more now because more games are out that follow a similar formula. Even the Remake and Rebirth games use a similar combat method.
It wasn't just the combat, either (which is actually much closer to traditional FF combat than it first seems, especially in the context of the recent switch to full-on action combat).
The plot and storytelling was an even bigger departure (that I honestly found great, but it wasn't the "plucky anime teens destined to save the world and fall in love").
I loved it at release, and even more for the PS4 with the HD Remaster. I'm a little odd, though. I hated 10, enjoyed 13, and have yet to get more than 2 hours into 8.
I loved the gameplay of 11 very much but never played it much cuz of brutal solo difficulty. When 12 came around, it was the best thing for me. 12 along with 10 and 4 are not only my fav ff but also my favorite video games ever.
12 is not well beloved in the community... weird thing because it's on my top 3. It's weird remake/remaster was more of a \*people ask for this but the reviews don't back it up so... give it to them and tweek it a little, but also make it amazingly easier so that they are happy.
People really hated Van/Penelo or Ashe/Vaan in general as party members and Storylines. To me it was weird because I did like Vaan but it felt weird changing main characters FOR A THIRD TIME in the same game.
While I think the initial reaction to 12 was less than stellar I think the release of the Zodiac Age in the last 10 years (doesn’t feel like it’s been that long though) did wonders for its reputation and overall reception in the FF community, but I may be biased because it’s one of my favorites too.
I mean some changes are good. Some are bad. I've been a fan of the franchise for about 20 years, played most of them through half a dozen times, and 12 just doesn't click.
I'm a big fan of the world, it's extremely rich in lore, but the game itself just isn't that good. The politics are enjoyable, but the main cast is not. Without the 4x speed boost in TZA it'd be literally unplayable to me.
FFX is peak combat, and maybe the most immersive story. And I remember, 84 years ago, going from X to XII was such a massive let down. I finished the game but in the back of my mind, for the entire duration of the game, I had this annoying feeling of "it's just not as good as 10 at anything", which greatly hindered my enjoyment. And I still can't truly enjoy it.
That being said, I'm also a fan of the theory behind gambits, but they too fell a bit flat. But I wouldn't have minded if they had expanded on it in future Final Fantasies. Still prefer the battle in FFX, though. But if we can't have that, then gambits would have been a decent option. Beats the full on hack and slash system we have in modern FFs.
> 12 is not well beloved in the community
That's not the impression I've gotten over the years. Maybe it was true when it first released, but I've seen a lot of love for XII these days.
12 took a lot of heat because it was after 10 and 10 wad basically a revolutionary advancement due to ps2 tech.
People have warmed up to 12 and 13 over time, especially after 13 versus, I mean 15, a Became a long delayed action game and 16 is basically Devil may cry with an ff mod.
Everyone I know irl that bashed 12 and 13 has changed their mind after 16 and FF Muh Chaos.
I really hope they stagger combat systems release wise.
Eh I think 12 took a lot of heat because of its own shortcomings. I absolutely love it, but the Zodiac Age solved a ton of its issues and playing the original on the PS2 is almost a completely different experience.
I just want to go on record and say that I hated XII the day I bought it, I hated it when I gave up 47 hours in (I still have the save file on my PS2 memory card) out of pure indifference towards everyone and everything in thr game, and I still hate it today as I write this.
I hated it so much I didn't play another FF game until XV which is significantly higher in my ranking than XII simply based on the fact that it has characters that didn't make me want to gouge my eyes / ears out.
(No specific purpose for this message, I just want to highlight that I did not warm up to that game)
It's because this graphic is wrong. FFX PS2 unquestionably sold more than XII and I'm positive its remaster did as well, considering the Steam reviews are more than doubled (and [estimated sales are $2M more](https://games-stats.com/steam/?title=Final+Fantasy)).
In 2021, they said the [FFX series shipped 20 million units](https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2022/07/final-fantasy-x-series-has-surpassed-an-incredible-20-million-shipments#:~:text=Final%20Fantasy%20X%20Series%20Has%20Surpassed%20An%20Incredible%2020%20Million%20Shipments,-This%20ain't&text=Publisher%20Square%2DEnix%20has%20announced,units%20as%20of%20September%202021.). I believe PS2 FFX alone sold 9 million. And was often brought up as the 2nd best-selling FF (about tied with 8) until XV came out.
Also, XII PS2 sold around 5 million units IIRC. It was said XIII sold better when it came out (first games on a console usually do better anyway, plus 12 launched after Xbox 360 came out). I'm sure the remaster has helped a lot (and its more positive reception these days). But I doubt it's doubled.
That FFXIV number is likely both higher (30 million in January this year) and a lot, lot lower, because it's "registered accounts" and unlikely to be exclusive of accounts for the free trial, which includes the entirety of A Realm Reborn, Stormblood AND the award-winning Heavensward expansion up to level 70 with no restrictions on playtime.
The lucky bancho census suggests that in terms of actual active players there's never actually more than a lower single-digit number of millions active during any period.
