Xbox Game Passused to be a treasure trove forFinal Fantasygames, but withFinal Fantasy 13’s departure on September 15th, only two games will awkwardly remain. Those two games are its successors,FF13-2andLightning Returns FF13.
Back in 2019, Microsoft and Square Enix revealed that 10 of the mainline games inFinal Fantasy’s catalog were coming to Game Pass. They didn’t come all at once, but over the past few years, fans have been able to play the originalFinal Fantasy 7, FF8, FF9, FF10, FF10-2, FF12, FF13, FF13-2, Lightning Returns,andFF15.Just as with many Xbox Game Pass titles, they’ve slowly left over time and only three are available as of this writing.
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Final Fantasy is Leaving Xbox Game Pass for Another Service, Effectively
TheFinal Fantasy 13trilogy may not be the most popular games in the franchise, but they are worth playing for any fans. However, should they not act fast or pick up the first game at a discount, they will not be to play the full set of games, not withXbox Game Passanyway. Picking upFF13-2without having played the first game is highly awkward, given it is a direct sequel with prior events playing huge roles. But come September 15,FF13-2andLightning Returnswill be the last twoFinal Fantasygames on the service, with it becoming a major ghost house with just these two remaining from the original ten.
Notably, however, many of these games can be found elsewhere. With the PS Plus tier system, fans can access the OGFinal Fantasy 7(as well as theRemakeandIntergrade),FF8 Remastered, FF9, FF10and10-2, FF12,andFF15.This means 7 of the original 10 are available on Game Pass' competitor now, and then some, and it stands to reason that the entireFinal Fantasy 13trilogywill be available on PS Plus one day. To be fair, this is not surprising given how close Sony and Square Enix have worked over the past few years; in fact, the inclusion ofFinal Fantasygames on Xbox Game Pass WAS surprising in the first place.
Final Fantasy 7 Remakewas a timed PlayStation exclusive when it was revealed, and it remains that way for consoles.Final Fantasy 16is also a PS5-timed exclusive, but “timed” here is an interesting word choice. That’s because, even though their exact length is detailed as withFF7R, it seems the goal posts are always moving for certain audiences.FF7 Remake’s exclusivity should be up, but it’s not technically because the game has only launched elsewhere on PC, not Xbox. Console exclusivity is definitely a hot topic in the community right now, withFinal Fantasyand Square Enix games at large being one reason that many aren’t buyingJim Ryan’s criticism of Xbox’s Activision-Blizzard acquisition, particularly forCall of Duty.
