Square Enix
Square Enix

How many copies did Final Fantasy sell? — 2024 statistics

Casting a spell on the realm of gaming analysis.

Fact-checked
First Released
December 18, 1987
Genre
Role-playing
Developer
Square Enix
Publisher
Square Enix

From its inception in 1987, the Final Fantasy series has been a cornerstone of the RPG genre. Beginning with a turn-based game exploring vast continents, it has since transitioned from top-down views to immersive 3D worlds, adapting to the times while maintaining its iconic essence. SquareSoft, now Square Enix, continues to innovate, gearing up for the release of Final Fantasy XVI in June 2023. With 16 mainline installments to its name, how many copies did Final Fantasy sell? Let’s dive into the Final Fantasy statistics to trace the journey and future trajectory of this legendary series. We also delve into broader gaming topics such as the video game industry’s worth, so you might want to check that out as well.

Final Fantasy key statistics

The Final Fantasy series is massive and has been a huge influence on the gaming industry and pop culture in general, so this first section is going to take a look at some of the most relevant statistics like Final Fantasy sales, as well as total revenue and anything else we can find that might be interesting.

Final Fantasy sales have reached 180 million units across all its games.

(Source: VG Chartz)

  • Final Fantasy sold 2.13 million copies.
  • Final Fantasy II sold 1.37 million copies.
  • Final Fantasy III sold 3.86 million copies.
  • Final Fantasy IV sold 3.49 million copies.
  • Final Fantasy V sold 2.88 million sales.
  • Final Fantasy VI sold 3.80 million copies.
  • Final Fantasy VII sold 14.10 million copies.
  • Final Fantasy VIII sold 9.60 million copies.
  • Final Fantasy IX sold 5.83 million copies.
  • Final Fantasy X and X-2 sold 20.80 million copies.
  • Final Fantasy XI: Online sold 1.77 million copies.
  • Final Fantasy XII sold 7.71 million copies.
  • Final Fantasy XIII and XIII-2 sold 11 million copies.
  • Final Fantasy XIV: Online sold 1.45 million copies.
  • Final Fantasy XV sold 10 million copies.
  • Final Fantasy XVI sold 3 million units in six days since it launched on June 22.
  • Final Fantasy VII Remake sold 7 million copies.

This is the best place to start because it gives us a clear indication of how many Final Fantasy sales accumulated over the years and how the series has performed. Right off the bat, we can see that the Final Fantasy series is one of the best-selling video game series of all time, as 170 million is an absolutely colossal number of sales for any game to have. The most popular game is Final Fantasy X and X-2, with 20 million sales, but other releases aren’t that far behind.

Final Fantasy VII Remake sold over 7 million copies globally.

(Source: Fandom)

  • The Final Fantasy VII is the second highest-grossing installment in the Final Fantasy franchise, with estimated earnings of $2.4 billion.
  • The highest-grossing game within the franchise is Final Fantasy Online (encompassing XI & XIV), which has accumulated approximately $4.6 billion in revenue.

Final Fantasy franchise has been an immense commercial success, generating an estimated $19 billion in total revenue across its various mainline entries and spin-offs. The online-focused Final Fantasy XI and XIV series have been the highest-grossing, while the classic Final Fantasy VII and earlier numbered entries have also contributed significantly to the franchise’s overall financial success.

(Source: Game World Observer)

  • Approaching original’s 9.8 million sales by 2005.
  • Total sales of 14.1 million by 2023 across all versions and platforms.

The sales of Final Fantasy VII Remake are on a promising trajectory, approaching the original’s milestone of 9.8 million sales by 2005. This is a testament to the timeless appeal of the story and gameplay that continues to captivate audiences. Furthermore, the enduring legacy of the original Final Fantasy VII is evident as its total sales across all versions and platforms have reached 14.1 million by 2023.

Final Fantasy franchise revenue grossed an estimated $19 billion.

In 2022, Square Enix’s sales rose 9.8% to $2.84 billion in sales, driven by the Final Fantasy XIV Endwalker expansion.