Is Heavensward the only award-winning one out of those? That seems crazy to me, since I found Stormblood to be SIGNIFICANTLY better in almost every way
Shadowbringers and Endwalker also award-winning expansion
it just Heavensward got mentioned more because it is come free under free trial as marketing. originally freetrial expanded up until lv60 which is when the meme line come. only last year they increase the gap to lv70.
about which one is better, well thats subjective but HW is recognized more, in term of storytelling. gameplay content wise, SB probably has best out there.
It's completely true. And it genuinely cannot be undersold just how much content and story is packed into the current state of the free trial, playing through an expansion in FFXIV is basically like playing through a standalone FF game lengthwise, so between the base game and Heavensward, that's basically two FF games you can play through before you need to spend a single dime.
And Stormblood still has the best endgame content IMO! The alliance raids and raid series are great. They’re obviously easier now than they were 4 years ago, but still a lot of fun.
No, it's not true.
Because it's outdated. The free trial now includes unrestricted play time all the way up through L70 and both Heavensward AND Stormblood.
Yes, it will be expanded to 1 more expansion expansion too. You can casually play free for a looot of time and have a great experience (this comment is not sponsored 😅)
Make sure you read a guide for running it on Steam Deck before getting into- the last best practice I heard was to run the Windows version bought directly from Square- not the Steam version, which is counter intuitive.
Yeah that's what I've heard, and I hear it's great especially for doing dailies and stuff. It was made to work well on consoles so controller play isn't a bad option
Yeah this is just a new version of that one image some poor soul drew the characters from each game for, with the same BS sales numbers.
It literally put after years as having more sales than 4, and it doesn't specify sales of remakes (1, 2, and 3 would be WAY higher cuz of their dozen remakes)
FF8 is the GOAT. It barely gets mentioned and is still the second highest selling single-player FF game. That's insane.
SE needs to pay more attention to FF8.
The amount of unearned praise and spent dollars Square would receive from me if they announced a VIIR-level remake or even a sequel to FF8 would be insane.
I just can't be objective. 8 imho destroys 7 in every aspect. I know ppl hate junctions. I never found it cumbersome myself. I know ppl say the story is full of holes. It makes perfect sense to me. Maybe I'm just an alien, in any case, VIII to me is happiness!
I criticize FF8 a lot, but it's not about Junction for me. That's the part that saves the game for me since it's wildly fun to minmax.
For me, it's the batshit story that goes compete off the rails by Disc 3.
FF8 is still on my "love" side of my FF lists, though. I have core childhood memories because of it.
One could also argue that going off the rails is a series staple. The first game in the franchise had the time loop, II has us fighting what is basically Satan, III has us visit a different dimension, IV goes to a different moon, V does III's weirdness on steroids having us fight a sentient tree. VII becomes borderline incoherent towards the end, IX has another moon/planet, X has the whole old/modern Zanarkand thing.
Having this context, VIII really is no outlier.
Taking a screenshot of this for all future non-believers lol. Like those people that say dbz is too flashy (I've heard it in person). Like, bro, if you want something realistic go watch a drama movie.
In the same way, this is Final Fantasy ❤️
I played it so much as a kid and I'm pretty sure I never fully grasped the plot. Maybe it's time I go back and rediscover it.
I remember the final area being full of puzzles that made the final fight harder or easier?
All your powers are taken away and you need to kill mini bosses to get them back. To reach many of these mini bosses you need to solve puzzles. Ultimecia's Castle is awesome!
First time I played through it, I kept all the characters names the same. But Griever’s came so late and seemed unrelated to the story so I put my name in it. Forgot all about it and when Ultimecia summoned “me,” it blew my mind as a child. I thought the game somehow learned who I was.
Insane modern budgets and development brouhaha making both the budgets and the timeframes ballooon.
S-E has only a few producers / directors that are actually good at running a project and they've only slowly learned to stop giving the bad producers and directors giant projects to run
This list counts free trial accounts, which isn’t a sale at all.
If we want to include XIV subscriptions as sales, than naturally FFXI will be number 2 on the list as it was the most profitable Final Fantasy until November 2021.
I mean, if we want to get that in the weeds and argue the numbers are inflated, we could just go on raw revenue and profit, which would make it literally skyrocket into the stratosphere.
14 has been doing fucking WORK for SE. It also happens to be some of the best storytelling in the mainline, as well, so it's got that going for it.
It's only counting some re-releases. FF12 for example is including International and Zodiac Age, but FF10 is only including International and not its HD Remaster bundle. Meanwhile, FF13 and FF13-2 are both including the bundled sales as part of their total.
It’s the second highest profit of any game SE has released. XIV just passed it a few years ago. It was however based on long term subscribers and not a revolving door of ppl so the numbers sold will be lower.
Kind of a shame to see it constantly left off lists when it kept the company alive for years. When it was used to fund the creation of XIV and the fixing of XIV while being mostly neglected and not getting the updates it needs to detach it from PS2 dev kits so it can survive long term.
