Final Fantasy XVI (2023)

Square Enix Creative Business Unit III

PC (Microsoft Windows) · PlayStation 5 · Xbox Series X|S

3.94 from 737 ratings

1900 members have it in their collection · 227 playing now · 559 backlogged · 922 wish listed

How long? Main story 41h · with extras 56h · 100% 81h (from 83 logged playthroughs)

A single-player action RPG set in a high-fantasy world where warring nations and powerful summoned Eikons shape political intrigue and personal vengeance. Players control Clive, a former shield bearer whose life is upended by tragedy. Engage in fast-paced, tactical real-time combat that blends heavy weapons, Eikon-driven abilities, and cinematic set pieces. Deeply narrative-driven, the game emphasizes character development, expansive locales … Read more
A single-player action RPG set in a high-fantasy world where warring nations and powerful summoned Eikons shape political intrigue and personal vengeance. Players control Clive, a former shield bearer whose life is upended by tragedy. Engage in fast-paced, tactical real-time combat that blends heavy weapons, Eikon-driven abilities, and cinematic set pieces. Deeply narrative-driven, the game emphasizes character development, expansive locales to explore, and dramatic boss encounters while offering layered combat customization through combos, parries, and skill upgrades. Read less
Remove Ads with Grouvee Gold

Release dates

  • Jun 22, 2023 (Full Release) (Worldwide) PlayStation 5
  • Sep 17, 2024 (Full Release) (Worldwide) PC (Microsoft Windows)
  • Jun 08, 2025 (Full Release) (Worldwide) Xbox Series X|S

Also available on

Related

Bundled in

DLC

Remove Ads with Grouvee Gold

Featured in lists

Queer Gaming by shinespark · 105 games · 5
çöp by Rerogshi · 298 games · 0
Unfinished by parzival666x · 36 games · 0
Gaming journal '25 by JuroHikari · 112 games · 0
GOTY 2023 by LarsFrukt · 31 games · 0
Square Enix by NeoOdyssey · 34 games · 0

Rating distribution

5 stars
227
4 stars
313
3 stars
139
2 stars
43
1 star
15
Remove Ads with Grouvee Gold

Community All Reviews Statuses

MantaOrlando

Review MantaOrlando 1/5 · Dec 3, 2025

So, this is why I've abandoned this game.

I got bored of it. Simple as that. I just won't bother to play through 30+ hours of an easy game with fetch quests just to unlock a harder difficulty.

I also won't install a mod to fix what the developer's should have done to start with. That's giving the game an unfair advantage. Imagine Devil May Cry being structured …

Read more

I got bored of it. Simple as that. I just won't bother to play through 30+ hours of an easy game with fetch quests just to unlock a harder difficulty.

I also won't install a mod to fix what the developer's should have done to start with. That's giving the game an unfair advantage. Imagine Devil May Cry being structured like that!

Besides, the cutscene overload combined with way too many tutorials including just walking are just too much!

Read less
naaash93

Review naaash93 3/5 · Sep 16, 2025

ACTION SEMI-RPG but NOT FINAL FANTASY

There i said it. Spoilers ahead.

While i enjoyed the game, i have many complaints throughout the adventures.

CONS:

  • PC performance was dogshit !! stutter, lag , frame drop you name it. it really frustrating. When u change maps, or place, yeah you have to restart the game coz its stutter like crazy. Come on man. Nothing shittier when cutscene …
Read more

There i said it. Spoilers ahead.

While i enjoyed the game, i have many complaints throughout the adventures.