(Source: Games Industry, Game Developer)

  • The sales of non-MMO games declined during this period as well.
  • However, this decline was lessened by a steep increase in Final Fantasy XIV’s subscribers brought on by the release of the Endwalker expansion.
  • Square Enix’s Digital Entertainment sector had a 6% increase in sales, resulting in $2.1 billion.

Even though Square Enix did not have a mainline Final Fantasy release in 2022, its sales were improved by a sharp uptake in Final Fantasy 14 players who started playing the game more following the Endwalker expansion. This was good news for Square Enix as Final Fantasy is a fundamental franchise for them and it was a sign that things were still fine for the company despite declines in sales.

Final Fantasy XIV hit 27 million registered players in 2022.

(Source: Game Developer)

  • This was a 3 million player increase compared to 2021.
  • The reason for the high player count is the everlasting appeal of the Final Fantasy series as well as the fact that the game is free-to-play up till level 60.
  • The game receives expansions all the time, with the second expansion being Heavensward.
  • The game was so popular in 2021 that Square Enix had to halt sales for the game twice, mostly to add more space to their servers.
  • The game will most likely reach 30 million players sometime in 2023.

This is another important milestone for the Final Fantasy series because Final Fantasy XIV was so well-received and to see it still prospering years after its release bodes well for future releases. The game is free-to-play so it’s easy for new players to get into the game and the constant addition of expansions keeps things fresh and enjoyable, so we can expect the game to hit the 30 million mark sometime in the future.

Final Fantasy XV had 10 million players in 2022.

(Source: Push Square, Twitter)

  • The game’s first release was in 2016.
  • This milestone makes Final Fantasy XV one of the best-selling entries in the series in general.
  • For comparison, Final Fantasy VII sold upwards of 13 million copies.
  • Despite some criticism, the game is still beautifully represented by the Luminous engine and is a solid contestant for the Final Fantasy VII remake.

This is just a neat statistic about the success of Final Fantasy XV in the competitive gaming market of 2022. It is among the best-selling Final Fantasy games and has been received quite positively in the community as a great Final Fantasy game in general.

Final Fantasy VII: The First Soldier accumulated 1 million downloads in two days.

(Source: Destructoid)

  • The game was released on the 17th of November 2021 as a Final Fantasy battle royale.
  • Players can create their own characters as they set to 75-man battles reminiscent of all the best aspects of the Final Fantasy series.
  • The game was well-received and Square Enix celebrated by awarding players with free Shinra Pack Tickets and Chocobo Food.

Yes, Final Fantasy has a great freemium mobile game that anyone can pick up and play without the need for any previous knowledge about the franchise. Mobile games tend to rake in a huge amount of profit when they are executed well, as we have seen with Stardew Valley and its mobile version. It’s a great game and definitely worth picking up if you have nothing else to play.

MZ’s Final Fantasy XV: A New Empire made $1 million per day in November 2018.

(Source: SensorTower)

  • This equated to $30 million for the entire month across the App Store and Google Play combined.
  • 42% of spending was in the United States.
  • 18% of spending was in Japan.
  • 52% of the total revenue for the game was brought by iOS.
  • 48% of the total revenue for the game was brought by Google Play.
  • The game earned over $485 million within its first year.

Here is another Final Fantasy mobile game that is notable because it generated a tremendous amount of profit for MZ. A game generating $1 million per day is insane and keeping that income consistent for more or less an entire month is even more impressive. It’s definitely one of the better games out there, although it isn’t a purely Final Fantasy game, since it’s a strategy game.

Square Enix’s net profits fell to $1.9 billion million in 2022, amid no major Final Fantasy release

(Source: Eurogamer)

  • Square Enix recorded net profits of $1.9 billion for the year, which is 7% lower than 2021 year-on-year.
  • The company’s operating income was $310 million, which is 18% lower than the same period of the previous year.
  • Square Enix released 6 games in 2022, but it had no major Final Fantasy release, while 2021 had the Final Fantasy VII remake.
  • The company is expecting improved sales in 2022 with the release of Final Fantasy XVI.