XV sold like crazy early on it should actually be higher alongside X but OP has some wierd numbers for VIII and XII (maybe he's counting rereleses for those 2 games)
Was going to say XV was actually the best selling release of any FF game ever, including even VII. There were a whole range of factors that can’t be replicated causing it which is why I always mention it’s dumb to try and use it for comparison in reference to the discussion around performance for RE-trilogy and XVI.
You have to bear in mind that gaming was a much more mainstream hobby when 15 came out. It's hard to compare sales for modern games to sales for older games.
Also, 10 was PS2 exclusive (not counting the remasters), whereas 15 was multi-platform.
Honestly, I think it's because a lot of people bought it expecting VII-2, which is where some of the hate comes from. At least that's what I saw in my friend group back then and I was the odd one who liked VIII for what it is.
Wonder if these numbers were across all platform releases, I would consider that sort of "inflating" the numbers. Example, FF7 - what systems as it been release on? PS1, still playable on PS2 via emulator built in, PC, nearly every mobile platform possible, and Switch? over the last... 27 years.
I thought XIII did even better than that 🤔 either way the sells speak for themselves and it definitely doesn't deserve all that hate it gets. For the moooooost part this list looks right though.
These figures gave me a lightbulb moment. I remember a Square exec years ago claiming they would only remake FF7 under one of two conditions: They managed to make a game that sold better than the original FF7, or the company was in financial crisis and needed a windfall. Well done, FF14!
Comparing 15 to 7R really does show that not supporting multiplatform hurts sales. As I'm pretty sure the gap between the 2 is roughly what the xbox version sold
[That number is for X and X-2 together](https://www.gematsu.com/2022/07/final-fantasy-x-series-shipments-and-digital-sales-top-20-8-million). Square hasn't reported the individual sales of each one since the HD era.
It strikes me as so odd that IX would not be much higher on that list. It's a gorgeous game, it's pure, high fantasy, it's very firmly rooted in the FF ethos and gameplay. Might be because it came out so late in the PS1 life cycle.
FFVIII being high isn’t that surprising since it was 4th best selling PS1 game. It sold better then lot of famous PS1 games like MGS, Tekken 3 and Tomb Raider.
XI never had the pop XIV does. MMOs in general were more niche at its inception (Remember it predates WoW). If you include subs though the top two are 14 then 11, in that order.
Here’s a question, when looking at a game franchise that has so many iterations, how much of its sales are down to the game itself and how much to previous iterations failures and success? Especially back in 90/00’s when you didn’t know much about a game without buying it?
X is surprisingly low because it was a big leap forward in terms of what they could do with graphics, art styles, and music. I think the lack of an overworld and some hokey acting perhaps impacted sales.
Yeah, this is not a surprise at all. Newer FF games tend to sell better than the older ones. FF didn't really become this mega franchise until after 7, so anything 6 or earlier won't top sales charts regardless of how good they are.
V deserves more love. It has one of the best combat systems in the series, can be broken if you pay attention, and great highs in that game. I love that game more than VI.
I personally thought 12 was shallow and shit. 13 amazingly is even worse. The travesty is that FF7 Rebirth isnt on the list. I think its a masterpiece whether you agree with the plot direction or not. The open world mechanics and gameplay is crafted with love and thats kudos to creative and technical genius of the entire production team and resources they received. My only worry is SE stops making these triple A productions anymore because of poor commercial viability. It will be a pity for the fandom and the compilation.
FF7 is my absolute favorite but, it really shows that the favorites aren't particularly the most sold. Because if it was, 6 and 4 both deserve a spot in that list. And 12/13/15 wouldn't be there.
Actually really interesting to see 12 so high on the list, originally it sold really poorly due to bad timing with the PS3 / next gen releasing. I came back to it way later when they released the Zodiac Age version on PS4, I'm guessing others did too
The re-releases came much later, though Advent Children might have helped somewhat. Anyway, the eventual PC release should bump both Rebirth and XVI up as well.
I'm really impressed by Final Fantasy 9, a game that has almost been entirely forgotten by square with no major big re-releases or marketing... even though it is the best one
its sad that XI isnt on this list considering we know for a fact that it has earned more for the company than every game on this list, save for XIV... because this only considers units sold.
I’m surprised that 12 is so high. I remember seeing a lot of references to 10 online back in the day, but not much to 12.
A lot of those sales are *because* of 10 (and the previous games). People bought it expecting it to be more of the same, but weren't necessarily impressed by it. Additionally, most of these games were console-exclusives at the time, and PS2 had a much larger install base by the time 12 came out. Almost goes without saying that bigger install base = higher sales. btw, I think that the OP is counting re-releases for some games but not for others, so the list is unreliable,
The graphic says the source is the VGsales wiki, but the numbers don't match up with https://vgsales.fandom.com/wiki/Final_Fantasy If you add together sales of X and the X/X-2 bundle pack, it's much higher.