CONS:

  • PC performance was dogshit !! stutter, lag , frame drop you name it. it really frustrating. When u change maps, or place, yeah you have to restart the game coz its stutter like crazy. Come on man. Nothing shittier when cutscene played and its 5 fps. Due to this, ive quickly try to finish the game . Yeah goodbye DLC, i watch youtube instead tq.
  • Story was so-so mid... typical troupe of god create puppet for the puppet to bite the hand of le master with whatever power they have. Yeah we encounter this kind of story many times, i was hoping some interesting twist or revelations but nah. Slave story yadaa yadaa. Dude u have magic ! u can kill em why let them salve u? seriously.
  • Whole lot of side quests but boring . i cant stated this the other way. Go here, talk, kill enemies and done walla. No depth, no characters progression or whatsoever. I do like 10 or so, and im done.
  • RPG elements? where? No elements weakness? status effects? only spam attack and skills? while the combat seems fun , i get tired really quickly. Yeah this is not Action RPG. just action.
  • No companions... Companions just a dog... and AI.. u can controlled them, or tinker with how them behave. believe me u wont even notice they fighting together, only u on the screen. what is this. Solo Leveling? Mai gawd.
  • The power scale is a joke. No way some early weak ifrit defeat all the major eikons ... evenmore the gods with super saiyan power. Go friendship power yayy... Yeah2 he absorbs all the eikons but never in the story he even use them !! only during final boss ! what a joke.
  • Customization? None existent
  • Mini games? None existent
  • Exploration? None existent (No fly, no climbing, no surfing etc)
  • WHAT WERE THE DEV THINKING. Dont slap final fantasy title around just for sale.

PROS:

  • Devil May Cry Fantasy . Yeah. Eikons fights damn fire and Epic. Yeah they put all budget in eikons fight more than the story or everything else. funny the best eikons fight were the earlier one with titans. then bahamut, and odin just fall flat. even the final not as epic like titan fight.
  • Love the mid age settings.
  • Characters are so beautiful and good looking. Plenty of ehem ehem and hot scene lol But i like barnabas mother character design the best. even its only like 5 sec throughout whole game lmao
  • Well i guess i enjoy the VA when they not shouting or crying, just sound so damn awkward lol

6.0/10 for me. One of the weakest and least enjoyable FF title for me. Just behind FF15 (6.5/10)

Read less
Vencel

Review Vencel 3/5 · Feb 16, 2025

Final Fantasy XVI (PS5)

Es un juego de contrastes, a todos los niveles. Es épico, es disfrutón, es una historia apasionante, y sin embargo tiene muchas aristas. Se queda como un juego notable, que podía haber sido excepcional, y que quizás marque un nuevo renacer de la saga.

enter image description here

aromanos98

Review aromanos98 4/5 · Feb 10, 2025

Inesperado pero agradecido

Me compré este juego porque me gustó el final fantasy XV y quería probar. De primeras la ambientación medieval no me convencía mucho pero QUE EQUIVOCADO ESTABA. La historia es genial y me atrapó del todo, aunque todo ese tema de los antiguos creo que está un poquito mal explicado y los motivos del jefe final pues más de lo …

Read more

Me compré este juego porque me gustó el final fantasy XV y quería probar. De primeras la ambientación medieval no me convencía mucho pero QUE EQUIVOCADO ESTABA. La historia es genial y me atrapó del todo, aunque todo ese tema de los antiguos creo que está un poquito mal explicado y los motivos del jefe final pues más de lo mismo, habría agradecido algún villano más trabajado. El combate es exquisito, rápido y te recompensa si sabes hacer las cosas bien y la musica que lo acompaña me ha encantado también. No entiendo por qué tantas críticas negativas hacia este juego la verdad

8/10

Read less
SoulboundFlame

Review SoulboundFlame 3/5 · Oct 25, 2023

Great start into a light jog, constantly doing something wrong

This game has a few issues. And is carried by the insane performance of the PS5

I really dislike the cinematic clash system here. It feels, wrong. I want to win the battle, with strategy. Not by pressing X. The game continues this by taking the controller from the player and having the main character engage in fights and lose. …

Read more

This game has a few issues. And is carried by the insane performance of the PS5

I really dislike the cinematic clash system here. It feels, wrong. I want to win the battle, with strategy. Not by pressing X. The game continues this by taking the controller from the player and having the main character engage in fights and lose. This is a cardinal sin, OP enemy, fine, let me fight them and lose.

