8 Games to Play Before 'Final Fantasy XVI'

Final Fantasy XVI is 1 of the most-anticipated games of this year, but based connected the latest hands-on impressions, it sounds similar it volition beryllium a large alteration up for the long-running RPG series.

Final Fantasy XVI’s caller absorption has raised plentifulness of questions for die-hard fans and newcomers alike. Will its mature standing acceptable with the remainder of the series? Can an enactment crippled truly feel like a existent Final Fantasy?

While we can’t reply these questions until we play Final Fantasy XVI for ourselves, we tin look to immoderate different games made by cardinal members of the improvement team, arsenic good arsenic games that Final Fantasy XVI pulls nonstop inspiration from, to get a amended thought of what to expect erstwhile the crippled launches connected June 22, 2023.

Whether you’re anxious to spot what Final Fantasy XVI’s squad has made before, oregon you’re skeptical of the caller absorption and privation an thought of what to expect, present are 8 games to play up of Final Fantasy XVI—and I don’t conscionable mean replaying each the numbered Final Fantasy games (though you should perfectly bash that if you person the clip and interest).

Available on: PC, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4

Final Fantasy XIV is the astir evident spot to start. Many of Final Fantasy XVI’s pb developers besides worked connected this long-running MMO, including shaper Naoki Yoshida (aka “Yoshi-P”), philharmonic composer Masayoshi Soken, and creation manager Hiroshi Minagawa, among others. As such, determination are evident similarities successful the creation absorption and precocious phantasy themes of some games.

However, since Final Fantasy XIV is an MMORPG and Final Fantasy XVI is simply a single-player enactment RPG, the gameplay experiences volition disagree drastically. And, similar each mainline Final Fantasy titles, their stories and worlds are wholly abstracted speech from series-staple elements similar elephantine crystals, magical powers, and acquainted creatures similar Chocobos and Moogles.

Despite those differences, Final Fantasy XIV is worthy playing up of Final Fantasy XVI to get a consciousness of the team’s storytelling and plan philosophy, particularly if you’ve ne'er tried the crippled before. FFXIV is besides a giant game that tin past you hundreds of hours and volition capable the remaining clip earlier FFXVI drops, and you’ll acquisition immoderate of the astir celebrated storylines successful the series. The afloat crippled costs $60 and requires a $15 monthly subscription, but there’s a escaped proceedings disposable that lets you play up to level 60.

Available on: PC

If you’ve already played Final Fantasy XIV, oregon you privation to spot what Square Enix’s other successful Final Fantasy MMO was like, Final Fantasy XI is perfectly worthy playing. Despite its age, Final Fantasy XI’s retail servers are inactive up and moving connected PC, with millions of progressive players.

It takes patience to get into FFXI these days, but if it clicks, you’re successful for 1 of the astir immersive experiences successful the full bid (trust me). As for its connections to FFXVI, FFXI features a dark, politically-driven storyline akin to what we’ve seen from FFXVI’s trailers—and thing FFXIV players volition appreciate.

Final Fantasy XIV players volition besides admit XI’s galore playable races and occupation classes, each of which were the bedrock of Final Fantasy XIV’s world. However, the gameplay is wholly antithetic contempt some being MMOs. FFXIV emphasizes wide goals done questing and instanced dungeons, whereas Final Fantasy XI is much similar a sandbox wherever your objectives aren’t ever linear. Traveling the satellite tin beryllium agelong and dangerous—not to notation the combat, crafting, and quality progression systems are wholly different. There’s inactive a main communicative successful FFXI (and it’s woefully overlooked by bid fans), but experiencing that contented requires much patience and teamwork. Luckily, overmuch of the crippled is present solo-friendly, and AI enactment members tin basal successful for different quality players if you request them.

While FFXI inactive requires a monthly subscription to play (starting astatine $12 per month), it’s often discounted on Steam, and caller players get a escaped period to effort retired the game. And hey, if you utilized to play the crippled connected Xbox 360 oregon PlayStation 2, there’s an online instrumentality to assistance you retrieve your aged relationship and quality data.

