Final Fantasy 16is celebrating its first anniversary on July 13, 2025, and, one year later, the title remains one of the most original entries in theFinal Fantasyseries. The title was released to critical and commercial praise, with its unique approach toFinal Fantasy’s most well-known conceptsdelivering a dark and gritty entry in the otherwise tame series. The narrative ofFinal Fantasy 16delivered a gripping and spectacle-laden high-fantasy adventure, in which protagonist Clive Rosfield takes on a deity to prevent humanity’s extinction.Final Fantasy 16’s final act cemented the end of Clive’s adventure, but that wasn’t the end of the title’s epic story.Final Fantasy 16’s legend continues to grow.
Final Fantasy 16tells the tale of brothers Clive and Joshua Rosfield, who seek to destroy the land of Valisthea’s mothercrystals and stop the world-ending plot of the godlike Ultima. The mothercrystals grant certain individuals immense powers, which they draw from mythological beasts called Eikons. The title sees Clive destroy all the known mothercrystals, gaining the ability to wield the power of all but one Eikon, who is believed lost to time. Clive is successful in defeating Ultima, but wielding the full might of the Eikons costs him his life. While this would appear to provide a conclusive end to Clive’s story, the year following its release saw developer Square Enix dig even deeper into Valisthea’s history and lore.
Final Fantasy 16’s Expansions Fleshed out Clive’s Journey
By the end ofFinal Fantasy 16’s campaign, Clive had destroyed every known mothercrystal and was host to eight of the nine known Eikons. The last, Leviathan, was considered to have been lost long ago. However, 2024 saw Square Enix release a series of DLC updates, whichexplored the Fallen fromFF16, an ancient civilization, and the Motes of Water, a tribe associated with Leviathan. These DLCs, Echoes of the Fallen and Rising Tide, were inserted intoFinal Fantasy 16’s original narrative, just before the final area, Origin. As such, the updates expanded Clive’s journey toward Ultima, improving the title’s already stellar narrative and deepening the lore of its sprawling world.
Echoes of the Fallen sees Clive and the party investigate an artificial mothercrystal created by the Fallen. Their investigation leads them to an ancient tower, the Sagespire, where they encounter an artificial Eikon, Omega, and destroy the Fallen mothercrystal.The Rising Tide, on the other hand, adds a significant shift toFinal Fantasy 16’s overall narrative. The current leader of the Motes of Water leads the party to Mysidia, where the infantdominant of Leviathanhas been imprisoned and forced to awaken his powers. After the party weakens the spell, the massive Leviathan is freed and rampages. Clive pacifies it and gains its powers, officially acquiring all nine Eikons before confronting Ultima.
Final Fantasy 16 is Still Planning to Launch on a New Platform
WhileFinal Fantasy 16’s DLC releases did nothing to change its conclusion, Square Enix’s highly effective updates see Clive’s legend grow into an even greater epic, before closing the book once and for all. However, the title is still planning to expand in other ways. A PC port of the now-completeFinal Fantasy 16will be released soon, according to producerNaoki “Yoshi-P” Yoshida. Speaking with Game Informer in March 2024, Yoshida also shared that a demo will be released before the full game, and confirmed that the port is in its final stages of optimization.
Final Fantasy 16’s PC port made headlines earlier this month, appearing in an Epic Game Store leak alongsidea potential remake ofFinal Fantasy 9. It remains to be seen whether this leak suggests an imminent release, but the title’s appearance is a promising sign for those eagerly awaiting its release on the platform. One year after its release,Final Fantasy 16’s expanded experience delivers one of the best fantasy titles in modern gaming, and soon that experience will be available to even more players worldwide. While the story of Clive Rosfield and the mothercrystals is officially over, the legacy ofFinal Fantasy 16has only just begun.
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An epic dark fantasy world where the fate of the land is decided by the mighty Eikons and the Dominants who wield them.This is the tale of Clive Rosfield, a warrior granted the title “First Shield of Rosaria” and sworn to protect his younger brother Joshua, the dominant of the Phoenix. Before long, Clive will be caught up in a great tragedy and swear revenge on the Dark Eikon Ifrit, a mysterious entity that brings calamity in its wake.