This is something that is bound to happen with a company as massive as Square Enix since its sales hinge heavily on its flagship games, and 2022 did not see a major Final Fantasy release, which resulted in a loss of profits. However, the loss was not as extreme as you would expect since it had other games buffering its profits for a mitigated loss.

Final Fantasy XIV: Online had 73.63 million hours watched on Twitch in 2022.

(Source: SullyGnome)

  • The game was broadcast for 5 million hours.
  • There were 8,406 players watching the game on average.
  • On average, there were 574 channels streaming the game.
  • It had a viewer ratio of 14.6.
  • The highest number of viewers the game had was 94,679.
  • There were 127,213 broadcasters streaming the game.
  • It was ranked #40 based on its average viewer rank.
  • It was ranked #28 based on its average channel rank.
  • It was ranked #34 based on its peak channel rank.

And finally, we have to take a look at how Final Fantasy XIV: Online has performed on the Twitch scene since it is arguably the most popular Final Fantasy game in 2022 and that fact is apparent when you look a the total hours watched for the game, as well as the total number of broadcasting hours. The quality of the game makes it very appealing to audiences that want to enjoy watching it, whether it be for the gameplay exclusively or to interact with their favorite streamer.

To sum up

This marks the end of everything we have to say about the Final Fantasy franchise! As you can see, the history of the game is littered with ups and downs, but the newer games take the spotlight as they are the ones that are still making moves on the market and working toward furthering the series as a whole through new releases improving on the mistakes of their predecessors. After more than 35 years on the market and millions of sales, the Final Fantasy series is still going strong as graphical quality improves and developers have more and more ambition and love for the games they create. We sincerely hope that you have enjoyed all of the information presented here and that we’ll see you again for the next series!

Sources

  • “Final Fantasy (Series)”. VG Chartz, 2023, https://www.vgchartz.com/game/226241/final-fantasy/?region=All
  • “Strong year for Square Enix as Final Fantasy 14 offsets non-MMO game decline”. Games Industry, 2022, https://www.gamesindustry.biz/final-fantasy-14-drives-strong-financial-year-for-square-enix
  • Final Fantasy XIV reaches 27 million players”. Game Developer, 2022, https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/-i-final-fantasy-xiv-i-reaches-27-million-players
  • “Final Fantasy VII Remake tops 7 million units sold”. Game World Observer, 2023, https://gameworldobserver.com/2023/09/15/final-fantasy-vii-remake-sales-7-million-vs-original-game
  • Final Fantasy XIV boosted Square Enix’s fortunes in 2021″. Game Developer, 2022, https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/final-fantasy-xiv-boosted-square-enix-s-fortunes-in-2021
  • “『#ファイナルファンタジーXV』が全世界累計販売本数1,000万本を達”. Twitter, 2022, https://twitter.com/FFXVJP/status/1526460689648214018
  • “Final Fantasy XV Hits 10 Million Units Sold Worldwide”. Push Square, 2022, https://www.pushsquare.com/news/2022/05/final-fantasy-xv-hits-10-million-units-sold-worldwide
  • “Final Fantasy VII: The First Soldier scored over one million downloads in two days”. Destructoid, 2021, https://www.destructoid.com/final-fantasy-vii-the-first-soldier-scored-over-one-million-downloads-in-two-days/
  • “Final Fantasy XV: A New Empire Revenue Broke $1 Million Per Day Last Month”. SensorTower, 2018, https://sensortower.com/blog/final-fantasy-xv-a-new-empire-revenue-november-2018
  • “Without a major Final Fantasy release, Square Enix sales are down this year”. Eurogamer, 2023, https://www.eurogamer.net/without-a-major-final-fantasy-release-square-enix-sales-are-down-this-year
  • “FINAL FANTASY XIV ONLINE”. SullyGnome, 2022, https://sullygnome.com/game/Final_Fantasy_XIV_Online_A_Realm_Reborn/2022
  • “Final Fantasy Video Game Sales Wiki”. Fandom, 2024, https://vgsales.fandom.com/wiki/Final_Fantasy