The main issue however is filler. This is like two games, bad AA when it isn't the mo-capped cutscenes. I actually think this game shows if you use mo-cap it has to be all mo-cap or else the other scenes just feel weird.

The second issue is a lack of originality in progression. The abilities you get are cool. But there is no progression system. No crafting system. Weapons are all the same.

Combat is definitely satisfying but could have been so much more. Each elemental aspect of FF16 gives you a few skills. I really wish I could transform my guy, each style with different combo's, a new weapon, and really chose to specialise in a combat style, go for a range build, a dodge build or pick up a heavy sword and just go hard.

Once you get over what is not in the game, it's fine to enjoy the ride.

Bayonetta 3, substantially cheaper in production is actually a superior version of this game in terms of the dynamic gameplay changes that happen in cutscene, and across characters. There just isn't use of eikon system that I was hoping for, you had such a stellar example of how to make a game like this and you just ignored it... you get eikons only in designated cutscenes, holding them back from the main gameplay loop is an insane sin.

The equipment aspect of this game is unbelievably half hearted. Just, why even include it. I feel insulted.

This is not a mainline final fantasy game. It has the story alright, and some amazing moments. But the game itself leaves a lot to be desired. They give you one of the most amazing feeling combat systems I've seen in a while, but don't give you the tools to really play around it.

Read less
cakeatjobs

Status cakeatjobs Jun 20, 2023

Decided to jump into the demo before Thursday, and I just wanna shout out a super cool feature they're calling "active time lore". Basically at any point in game (including cutscenes) you can pull up a screen that gives you background on the people, places, and histories present or being mentioned in that moment. It's seems like it's always specific …

Read more

Decided to jump into the demo before Thursday, and I just wanna shout out a super cool feature they're calling "active time lore". Basically at any point in game (including cutscenes) you can pull up a screen that gives you background on the people, places, and histories present or being mentioned in that moment. It's seems like it's always specific to what you're doing, and has so far been a really neat and useful way to just be like "hey what's that faction he just mentioned? What's my relationship to this person?". Excited for the full release!

Read less
Yuna67876

Status Yuna67876 Jun 20, 2023

Preordered this now that I finished P3P and this will be my next JRPG (and it a reward for finishing school this month), I am not doing the demo because it only a day away, and it just rather wait for the full release now.

Sir_Laguna

Status Sir_Laguna Jun 19, 2023

We're not ready for the amount of people that's gonna call this character "daddy" after FFXVI launches.

enter image description here

BMO

Status BMO Jun 16, 2023

Alright, so this is fun. I’m enjoying the action RPG elements and combat feels pretty great. There’s a hint of FFXIV in the control scheme and I enjoy it. I don’t think I’m going to buy it at launch because I don’t feel a burning need to play it right away, but I’ll probably grab it around holiday time if …

Read more

Alright, so this is fun. I’m enjoying the action RPG elements and combat feels pretty great. There’s a hint of FFXIV in the control scheme and I enjoy it. I don’t think I’m going to buy it at launch because I don’t feel a burning need to play it right away, but I’ll probably grab it around holiday time if it’s on sale.

Read less
NN010

Status NN010 Jun 13, 2023

So… my thoughts on the demo:

IT WAS AMAZING! The gameplay, story, characters, music & graphics all lived up to my hype! Hell, even the Graphics Mode proved very responsive & fluid for 30FPS! Damn shame about that Performance Mode though…

BMO

Status BMO Jun 12, 2023

It’s rare that I prefer English as the voice over language in a JRPG but Final Fantasy XVI seems crafted around English as the default. Not only does the animation visually match English audio, and thus the Japanese V.O. feels out of sync, but the English V.O. seems very well directed, an oddity for JRPGs in my experience.

