It’s been 37 years since Square Enix graced the gaming world with the first Final Fantasy game, and it has certainly come a long way. After selling five million copies of its Pixel Remaster series, the beloved JRPG anthology entry now stands at over 200 million copies sold worldwide, cementing it as one of the best-selling video game franchises of all time.
“The Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster series has sold over 5 million copies worldwide, and the Final Fantasy series has now sold over 200 million copies across the globe,” reads the official announcement post on X/Twitter. “Wherever you joined us on our adventures, thank you.”
The numbers account for a staggering 16 mainline titles (22 including numbered sequels, plus the recent Final Fantasy VII Remake and its sequel Rebirth), alongside many other spin-offs spanning various platforms and genres. Final Fantasy XIV makes up most of the sales at 24 million units, with the PlayStation 1 era of titles trailing behind — FFVII cuts close to 15 million copies, while FFVIII and FFIX sold 12 million and 8.9 million, respectively (via Video Games Sales Wiki).
As for entries released after the ninth instalment, the figures are as follows:
- FFX: 9 million
- FFXII: 11.3 million
- FFXIII: 9.6 million
- FFXV: 10.3 million
- FFXVI: 3.5 million
- FFVII Remake series: 10.1 million
Notably, the more recent titles have shown a decline in earnings, with PS5 exclusivity highlighted as one of the main factors behind the sub-par performance. However, the company’s commitment to multiplatform releases is expected to bring increased sales moving forward — the Remake duology and FFXVI are both available on PC, while the Pixel Remasters were added to Xbox last September in addition to their previous launch on Switch, PC, PlayStation, and mobile.
Compared to other industry juggernauts, Final Fantasy is ahead of the Sonic the Hedgehog and the Legend of Zelda series, putting it on par with Assassin’s Creed and The Sims. It’s still miles away from the Super Mario franchise, Tetris, Call of Duty, Pokémon, Grand Theft Auto, Minecraft, and FIFA, though, but that’s a different ball game altogether.
Si Jia is a casual geek at heart – or as casual as someone with Sephiroth’s theme on her Spotify playlist can get. A fan of movies, games, and Japanese culture, Si Jia’s greatest weakness is the Steam Summer Sale. Or any Steam sale, really.
Kevin Low
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