The Longest Final Fantasy Game: Ranking the Epic Adventures in the Series

Lost in Hydaelyn? Figuring Out Which Final Fantasy Will Steal Your Life (and Maybe Your Sanity)

You’re immersing in Final Fantasy? Good choice. The series has epic tales, spiky-haired heroes, and melodrama. A vital question emerges: which Final Fantasy game requires the most time? Which will trap you in its world longer than your roommate’s guilty pleasure dating show?

Get ready, traveler. For those seeking a true marathon, let’s discuss Final Fantasy XI. We are not talking about just days or weeks. It could easily mean *thousands* of hours. No joke. You heard correctly. Thousands.

Final Fantasy XI is the MMORPG from years ago. It reigns as the king of playtime in the series. It is more than a main quest (if there is even a defined “main quest” in an online world). It’s about content volume, constant updates, community, and the grind for loot and levels. Think of that friend who says, “Just one more quest,” and then it is suddenly dawn.

A player said it well: “There’s always something else to do though, so players often spend thousands of hours with Final Fantasy 11, making it the longest Final Fantasy game.” “Uncommon” is doing heavy lifting there. Those hours sound more like a life choice.

While FF XI is unique, let’s compare other titles in playtime. If you want a less endless experience, here is a quick rundown of other Final Fantasy titles’ timeframes. Remember, these are averages. Your experience may differ based on playstyle, shiny distractions, or an obsession with maxing every character.

Here’s a table outlining playtime for various Final Fantasy games. We have two key categories: “Main Story” – for those wanting to finish and move on – and “100% Completion” – for the completionists, the loot goblins, and those who want to do everything.

From this table, if you seek an epic single-player journey in length, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is top for completionists. 167 hours? That’s a part-time job. But even just for the main story, Rebirth gives you 47.5 hours of JRPG action.

Let’s look at Final Fantasy II, as it has unique time variations. The story revolves around four orphans fighting the Palamecian Empire. The evil Emperor seeks world domination and hellspawn summoning. You know, typical villain stuff.

Final Fantasy II’s main story takes 21 to 25 hours, with some estimating closer to 22 hours. If you aim for thorough exploration beyond the main path, that brings your time to about 26.5 hours. For completionists? Prepare for 28 to 40.5 hours to see everything. Interestingly, Pixel Remaster version boasts faster playtimes, with the main story at around 13 hours and full completion at about 17.5 hours. Speed-running classic FFII? Pixel Remaster may be for you.

Of course, playtime in RPGs involves more than story length. Enter the dreaded “G” word: Grinding. Need levels to combat a strong boss? Those estimates can quickly expand. One player quipped about an unspecified Final Fantasy: “It will take around 10 hours.” Ten hours of random battles? Ouch. Though sometimes, that mashing of monsters is oddly soothing.

For perspective, many games dwarf the longest Final Fantasy titles. If you want to dive into a digital realm for ages, look at Melvor Idle. This idle game echoes Runescape with an *estimated* playtime of… 3,126 hours. That’s over 130 days of nonstop play. Let that sink in.

Add in the strange The Longing, unfolding in *real-time* over 400 days. You heard that right. Four hundred *days*. Gameplay hinges on waiting for a king to awaken after that long. Talk about dedication. It makes grinding for Ultima look like a breeze.

In summary, for the longest Final Fantasy journey, enter the limitless realm of Final Fantasy XI. For a massive single-player RPG, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is the title to beat. For losing all sense of time and human interaction, idle games and real-time adventures exist. Enjoy gaming, and may your save files forever remain safe.