powerfulech0

Status powerfulech0 Jun 12, 2023

Why'd they have to release this demo in the morning before I have to work... I'm going to be staring longingly at my PS5 all day.

lingsdook

Status lingsdook Jun 11, 2023

I had a dream last night that I mistakenly received a copy of Balan Wonderworld in the mail instead of my order of Final Fantasy XVI. Probably a sign I should pick it up at the store.

n3buresp1997

Status n3buresp1997 Jun 1, 2023

It will be a nightmare to wait until it releases on PC :( PS5 is pretty expensive for what I want (God of War Ragnarok, Bloodborne, FFXVI, Ghost of Tsusima and Spider-man 2). You would think it is a good inversion, but I have to disagree. Most of these games will be on PC soon or late, so I could …

Read more

It will be a nightmare to wait until it releases on PC :( PS5 is pretty expensive for what I want (God of War Ragnarok, Bloodborne, FFXVI, Ghost of Tsusima and Spider-man 2). You would think it is a good inversion, but I have to disagree. Most of these games will be on PC soon or late, so I could wait I think.

Read less
powerfulech0

Status powerfulech0 Apr 17, 2023

This has been the first game where I have genuinely wanted a PS5 to play it. It'll be torture waiting for the PC port.

kensho

Status kensho Apr 14, 2023

Politely asking again for a feature to mute games so updates or reviews related to them don't show up in my feed lol

(You could call it "pride of a gamer", if you get my reference)

jademonkey

Status jademonkey Mar 4, 2023

I'm trying not to get too hyped, but I'm getting very hyped. The thing is, I have a very good gaming PC but no console more recent than a PS3. I don't really want to wait another year after the game releases for it to be on PC if it turns out as good as I think it will.

So, …

Read more

I'm trying not to get too hyped, but I'm getting very hyped. The thing is, I have a very good gaming PC but no console more recent than a PS3. I don't really want to wait another year after the game releases for it to be on PC if it turns out as good as I think it will.

So, Grouvee friends, what are other compelling reasons to get a PS5 in my situation? Money isn't really an issue, but I just can't justify dumping ~600 USD for one video game. I want to justify it, though. Please enable me.

Read less
peterwooley

Status peterwooley Feb 28, 2023

After watching IGN's preview of Final Fantasy XVI, I'm excited but perplexed at the font choice for the UI. The more I see of the game, the more fanciful it feels, but the wide, often italicized sans-serif font used in most of the UI feels off. It's like they grabbed the font from Final Fantasy XV and forgot to change …

Read more

After watching IGN's preview of Final Fantasy XVI, I'm excited but perplexed at the font choice for the UI. The more I see of the game, the more fanciful it feels, but the wide, often italicized sans-serif font used in most of the UI feels off. It's like they grabbed the font from Final Fantasy XV and forgot to change it to fit the style of the new game. There's a nice, serif header shown late in the video (6:37) that looks great, but I'm not sure it'll pair well the one used everywhere else. Maybe once I get into the world the techno-future style of the text will feel fitting, but now it just confuses me.

Read less
SIGINT

Status SIGINT Feb 28, 2023

Watched some of the latest round of preview footage and impressions -- wow this looks good. Combat seems like the best action-y FF iteration yet, though I'll want to see how it feels like for myself when they drop the demo. As much as I liked riding around in FFXV for a little while, I like that this one is …

Read more

Watched some of the latest round of preview footage and impressions -- wow this looks good. Combat seems like the best action-y FF iteration yet, though I'll want to see how it feels like for myself when they drop the demo. As much as I liked riding around in FFXV for a little while, I like that this one is not fully open world, but rather a set of medium sized "open zones" that you travel between. Just seems like a better format for this sort of game. Visually they're doing some nice things as well. All things considered, this is probably my most anticipated game of the year for now, with Zelda as the only other contender (just need to see more of that one to really say). Hope the story lives up to how good everything else seems.

Read less