Final Fantasy 16: release date, developers, story, summons, and more

Final Fantasy remains a successful and beloved series by many all over the world. While there have been plenty of spin-off games in the interim, we've not seen a new main game since 2016's Final Fantasy XV. Final Fantasy 16 is the next single-player game to come from Square Enix, though we've not seen a lot about it right now. Here's everything we know so far.

Final Fantasy 16 features characters that are loved and well-known from previous Final Fantasy games, such as seeing the Eikons that are loved bosses in Final Fantasy 14 and previous games. It's exciting for fans to get to see them remastered and reworked for yet another spin in the franchise.

If you like Final Fantasy, you may like our Final Fantasy 14 guides. Most recently, we've covered how to get another the FFXIV Ishgard housing ladder, how to get the Alkonost mount, and speculated on the identity of the Knight in Black from the latest patch.

When Is the Final Fantasy 16 Release Date?

Final Fantasy 16 is set to launch on June 22, 2023. Though we aren't expecting any delays, we'll let you know if anything else happens.

How Long Has Final Fantasy 16 Been in Development?

In a 2020 episode of his Triple Click podcast, Bloomberg's Jason Schreier said the game has been in development for a long time.

I’ve heard from people who know the game, have worked on the game or are familiar with the game’s development, that it’s actually been in development for at least four years in some capacity. So it’s coming sooner than people think.

Who Is Working on Final Fantasy 16?

The main figureheads of the Final Fantasy 16 development team match those currently spearheading the development of FFXIV. Producer Naoki Yoshida returns, the MMO's head of localization Michael-Christopher Koji Fox is on the team, and the thriving service game's composer Masayoshi Soken is working on the title as well.

Final Fantasy XIV's main scenario writer Kazutoyo Maehiro is overseeing the game's core storyline as its Creative Director and screenplay writer, with Hiroshi Takai, who got his directorial debut with 2009's The Last Remnant, returning to take charge of Square Enix's next big Final Fantasy release.

And if you think the combat is looking more action-oriented than your typical Final Fantasy title, that would be down to Combat Director Ryota Suzuki, who handled much of the same on Devil May Cry 5 and Dragon's Dogma.

What Is Final Fantasy 16?

Final Fantasy 16 is next in line for the series and there are big things to come. One of the most exciting bits of news so far is that Naoki Yoshida will be on board as producer and Hiroshi Takai as director. These two completely transformed Final Fantasy 14 into the absolute gem it is today.

Below you can read some of the comments made by Producer Naoki Yoshida in the official announcement press release: 

The exclusive footage, comprising both battles and cutscenes running in real-time, represents but a fraction of what our team has accomplished since the start of development on this, an all-new FINAL FANTASY game. In that span, the team’s size has grown from a handful of core members to a fully-fledged unit that continues to polish and build upon what they have created so far, all to provide players an experience unmatched in terms of story and gameplay.

Final Fantasy XVI Announcement Trailer

If you're looking for great visuals and information overload leaving you with plenty of questions, the trailer for FF16 is for you...

Final Fantasy 16 Story Explained

As with previous FF games, the story will revolve around fantasy and adventure. It takes place in Valisthea, a realm that lovers of all things make-believe will love to explore. Multiple kingdoms will be involved, will there be conflict, will the player have to make peace? We'll have to see.

Those living in Valisthea do so in peace due to Mother Crystals but things are changing. Eikons have risen and are wreaking havoc in the realm by humans who have immense power, Dominants. No doubt it will be down to the player to fix everything.

Final Fantasy 16 Characters

So far there are five characters we know will be heavily involved in the story.

You can find out about them below along with some backstory.

Clive Rosfield

Clive will be the main protagonist of FF16. He's also the first-born to the Archduke of Rosaria. He has the title of First Shield of Rosaria and so he must protect the kingdom, along with his brother.

Joshua Rosfield

Joshua is Clive's younger brother as well as that, he is the Dominant of Phoenix. This means he is an Eikon and able to use fire to his advantage. He's soft and kind, others are his priority, odd for the cliche of children from royalty.

Jill Warrick

Jill was raised with Clive and Joshua, she considers them to be her siblings. She holds the title of the Grand Duchy of Rosaria. It's her responsibility to keep peace in the northern region.

Benedikta Harman

Benedikta is the dominant of Garuda, Warden of the Wind. She used her talent for swordplay and flamboyancy for subterfuge so that she could become the leader of Waloed's Intelligencers. Benedikta meets Clive whilst searching for the second Eikon of Fire.

Hugo Kupka

Hugo is the Economic Advisor to the Dhalamekian Republic and Dominant of the Eikon Titan. His awakening to Dominant brought him to the front of politics, where he was able to gain a huge personal wealth by making policies and controlling armies.

Final Fantasy 16 Kingdoms

We aren't entirely sure about the relationships between kingdoms at the moment. Though, no doubt they'll have a big role to play. Here are the six major factions in Final Fantasy 16:

• Crystalline Dominion
• Dhalmekian Republic
• Grand Duchy of Rosaria
• Holy Empire of Sanbreque
• Iron Kingdom
• Kingdom of Waloed

Which Primals Are In Final Fantasy 16?

The June 2022 Final Fantasy 16 trailer made sure to include a section dedicated to showing off which Primals (or Eikons) and summons would show up in the game.

These staple Final Fantasy beasts come and go with each new iteration, but the latest seems to be following the trend of Final Fantasy 14 by including the following so far:

• Phoenix
• Ifrit
• Garuda
• Ramuh
• Shiva
• Odin
• Bahamut

Though it's looking like most will be playable in some respects, they probably don't come without a matching boss battle.

That's everything we know about Final Fantasy 16 so far, but we'll be sure to keep this page updated as more information becomes available.