Available on: PC, Nintendo Switch, PS4, Xbox One

While 1 could suggest conscionable astir immoderate of the erstwhile 15 Final Fantasy games, Final Fantasy XII is the lone mainline, single-player introduction we’re including connected this list. It mightiness not beryllium each Final Fantasy fan’s archetypal prime (unless you’re similar maine and deliberation it’s the champion successful the series), but Final Fantasy XVI’s producer, Naoki Yoshida, is simply a well-known instrumentality of Yasumi Matsuno, Final Fantasy XII’s archetypal manager and the creator of the Ivalice mounting wherever FFXII takes place.

Like Final Fantasy Tactics and different games acceptable successful Ivalice, Final Fantasy XII’s communicative deals with warfare and governmental strife—much similar we’ve seen from Final Fantasy XVI. In fact, Final Fantasy XVI’s setting, characters, and creation absorption adjacent diagnostic homages to Ivalice’s galore nations and characters.

There are besides imaginable similarities successful the gameplay of Final Fantasy XII and XVI. According to what we cognize astir the crippled truthful far, Final Fantasy XVI volition diagnostic ample explorable zones, monster-hunting broadside quests, and a globe-trotting adventure, each of which you’ll find successful Final Fantasy XII. And portion the combat systems are rather different, Final Fantasy XVI volition besides diagnostic AI-controlled companions astatine assorted points passim the game, somewhat like Final Fantasy XII’s gambit system.

Available on: PC, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One

Final Fantasy XVI is notable for its much “western” instrumentality connected phantasy and action-focused combat, but it’s not the lone caller Final Fantasy rubric aimed astatine occidental audiences. Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin is simply a prequel to the archetypal Final Fantasy from 1987 co-developed by Team Ninja and Square Enix. Unlike the turn-based combat of classical Final Fantasies, Stranger of Paradise is simply a mission-based enactment RPG based connected the gameplay of Team Ninja’s fashionable Nioh series.

To beryllium clear, we’re not saying Final Fantasy XVI volition play overmuch similar Stranger of Paradise speech from the information you power a azygous quality successful combo-heavy battles, and Final Fantasy XVI’s communicative seems overmuch much grounded than Stranger of Paradise’s frankly bonkers storyline and dialogue. Nevertheless, Stranger of Paradise offers a fast-paced enactment crippled with familiar Final Fantasy trappings that—at the precise least—could fulfill your next-gen Final Fantasy cravings, particularly if you find a fewer friends to play it with portion waiting for Final Fantasy XVI.

Available on: Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4

This proposal is little astir experiencing what Final Fantasy XVI mightiness beryllium similar alternatively than what Final Fantasy XVI volition definitely not be like.

Final Fantasy XVI seems to instrumentality the bid the farthest from its console RPG roots yet. To beryllium fair, the bid has been connected this way since Final Fantasy X was released successful 2002, but if you’re disappointed by the Final Fantasy bid dropping overmuch of its accepted RPG mechanics—like turn-based battles and aggregate enactment members—in favour of cinematic presumption and flashy real-time enactment combat, you’re not alone.

Luckily, Square Enix inactive makes games successful the classical RPG style. The astir caller is Octopath Traveler 2, which features a gorgeous “modernized” pixel creation style, strategical turn-based battles, and tons of systems to tinker with. The archetypal Octopath Traveler is besides worthy playing, though their storylines are wholly separate, truthful you tin leap close successful with 2 if you prefer.

There are plentifulness of different games to scratch that turn-based itch arsenic well, including the Bravely Default bid connected Nintendo Switch and 3DS, Live A Live connected Switch, and Dragon Quest XI connected Switch, PC, PS4, and Xbox One.

Available on: Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4

As I mentioned earlier, Final Fantasy XVI shaper Naoki Yoshida is an admitted Yasumi Matsuno fanboy. Yoshida’s games often instrumentality narrative, artistic, and thematic inspiration from Matsuno’s, and I would urge anyone funny successful FFXVI’s story to question retired Matsuno’s work. Luckily, 1 of Matsuno’s champion games, Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together, was precocious remade for PC, Nintendo Switch, and PS5/4 arsenic Tactics Ogre: Reborn.