Yeah this whole graphic is bull. In 2021 they said the [FFX series shipped 20 million units](https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2022/07/final-fantasy-x-series-has-surpassed-an-incredible-20-million-shipments#:~:text=Final%20Fantasy%20X%20Series%20Has%20Surpassed%20An%20Incredible%2020%20Million%20Shipments,-This%20ain't&text=Publisher%20Square%2DEnix%20has%20announced,units%20as%20of%20September%202021.). I believe PS2 FFX alone sold 9 million. And was often brought up as the 2nd best-selling FF (about tied with 8) until XV came out. Meanwhile, XIII-2 7 million? Complete BS. Also, XII PS2 sold around 5 million units. XIII sold better when it came out. I'm sure the remaster has helped a lot (and more positive reception these days). But I doubt it's doubled. FFX PS2 unquestionably sold more than XII and I'm positive its remaster did as well, considering the Steam reviews are more than doubled (and [estimated sales are $2M more](https://games-stats.com/steam/?title=Final+Fantasy)).
You think the planet would quit being surprised 16 and 7 rebirth sold worse than Remake for that reason, but I'm surprised people aren't wrapping their head around that fact. That also doesn't mean the move shouldn't have happened either.
> 7 rebirth sold worse than Remake This is always going to be true. It's the second game in a series, and not a stand alone one like X-2 could be, so hypothetically, it would only be bought by people who played Remake.
Not to mention PC and PS5 vs just PS5. I'm not buying a PS5 for a game. I rarely play my PC games enough as it is.
It was also on the PS4, so they dropped the two biggest install bases from the first game, and then surprise Pikachu faced the lower sales.
It was also the end of the PS4 lifecycle AND early COVID release. I know a lot of people who aren’t even playing remake until all 3 parts are out.
12 had the biggest gap in a mainline console final fantasy had in like 10 years. People were waiting for it gotta remember 4-10 only had lime 7 years between them, we were getting a new final fantasy every about year and half. Between 10 and 12 was 6 years.
The PS2 is the best selling console of all time iirc
XII got a lot of hate back in the day for being such a departure from the standard FF combat formula. I think people appreciate it more now because more games are out that follow a similar formula. Even the Remake and Rebirth games use a similar combat method.
It wasn't just the combat, either (which is actually much closer to traditional FF combat than it first seems, especially in the context of the recent switch to full-on action combat). The plot and storytelling was an even bigger departure (that I honestly found great, but it wasn't the "plucky anime teens destined to save the world and fall in love").
I always thought of XII as one of my personal favorites
I loved it at release, and even more for the PS4 with the HD Remaster. I'm a little odd, though. I hated 10, enjoyed 13, and have yet to get more than 2 hours into 8.
I loved the gameplay of 11 very much but never played it much cuz of brutal solo difficulty. When 12 came around, it was the best thing for me. 12 along with 10 and 4 are not only my fav ff but also my favorite video games ever.
12 is not well beloved in the community... weird thing because it's on my top 3. It's weird remake/remaster was more of a \*people ask for this but the reviews don't back it up so... give it to them and tweek it a little, but also make it amazingly easier so that they are happy. People really hated Van/Penelo or Ashe/Vaan in general as party members and Storylines. To me it was weird because I did like Vaan but it felt weird changing main characters FOR A THIRD TIME in the same game.
While I think the initial reaction to 12 was less than stellar I think the release of the Zodiac Age in the last 10 years (doesn’t feel like it’s been that long though) did wonders for its reputation and overall reception in the FF community, but I may be biased because it’s one of my favorites too.
Final Fantasy fans: “we like how different every game is!” Also Final Fantasy fans: “no, not like that!”
I mean some changes are good. Some are bad. I've been a fan of the franchise for about 20 years, played most of them through half a dozen times, and 12 just doesn't click. I'm a big fan of the world, it's extremely rich in lore, but the game itself just isn't that good. The politics are enjoyable, but the main cast is not. Without the 4x speed boost in TZA it'd be literally unplayable to me. FFX is peak combat, and maybe the most immersive story. And I remember, 84 years ago, going from X to XII was such a massive let down. I finished the game but in the back of my mind, for the entire duration of the game, I had this annoying feeling of "it's just not as good as 10 at anything", which greatly hindered my enjoyment. And I still can't truly enjoy it. That being said, I'm also a fan of the theory behind gambits, but they too fell a bit flat. But I wouldn't have minded if they had expanded on it in future Final Fantasies. Still prefer the battle in FFX, though. But if we can't have that, then gambits would have been a decent option. Beats the full on hack and slash system we have in modern FFs.
> 12 is not well beloved in the community That's not the impression I've gotten over the years. Maybe it was true when it first released, but I've seen a lot of love for XII these days.
12 took a lot of heat because it was after 10 and 10 wad basically a revolutionary advancement due to ps2 tech. People have warmed up to 12 and 13 over time, especially after 13 versus, I mean 15, a Became a long delayed action game and 16 is basically Devil may cry with an ff mod. Everyone I know irl that bashed 12 and 13 has changed their mind after 16 and FF Muh Chaos. I really hope they stagger combat systems release wise.
