Sony reveals Final Fantasy 16's PS5 exclusivity window

A new marketing video gives us an inkling as to when FF16 will hit PC

(Credit: Square Enix)

➡️ The Shortcut Skinny: Final Fantasy

• 📅 Final Fantasy 16 will be a PS5 exclusive for six months, says Sony

• 😊 That follows the launch timings of past Final Fantasy games

• 😶 But Square Enix has changed its mind about these things in the past

• 🤷‍♂️ Expect FF16 to hit PC eventually, but don’t get too attached to that six-month window

Final Fantasy 16 will be a PS5 exclusive for six months following its release, according to a new PlayStation promo video.

The PlayStation clip posted on Twitter shows footage of Final Fantasy 16 alongside a footnote clarifying: “Final Fantasy 16 anticipated summer 2023. PS5 exclusive for six months”.

Up until now, the game has only been announced as coming to PS5, but the video’s disclaimer suggests it will be hitting PC after release. It follows the schedule of Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade, which originally launched as a PS5 exclusive before hopping over to PC six months later.

Don’t expect it to come to Xbox Series X|S, though. Developer Square Enix has shown little interest in bringing the series’ latest games to Microsoft’s platform. Final Fantasy 7 Remake – and its two planned sequels – look set to stay firmly on PS5 and PC, and Final Fantasy 14 is yet to appear on Xbox platforms despite Phil Spencer’s efforts.

However, Final Fantasy 16’s six-month PlayStation exclusivity window may not remain static. Final Fantasy 7 was originally released on PS4 with a 12-month exclusivity period, as players expected it to hit other platforms in April 2021. But that window changed with the release of Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade – an enhanced version of the game that we reckon is one of the best PS5 games currently around – which extended its release on PC by another six months.

Forspoken, another upcoming Square Enix game, carries a more specific PS5 exclusivity window, too. In the same promo video, Forspoken is listed as hitting other platforms on January 23, 2025 – exactly two years after the game’s upcoming release. That Final Fantasy 16 doesn’t carry the same specificity might cast doubt on how firm its current exclusivity window really is.

So, while the PlayStation marketing video fuels the theory that Final Fantasy 16 will come to PC, don’t get too attached to the six-month mark – it could change.