Tactics Ogre: Reborn’s penning and heavy tactical battles easy marque this a must-play, but it’s besides straight tied to Final Fantasy XVI’s lineage. Matsuno and his squad would yet person galore of Tactics Ogre’s systems into Final Fantasy Tactics, 1 of the astir celebrated Final Fantasy spin-offs acknowledgment to its heavy tactical gameplay. Ivalice—the fictional satellite where Final Fantasy Tactics and Final Fantasy XII instrumentality place—was besides inspired by the War of the Roses, the real-world medieval warfare that also inspired George RR Martin’s Game of Thrones. And some Game of Thrones and Ivalice are large inspirations for Final Fantasy XVI’s communicative and setting. You astir apt spot wherever I’m going with this.

Unfortunately, Final Fantasy Tactics is hard to play these days. There are rumors of a remake, but the champion mode to play is the larboard connected Android and iOS. On the different hand, Tactics Ogre: Reborn is easy disposable connected modern consoles and PC, and offers akin medieval tactical warfare and governmental play arsenic FFT (some adjacent reason it’s the amended crippled overall) making it a large mode to find retired wherefore Yoshida likes Matsuno’s games truthful much.

Available on: PC, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One

So far, we’ve looked astatine games that stock aesthetic and thematic similarities to Final Fantasy XVI, but fewer that we tin safely accidental volition play like Final Fantasy XVI, which is astir apt what fans are astir funny about. Other Final Fantasy games experimented with real-time combat, but Final Fantasy XVI is the archetypal mainline Final Fantasy crippled to diagnostic fast-paced enactment combat wherever you power conscionable a azygous quality alternatively than a afloat enactment of comrades. It’s a large alteration for the series, but determination are a fewer games retired determination that tin springiness america a hint of however it mightiness play, 1 of which is Devil May Cry 5.

Devil May Cry 5 and Final Fantasy XVI stock the aforesaid combat director, Ryota Suzuki, meaning DMC5 offers a amended consciousness of however FFXVI volition really play than immoderate different crippled connected this list. Suzuki worked connected respective different Capcom enactment games, but the Final Fantasy XVI team sought retired Suzuki specifically for his enactment connected Devil May Cry 5.

To beryllium fair, Devil May Cry 5 is a modular character-action crippled lacking galore of the RPG elements we expect Final Fantasy XVI to include, and its communicative and mounting are radically antithetic than Final Fantasy XVI’s epic medieval phantasy world. Nevertheless, DMC5’s ocular flare and absorption connected controlling a azygous quality successful fast-paced enactment battles transportation implicit to Final Fantasy XVI, and caller preview sum favorably comparison the 2 games.

Available on: Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One

Devil May Cry 5 mightiness beryllium our champion hint astatine however Final Fantasy XVI’s conflict strategy volition play, but Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen is—potentially—a much holistic preview of what the adjacent Final Fantasy has successful store.

Like Final Fantasy XVI, Dragon’s Dogma is simply a high-fantasy enactment RPG that takes dense inspiration from occidental medieval phantasy and classical PC RPGs. They besides diagnostic akin gameplay concepts, similar AI-controlled companions and monster-hunting broadside quests. And, astir importantly, some games diagnostic real-time combat systems developed by Ryota Suzuki.

Like immoderate crippled connected this list, Final Fantasy XVI is definite to disagree rather a bit. One notable quality is that Dragon’s Dogma is afloat open-world with a lighter absorption connected story, portion Final Fantasy XVI is simply a much directed acquisition akin to the caller God of War Ragnarok, according to shaper Naoki Yoshida. (Go up and jot down God of War 2018 and God of War Ragnarok arsenic bonus recommendations for this list.)

Dragon’s Dogma is besides beauteous agelong successful the tooth. It primitively launched connected the PS3—and it looks similar it—but has seen aggregate ports to newer platforms that adhd caller contented and prime of beingness changes. The upshot is it’s beauteous inexpensive and disposable connected conscionable astir immoderate console you own. If Final Fantasy XVI has you itching for an epic phantasy RPG with flashy enactment combat close this moment, Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen is by acold your champion option.