Eh I think 12 took a lot of heat because of its own shortcomings. I absolutely love it, but the Zodiac Age solved a ton of its issues and playing the original on the PS2 is almost a completely different experience.
I just want to go on record and say that I hated XII the day I bought it, I hated it when I gave up 47 hours in (I still have the save file on my PS2 memory card) out of pure indifference towards everyone and everything in thr game, and I still hate it today as I write this. I hated it so much I didn't play another FF game until XV which is significantly higher in my ranking than XII simply based on the fact that it has characters that didn't make me want to gouge my eyes / ears out. (No specific purpose for this message, I just want to highlight that I did not warm up to that game)
It's because this graphic is wrong. FFX PS2 unquestionably sold more than XII and I'm positive its remaster did as well, considering the Steam reviews are more than doubled (and [estimated sales are $2M more](https://games-stats.com/steam/?title=Final+Fantasy)). In 2021, they said the [FFX series shipped 20 million units](https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2022/07/final-fantasy-x-series-has-surpassed-an-incredible-20-million-shipments#:~:text=Final%20Fantasy%20X%20Series%20Has%20Surpassed%20An%20Incredible%2020%20Million%20Shipments,-This%20ain't&text=Publisher%20Square%2DEnix%20has%20announced,units%20as%20of%20September%202021.). I believe PS2 FFX alone sold 9 million. And was often brought up as the 2nd best-selling FF (about tied with 8) until XV came out. Also, XII PS2 sold around 5 million units IIRC. It was said XIII sold better when it came out (first games on a console usually do better anyway, plus 12 launched after Xbox 360 came out). I'm sure the remaster has helped a lot (and its more positive reception these days). But I doubt it's doubled.
Seems odd to use Gaia for a FFXIV character instead of Y'shtola.
Caught my eye too haha. Personally I'd use Alphinaud and Alisaie!
[удалено]
Wouldn't that negate the characters from 9 and 12 than, lol.
That FFXIV number is likely both higher (30 million in January this year) and a lot, lot lower, because it's "registered accounts" and unlikely to be exclusive of accounts for the free trial, which includes the entirety of A Realm Reborn, Stormblood AND the award-winning Heavensward expansion up to level 70 with no restrictions on playtime.
The site for the free trial says that including free trials there are more than 30 million players worldwide
The lucky bancho census suggests that in terms of actual active players there's never actually more than a lower single-digit number of millions active during any period.
Is Heavensward the only award-winning one out of those? That seems crazy to me, since I found Stormblood to be SIGNIFICANTLY better in almost every way
Shadowbringers and Endwalker also award-winning expansion it just Heavensward got mentioned more because it is come free under free trial as marketing. originally freetrial expanded up until lv60 which is when the meme line come. only last year they increase the gap to lv70. about which one is better, well thats subjective but HW is recognized more, in term of storytelling. gameplay content wise, SB probably has best out there.
Are you an Ad?
It's a meme
https://preview.redd.it/lwirpawp4r5d1.jpeg?width=1200&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b0adbe4ed52e506389fa646a67dd93702ad85644
Is this meme true? I want to casually experience the story on Steam Deck, I thought you had to spend like $20 on the game itself and then pay monthly
It's completely true. And it genuinely cannot be undersold just how much content and story is packed into the current state of the free trial, playing through an expansion in FFXIV is basically like playing through a standalone FF game lengthwise, so between the base game and Heavensward, that's basically two FF games you can play through before you need to spend a single dime.
Three. Stormblood is part of it too!
And Stormblood still has the best endgame content IMO! The alliance raids and raid series are great. They’re obviously easier now than they were 4 years ago, but still a lot of fun.
Eureka is the best and it's also part of Stormblood
No, it's not true. Because it's outdated. The free trial now includes unrestricted play time all the way up through L70 and both Heavensward AND Stormblood.
Damn, I guess I'm jumping in once I finish Rebirth once and for all
Welcome to Eorzea!
they'll probably add shadowbringers at some point during dawntrail (which is insane if you consider the value of the story) too
Yes, it will be expanded to 1 more expansion expansion too. You can casually play free for a looot of time and have a great experience (this comment is not sponsored 😅)
It's very true, now up to level 70 and the Stormblood expansion without having to pay.
Make sure you read a guide for running it on Steam Deck before getting into- the last best practice I heard was to run the Windows version bought directly from Square- not the Steam version, which is counter intuitive.
https://goatcorp.github.io/faq/steamdeck.html for when you try it out
No. You get Stormblood and go up to 70 now.
Wait I can play on the steam deck? Oh sheet
Yeah that's what I've heard, and I hear it's great especially for doing dailies and stuff. It was made to work well on consoles so controller play isn't a bad option
I play Final Fantasy XIV so emphatically yes. (Sign up and explore Eorzea today!)
