Summary
Square-Enix’s long-running JRPG franchise has been a consistent present in console gaming.Final Fantasyhas appeared on every piece of hardware phase since the third generation. Its presence on PC, however, is a bit more dubious, asFinal Fantasyhas quite a few key games missing. All the mainline games are available on PC, but some of the franchise’s most intriguing games remain locked on consoles.
A few key pieces of theCompilation of Final Fantasy 7are sadly not available on PC, while some of the franchise’s most compelling spin-off titles are stuck on older, outdated hardware. Square has been making a concerted effort to put their games on PC, as mainline entries forDragon Questand theSagaseries have made their way to PC. It’s unfortunate that a lotofFinal Fantasy’scatalogremains unavailable on PC.
Following a dispute with Nintendo, Square began making games largely for the PlayStation brand. They would not return to a Nintendo home console until 2003, when they releasedFinal Fantasy Crystal Chroniclesfor the GameCube, the firstFFgame for a Nintendo platform in six years. It was worth the wait, asCrystal Chroniclesis still one of the best titles on the GameCube.
Similarly toDiablo, players control a party of characters in an isometric view, one that features a smart 3D camera. Combat feels free-flowing, the music is some of thebest in the franchise’s history, and the overall aesthetic is absolutely delightful. Unfortunately, whileCrystal Chronicleswas remastered in 2020 for modern platforms, a Steam release was not announced. This outstandingFinal Fantasyspin-off remains unavailable to players on PC.
5Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life As A King
Excellent WiiWare Title Still Locked On Nintendo Wii
Designed as a way to produce games on smaller budgets, WiiWare was one of Nintendo’s most interesting initiatives back during the 7th generation of video game consoles. And one of the best titles to come out of that wasFinal Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a King, a city-building simulator where players control a young monarch attempting to rebuild his kingdom after a devastating event.
This cute, charming game was one of the Wii’s most underappreciated titles. Its delightful art style, catchy music, and surprisingly in-depth city customization was wonderful for the time and is still quite a bit of fun.Building and maintaining the kingdom, as well as tending to the needs of villagers, is a highly entertaining experience. Sadly, its status as a WiiWare game, a service discontinued in 2019, means that it’s likely to stay there.
Developed as a way to introduce DS players to the series,Revenant Wingsisa spin-off ofFinal Fantasy 12that takes place one year later. In order to separate itself from the majority ofFinal Fantasygames,Revenant Wingsis a real-time strategy game in the vein ofTactics.
Featuring Vaan, Penelo, Balthier and most of the cast returning fromFF12,Revenant Wingsalso includes some excellent new additions in the form of Filo and Kytes. Drawing a box around characters with the stylus to select them, then issuing commands feels remarkably intuitive. This title is still one of the best DS games on the market. Like many DS games of the era, it has not received a port or remaster of any kind, making its debut on PC incredibly unlikely.
In an effort to diversify theCompilation of Final Fantasy 7, Square wanted to expandFFinto a genre it hadn’t explored yet. To do so, they developed a third-person shooter calledDirge of Cerberus. It starts in the final moments ofFinal Fantasy 7, then flashes ahead three years to see Vincent Valentine on a quest to stop a group known as Deepground.
To this day, it is still the only shooter inFinal Fantasyhistory, combining elements of action combat with RPG systems from previous games. The Materia System returns, allowing Vincent to slot the iconic magic orbs into weapons to power them up or change their function. It is one ofFinal Fantasy’s most interesting spin-offs, but one that sadly remains unavailable on PC.
Released just five months afterFinal Fantasy 7, this breathtaking first chapter in the Ivalice Alliance subseries was one of the PS1’s most incredible games and is still one of thefinest turn-based strategy titlesof all time. Set after the climax of the Fifty Years' War,Final Fantasy Tacticstells the tale of Razma, a knight caught in the middle of two warring factions.
Final Fantasy Tacticsfeatures some of the most incredible turn-based strategy combat available on the PS1, with brilliant sprite work and a wonderfully customizable party of diverse, eclectic characters. It is one of the PS1’s most complex, often-requested titles fit for a remaster or full remake. Unfortunately,Final Fantasy Tacticsremains a PS1 exclusive, while a few ports to Android and an enhanced PSP version also exist. It’s a shame, as this type of game would be a perfect fit for the PC.
The rumors of aFinal Fantasy 7remake had permeated the internet since the early 2000s. Square even announced it for the PS2 alongside overhauls of8and9, but nothing surfaced for a long time. Despite all that, the dream became real at E3 2015, where it was announced that the remake would be split into three distinct games. The first chapter was released in 2020 to critical acclaim, and the second chapter, titledFinal Fantasy 7 Rebirth, launched for the PS5 in 2024.
Rebirthcovers the elements of both the first and second disc of the original game, with the party exploringthe walls outside Midgarand establishing deeper connections on their journey to the Forgotten Capital. With the announcement of the PS5 Pro,Rebirthis also due for some upgrades that will make it look even better, but it is still locked to Sony’s infrastructure. It took a year for the first chapter of the remake trilogy to reach PC, so it’s possible thatRebirthwill land on PC sometime soon, but as of now, this huge JRPG is only available on PS5.
