Final Fantasy loves an epic adventure that lasts for 50 hours, and that would actually be a short completionist run for a modern release in the franchise. I’m not the type of person who puts too much value on a JRPG’s size, but many Final Fantasy games justify their lengths fairly well, at least for their main stories. However, doing absolutely everything is a different matter entirely, as a 30-hour campaign can suddenly take more than 100 hours.
What exactly are the longest Final Fantasy games? Unsurprisingly, newer releases are way bigger than the classic ’80s and ’90s entries, even though those releases were among the longest games on their respective consoles. Focusing on 100% completionist playthroughs, let’s see which Final Fantasy titles last an eternity.
I used HowLongToBeat to put together this ranking, focusing on a game’s average Completionist time. Now, this data isn’t always 100% accurate since not everyone agrees on what a “completionist” run entails, but it’s the best source we have.
I rounded up or down for the times.
No MMOs (Final Fantasy 11 and 14), mobile games (Mobius Final Fantasy), or arcade fighters (Dissidia Final Fantasy NT). The focus is on single-player games that can be definitively completed.
1
Final Fantasy 12 Is The Longest Mainline Game In The Series
Completionist Time: 165 Hours
How Long To Beat:
- Main Story: 60 Hours
- Main Story + Extras: 90 Hours
- Completionist: 165 Hours
While The Zodiac Age version adds quality-of-life adjustments (and speed modes) that cut the overall time down, the 2006 version of Final Fantasy 12 stands comfortably as the longest traditional entry in the series, or at least as traditional as this unique monster can be. The main story alone takes longer than most of its numbered predecessors, and the completionist time is light-years beyond the likes of Final Fantasy 8 or even Final Fantasy 16. You have to play this for a very long time; heck, even the remaster is a time sink.
Beyond the core quest, players need to complete the Clan Centurio hunts, earn the highest rank in the Sky Pirate’s Den, complete the Bestiary, and craft ultimate gear based on RNG. The International Zodiac Job System and The Zodiac Age versions even include a 100-floor gauntlet.
Just to be clear, you should play The Zodiac Age and not the original PS2 release. Not only is it more accessible, but you don’t really gain anything from playing the 2006 release. If anything, you just lose time.
2
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth Feels Like An Open-World RPG
Completionist Time: 160 Hours
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Image via GameRant; Source: Square Enix -
Image via GameRant; Source: Square Enix -
Image via GameRant; Source: Square Enix
How Long To Beat:
- Main Story: 50 Hours
- Main Story + Extras: 90 Hours
- Completionist: 160 Hours
FF12 aside, the franchise’s new games are mostly getting bigger and bigger, with Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth serving as Exhibit A. Even if somebody decides to rush through the story, ignore all the optional quests, minigames, and fast-forward through the cutscenes, they are still looking at around 40 hours, and that’s if they play the game on the lowest difficulty.
While the main story is technically shorter than FF12, Rebirth demands interacting with its larger world far more than the 2006 game, and I cannot imagine too many people would actually rush through the story and ignore everything else. Square Enix includes quite a few QOL features as well, like the ability to fast-forward cutscenes, and the core campaign still comes in at around 50 hours. Truly completing Rebirth requires a second playthrough in Hard Mode, which greatly ramps up by eliminating item usage.
FF7 Revelation is going to be the longest Final Fantasy game, isn’t it?
Personally, my single run through FF7 Rebirth clocked in at just under 70 hours, and that was playing on standard difficulty and completing only 2 of the 7 open-world regions.
3
Dissidia 012: Final Fantasy Is A Lengthy Action RPG Masterpiece
Completionist Time: 150 Hours
How Long To Beat:
- Main Story: 30 Hours
- Main Story + Extras: 65 Hours
- Completionist: 150 Hours
While Dissidia Final Fantasy NT is an arcade fighter with a massive grind but only about 15 hours’ worth of single-player content, Dissidia 012: Final Fantasy adapts the 3D arena brawling into an essentially full-blown action RPG, creating a brilliant adventure that would likely be beloved if it wasn’t stuck on the PSP. 012‘s campaign isn’t just very long on its own, but it kind of includes a remade version of its predecessor’s campaign, as you get to play through both the new prequel cycle before heading into the story of 2008’s Dissidia: Final Fantasy.
The main game will take you quite a while to get through, but the completionist time sink stems from the post-game content. You unlock a Labyrinth mode with rogue-lite elements, endgame equipment, and dozens of hours of high-quality single-player content; if that wasn’t enough, you even unlock Scenario 000, a sandbox mode that can take around 20 hours if you try to do everything.
We need a Dissidia 012 remake or remaster.
2008’s Dissidia: Final Fantasy is also very long, clocking in at roughly 145 hours, but no point including it when Dissidia 012 is already part of the article.
4
Final Fantasy 10 Takes You On An Endless Pilgrimage
Completionist Time: 140 Hours
How Long To Beat:
- Main Story: 45 Hours
- Main Story + Extras: 70 Hours
- Completionist: 140 Hours
Final Fantasy X is a touch complicated, as there are three versions of the game. The remaster speeds things along quite a bit, making a full playthrough possible in around 80 hours. The original 2001 FF10 is pretty darn long, but it’s actually shorter than the international version that came to Europe and Australia in 2002. The latter added new boss fights (Dark Aeons) and the Expert Sphere Grid, making it just a bit longer.
If you are playing this classic on the PS2, you cannot skip cutscenes, which really starts to add up when you have to rewatch the same scene over and over again following a loss. Yeah, most of the campaign isn’t that difficult, but the late-game comes with a difficulty spike that will certainly result in a few retries. You also have to engage in minigames to unlock each character’s ultimate weapon, master Blitzball, max out the Sphere Grid, and catch so, so many monsters.
Don’t get me wrong, that stuff is mostly awesome, except for the cutscene part.
5
Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift Takes Its Time
Completionist Time: 115 Hours
How Long To Beat:
- Main Story: 45 Hours
- Main Story + Extras: 80 Hours
- Completionist: 115 Hours
While it might tell a far more lighthearted story than the original PS1 Final Fantasy Tactics, Grimoire of the Rift certainly doesn’t use that as an excuse to cheap out on the content. Unlike some other games that hide their completionist requirements, FFT A2 makes it simple: Complete 300 missions. Simple.
Even compared to the turn-based classics, Grimoire of the Rift‘s tactical combat moves at a far slower pace, and you will be spending a lot of time just planning your moves and positioning your units. Outside of battles, you have to deal with a pretty challenging crafting system that requires collecting loot drops and a vast class system that has more than 50 jobs.
6
Final Fantasy 15 Is One Heck of A Road Trip
Completionist Time: 115 Hours (Royal Edition)
How Long To Beat:
- Main Story: 30 Hours
- Main Story + Extras: 55 Hours
- Completionist: 115 Hours
While Square Enix had flirted with pseudo-sandboxes before, Final Fantasy 15 was the first true open-world game in the franchise, and the implementation came with growing pains. Honestly, the main story is quite short for both Final Fantasy and especially the overall genre, and the side content takes up so much more time. The campaign drops the open-world structure for most of its final chapters, so you’ll spend most of your runtime in the first two acts and the post-game.
The Royal Edition adds quite a bit of content as well, particularly a revamped Insomnia Ruins area that turns the final chapter from a corridor into a pretty big area with side quests and additional content. Once you finish the campaign, you can go into the Pitioss Ruins, a section entirely dedicated to platforming… yes, in a Final Fantasy game. Oh, right, you can also visit the sealed dungeons and vaults, which last a lifetime.