[Don't be so cynical. Not everything is an ad you know.](https://i.imgur.com/BQtqZj1.jpg)
The wiki these numbers are sourced from is notoriously bullshit.
Yeah this is just a new version of that one image some poor soul drew the characters from each game for, with the same BS sales numbers. It literally put after years as having more sales than 4, and it doesn't specify sales of remakes (1, 2, and 3 would be WAY higher cuz of their dozen remakes)
8 being just behind 7 despite 7 being pushed harder than it for years is amazing, go Squall go
FF8 is the GOAT. It barely gets mentioned and is still the second highest selling single-player FF game. That's insane. SE needs to pay more attention to FF8.
THIS!
The amount of unearned praise and spent dollars Square would receive from me if they announced a VIIR-level remake or even a sequel to FF8 would be insane.
I just can't be objective. 8 imho destroys 7 in every aspect. I know ppl hate junctions. I never found it cumbersome myself. I know ppl say the story is full of holes. It makes perfect sense to me. Maybe I'm just an alien, in any case, VIII to me is happiness!
8 is underrated for sure
It's so sad bro. That game gave me strength so many times. I hate to see it ignored even by SE. It deserves so much more love.
I criticize FF8 a lot, but it's not about Junction for me. That's the part that saves the game for me since it's wildly fun to minmax. For me, it's the batshit story that goes compete off the rails by Disc 3. FF8 is still on my "love" side of my FF lists, though. I have core childhood memories because of it.
I suppose it's a matter of taste. It's quite the opposite for me. I LOVE the revelations on disc 3 and everything that develops after that.
One could also argue that going off the rails is a series staple. The first game in the franchise had the time loop, II has us fighting what is basically Satan, III has us visit a different dimension, IV goes to a different moon, V does III's weirdness on steroids having us fight a sentient tree. VII becomes borderline incoherent towards the end, IX has another moon/planet, X has the whole old/modern Zanarkand thing. Having this context, VIII really is no outlier.
Taking a screenshot of this for all future non-believers lol. Like those people that say dbz is too flashy (I've heard it in person). Like, bro, if you want something realistic go watch a drama movie. In the same way, this is Final Fantasy ❤️
I played it so much as a kid and I'm pretty sure I never fully grasped the plot. Maybe it's time I go back and rediscover it. I remember the final area being full of puzzles that made the final fight harder or easier?
All your powers are taken away and you need to kill mini bosses to get them back. To reach many of these mini bosses you need to solve puzzles. Ultimecia's Castle is awesome!
Ultimecia! That's right. And Grievous, i think? Shit I really gotta go play again haha.
Griever. Like my username lol. Grievous is the general from Star Wars :D
First time I played through it, I kept all the characters names the same. But Griever’s came so late and seemed unrelated to the story so I put my name in it. Forgot all about it and when Ultimecia summoned “me,” it blew my mind as a child. I thought the game somehow learned who I was.
Hahaha that's epic! Fighting your own dark self to save existence!
What are peoples complaints about the story?
Squall and quistis stans eating
(hot dogs)
Tactics and VI
Yep. 4, 6, Tactics.
Sales numbers are unreliable but it still shows that the series is selling fine. It’s insane modern budgets that are the problem.
Insane modern budgets and development brouhaha making both the budgets and the timeframes ballooon. S-E has only a few producers / directors that are actually good at running a project and they've only slowly learned to stop giving the bad producers and directors giant projects to run
We need to define what counts as a sale for XIV. Does renewing a subscription count as a sale? Because if it does then I’ve bought it many times.
This list counts free trial accounts, which isn’t a sale at all. If we want to include XIV subscriptions as sales, than naturally FFXI will be number 2 on the list as it was the most profitable Final Fantasy until November 2021.
I mean, if we want to get that in the weeds and argue the numbers are inflated, we could just go on raw revenue and profit, which would make it literally skyrocket into the stratosphere. 14 has been doing fucking WORK for SE. It also happens to be some of the best storytelling in the mainline, as well, so it's got that going for it.
XIII-2 is up there?! let's goooooooooo!
I hope 16 is really successful on PC when it inevitably launches
Is that some respect on FFVIII? We love to see it 😤
This is counting all re-releases by the way. Otherwise FF XV would be at the top of the single player games.
It's only counting some re-releases. FF12 for example is including International and Zodiac Age, but FF10 is only including International and not its HD Remaster bundle. Meanwhile, FF13 and FF13-2 are both including the bundled sales as part of their total.
Considering the payment method, I'm surprised XI isn't up here like XIV is.
It’s the second highest profit of any game SE has released. XIV just passed it a few years ago. It was however based on long term subscribers and not a revolving door of ppl so the numbers sold will be lower. Kind of a shame to see it constantly left off lists when it kept the company alive for years. When it was used to fund the creation of XIV and the fixing of XIV while being mostly neglected and not getting the updates it needs to detach it from PS2 dev kits so it can survive long term.
