How long is Final Fantasy 16?

How long is Final Fantasy 16? The time to beat the game will vary significantly depending on whether you're just in it for the story or out for a 100% completionist run, as FFXVI has a respectable amount of side content that can double your time spent exploring Valisthea. The average player should probably expect 40-50 hours in total, but it'll vary a lot. Let's look at some numbers as we discuss the big question: how long is Final Fantasy 16?

How long to beat Final Fantasy 16?

Final Fantasy 16 party — (Image credit: Square Enix)

Standard Playthrough: 40-50 hours
100% completion: 75+ hours
Just Story: 35-40 hours

FFXVI's length will change according to numerous factors, as mentioned, but in our experience the average player should expect to finish the game somewhere between 40 and 50 hours. This playtime accounts for the entire campaign, no skipped cutscenes, and just enough side content to stay at a suitable level for all the challenges, as well as getting a few fun or useful bonuses like the Final Fantasy 16 Chocobo mount.

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It's certainly not 100% completion, which is liable to take a lot longer, and bring that completion time closer to 75+ hours, though that's pretty dependent on skill level and the order in which you do things. There's also points of no return throughout the early game that lock off earlier side quests, so while you can clear the map afterwards, you'll still have missed the chance to do certain early quests. Otherwise this time will be spent doing things like looking for the various Final Fantasy 16 hunt locations and helping friends at the Hideaway with their sidequests.

If you want to do just the story, that'll likely take 35-40 hours. FFXVI's difficulty (at least if you're on Action-Focused difficulty), scales on the assumption that you're doing at least a little side content to earn experience and equipment, but there's no challenge that's too difficult if you've got the skill and patience to overcome it.

Joel Franey is a writer, journalist, podcaster and Very Tired Man with a BA from Brunel University, a Masters from Sussex University and a decade working in games journalism, often focused on guides coverage but also in reviews, features and news. His love of games is strongest when it comes to groundbreaking narratives like Disco Elysium, UnderTale and Baldur's Gate 3, as well as innovative or refined gameplay experiences like XCOM, Sifu, Arkham Asylum or Slay the Spire. He is a firm believer that the vast majority of games would be improved by adding a grappling hook, and if they already have one, they should probably add another just to be safe. You can find old work of his at Eurogamer, Gfinity, USgamer, SFX Magazine, RPS, Dicebreaker, VG247, and more.