Back in 2019, Microsoft and Square Enix revealed that 10 of the mainline games in Final 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 original Final Fantasy 7, FF8, FF9, FF10, FF10-2, FF12, FF13, FF13-2, Lightning Returns, and FF15. Just as with many Xbox Game Pass titles, they’ve slowly left over time and only three are available as of this writing.
RELATED: Xbox Game Pass Confirms New Day One Game for November 2022
Final Fantasy is Leaving Xbox Game Pass for Another Service, Effectively
The Final Fantasy 13 trilogy 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 with Xbox Game Pass anyway. Picking up FF13-2 without having played the first game is highly awkward, given it is a direct sequel with prior events playing huge roles. But come September 15, FF13-2 and Lightning Returns will be the last two Final Fantasy games 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 OG Final Fantasy 7 (as well as the Remake and Intergrade), FF8 Remastered, FF9, FF10 and 10-2, FF12, and FF15. This means 7 of the original 10 are available on Game Pass’ competitor now, and then some, and it stands to reason that the entire Final Fantasy 13 trilogy will 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 of Final Fantasy games on Xbox Game Pass WAS surprising in the first place.
Final Fantasy 7 Remake was a timed PlayStation exclusive when it was revealed, and it remains that way for consoles. Final Fantasy 16 is also a PS5-timed exclusive, but “timed” here is an interesting word choice. That’s because, even though their exact length is detailed as with FF7R, 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, with Final Fantasy and Square Enix games at large being one reason that many aren’t buying Jim Ryan’s criticism of Xbox’s Activision-Blizzard acquisition, particularly for Call of Duty.
Xbox Game Pass subscribers get a handful of games every month.
MORE: September 15 is Going to Be a Bad Day for Xbox Game Pass Subscribers