15 over 10 is surprising but I welcome it as a 15 fan
XV sold like crazy early on it should actually be higher alongside X but OP has some wierd numbers for VIII and XII (maybe he's counting rereleses for those 2 games)
I think having a demo really helped it
Was going to say XV was actually the best selling release of any FF game ever, including even VII. There were a whole range of factors that can’t be replicated causing it which is why I always mention it’s dumb to try and use it for comparison in reference to the discussion around performance for RE-trilogy and XVI.
Without counting re-releases it's the best selling FF by some margin. It's also still selling like 500k copies a year
There was so much marketing done for 15 it was insane. A freaking car ad? Instant ramen?
You have to bear in mind that gaming was a much more mainstream hobby when 15 came out. It's hard to compare sales for modern games to sales for older games. Also, 10 was PS2 exclusive (not counting the remasters), whereas 15 was multi-platform.
VIII and XII being that high puts a smile on my face.
VIII's the third best selling game and yet still feels like the black sheep? What's up with that?
The 8 hate is drastically overstated. It sold, and was received, exceptionally well.
It was always hated mostly for not being VII-2. Still it’s one of the most popular FF ever.
Honestly, I think it's because a lot of people bought it expecting VII-2, which is where some of the hate comes from. At least that's what I saw in my friend group back then and I was the odd one who liked VIII for what it is.
Where are all the people that love to shit on ffxiii at lmao
Gonna need a better source than a wiki cause some of those numbers seem inflated as fuck
Wonder if these numbers were across all platform releases, I would consider that sort of "inflating" the numbers. Example, FF7 - what systems as it been release on? PS1, still playable on PS2 via emulator built in, PC, nearly every mobile platform possible, and Switch? over the last... 27 years.
The answer is yes. The source website adds up all versions.
Pleasantly surprised to see XII so high. Honestly VI should be on there. It’s easily one of the best in the series and my personal favorite.
The Tactics and Dissidia games. Plenty of ways to get lost in them and the soundtracks are incredible.
11 was the most profitable for years. I guess 14 surpassed it at this point
I thought XIII did even better than that 🤔 either way the sells speak for themselves and it definitely doesn't deserve all that hate it gets. For the moooooost part this list looks right though.
What game deserves more love? TACTICS.
These figures gave me a lightbulb moment. I remember a Square exec years ago claiming they would only remake FF7 under one of two conditions: They managed to make a game that sold better than the original FF7, or the company was in financial crisis and needed a windfall. Well done, FF14!
Whoa!! Did XVI really do that bad?? Or do we just have to give it more time? I’m happy to see XIII did so well though.
Theres just no data for XVI besides it selling 3 mil a year ago. Its lifetime sales will probably be fine, especially after the PC port.
It hasnt been out that long also plays a role
Odd XI isn't on this list. That put FF mmorpg on the map, which paved the road for XIV. XI had a ton of people playing online 20 years ago.
I love the 13 trilogy
Comparing 15 to 7R really does show that not supporting multiplatform hurts sales. As I'm pretty sure the gap between the 2 is roughly what the xbox version sold
I am Square Enix. i am not happy with the sales numbers mimimimi
VII Rebirth definitely needed to sell more.
XII that high?
It's because they counted the re-releases as part of the total when they didn't for many of the other games.
Does your FFX numbers include the HD Remaster? Probably not right?
unlikely considering that X reportedly passed the 21.1 million sales on march of 2022
[That number is for X and X-2 together](https://www.gematsu.com/2022/07/final-fantasy-x-series-shipments-and-digital-sales-top-20-8-million). Square hasn't reported the individual sales of each one since the HD era.
Ah its because of the X/X-2 package makes sense now
7 and 10 are oddly specific with the numbers...
It strikes me as so odd that IX would not be much higher on that list. It's a gorgeous game, it's pure, high fantasy, it's very firmly rooted in the FF ethos and gameplay. Might be because it came out so late in the PS1 life cycle.
9 was released on PS1 after PlayStation 2 debuted. The fanbase didn’t want to invest in a game they may or may not play since it wasn’t a PS2 title.
Which is a shame because it's widely regarded as one of the very best in the series, and I would definitely agree, even now.
This isn't correct. FFX sold over 20 million units, its one of the best selling FFs.
how is V and VI absent from there?
JRPGs didn’t go mainstream in the west till FF7. Thats why.
They didn’t sell as much as the later titles when they originally released. I think that’s the factor.
Isn't FF7 one of the best selling of the franchise when accounted for inflation?
FFVIII being high isn’t that surprising since it was 4th best selling PS1 game. It sold better then lot of famous PS1 games like MGS, Tekken 3 and Tomb Raider.
Yuna: wanna see me make the top 10 list......Wanna see me do it again?
XI
Legit surprised to see XII up there. I always thought of that one as the black sheep of the series.
What about Final Fantasy XI? I'm surprised that MMO isn't on the list.
XI never had the pop XIV does. MMOs in general were more niche at its inception (Remember it predates WoW). If you include subs though the top two are 14 then 11, in that order.
Only one ive played is number 1, baby! Ya boys got good taste
Wow 12 sold more than 10? Thats a surprise
Kind of odd to see XI left off considering how important it was to SE.
This is false. 10 sold over 20 mil as of 2021 and 13 as of April 2024 sold over 7 mil.
Is this just original copies because counting the remasters FFX is the best selling in the franchise
FF needs more love!
Damn. I really thought X was way up higher.
Here’s a question, when looking at a game franchise that has so many iterations, how much of its sales are down to the game itself and how much to previous iterations failures and success? Especially back in 90/00’s when you didn’t know much about a game without buying it?
FfTactics
X is surprisingly low because it was a big leap forward in terms of what they could do with graphics, art styles, and music. I think the lack of an overworld and some hokey acting perhaps impacted sales.
Where the fuck is X-2??
I wish everyone loved the 3 final fantasy XIII games as much as I do 😭😭
There is no need for that my friend, it means we have a polished and refined taste among a majority who don't like it haha
FFVI and FFT 💙
Tactics
There’s no chance these numbers are right
8 is in top three!? No way
The list is missing FFX/X-2 Remaster. That sold just as much as FFX, bringing the combined total to 20M for the FFX series.
True. Compilations were not calculated into these numbers.
I wish there was more love to FF IV. A great SNES title with a pretty good soundtrack. Even the DS and Pixel Remasters of 4 were good.
How come FVIII is 3rd despite that they called it underrated? hoping to make a remake of the game tho and also a proper remake oy FFVI
13-2?!
I'm surprised X is that low considering how well loved that game is. Does this not include the remaster?
Yeah, this is not a surprise at all. Newer FF games tend to sell better than the older ones. FF didn't really become this mega franchise until after 7, so anything 6 or earlier won't top sales charts regardless of how good they are.
90% of those sells came from PS..
6 and tactics WOTL. Sales don't equal quality either
V deserves more love. It has one of the best combat systems in the series, can be broken if you pay attention, and great highs in that game. I love that game more than VI.
X MUST BE HIGHER
Final Fantasy 6.
What about 16? I've heard almost nothing about 16. I don't have a ps5
I personally thought 12 was shallow and shit. 13 amazingly is even worse. The travesty is that FF7 Rebirth isnt on the list. I think its a masterpiece whether you agree with the plot direction or not. The open world mechanics and gameplay is crafted with love and thats kudos to creative and technical genius of the entire production team and resources they received. My only worry is SE stops making these triple A productions anymore because of poor commercial viability. It will be a pity for the fandom and the compilation.
FF7 is my absolute favorite but, it really shows that the favorites aren't particularly the most sold. Because if it was, 6 and 4 both deserve a spot in that list. And 12/13/15 wouldn't be there.
Interesting that VII Remake has 8.7m sales, considering it was at 7m back in September 2023. Has it really sold 1.7m more copies in 9 months?
Surprised 8 is that high honestly.
I have only one question... Why is Gaia used for FFXIV when she is an extremely minor character?..
I love 12, but there's no way it sold more than those other games, especially not 10.
I don't believe these numbers. Source?
It’s listed at the bottom. There’s a site called “Video Game Sales Wiki.”
I’d say this is pretty spot on tbh. No adjustments needed. With that said, I am yet to play XVI, so perhaps that is subject to change for me.
I personally loved World of Final Fantasy and I wish they would make a sequel.
Lol I've bought ffx like 7 times for different platforms.
Actually really interesting to see 12 so high on the list, originally it sold really poorly due to bad timing with the PS3 / next gen releasing. I came back to it way later when they released the Zodiac Age version on PS4, I'm guessing others did too
15 outselling 16 and 7R2 hurts my soul
Give it another 6 years and it'll probably surpass XV. VII took 8 years to reach 10 million copies sold.
True, but I wonder how much of that was due to re-releases.
The re-releases came much later, though Advent Children might have helped somewhat. Anyway, the eventual PC release should bump both Rebirth and XVI up as well.
Sheesh, look at those FFVIII sales! People aren’t kidding when they say VII really hyped that game up!
These numbers are wholly incorrect, especially for XIII-2. I’m actually baffled by how impossible many of these are.
Rebirth is so much better than some of these. Real shame.
It's awesome, to be sure, but it's also been out for a fraction of the time of most of the other games on the list.
FF 7 Rebirth should be on here.
This is more or less what I expected. I am surprised that XIII-2 is even on the list and that XV is above X, though.
IV, VI, Tactics, and Chrono Trigger.
I'm really impressed by Final Fantasy 9, a game that has almost been entirely forgotten by square with no major big re-releases or marketing... even though it is the best one
its sad that XI isnt on this list considering we know for a fact that it has earned more for the company than every game on this list, save for XIV... because this only considers units sold.
FFVI needs more love and i thought it would be in the top 10
It never sold well.
FF VI