Breakdown
- Producer Naoki Yoshida confirms Final Fantasy 16's PC port is in the final stages of optimisation
- It's likely that the game will have high system requirements, but the team is "looking to release a demo for the PC version as well" to hopefully lower specs
- The Rising Tide DLC for the game is set to launch on PS5 in Spring 2024
Over the last few years, Final Fantasy has been undoubtedly a PlayStation series. The recent FF7 Remake only made its way to PC almost two years after the PS4 version, and both FF7 Rebirth and Final Fantasy 16 are exclusive to the PS5 console right now. However, if you've been waiting to play the latest mainline entry in the franchise, you may not have to wait much longer.
In a recent interview with GameInformer, the game's producer, Naoki Yoshida, stated that the team is " trying to figure out the final stages of optimization right now" for the PC version of the game. However, in a later comment, Yoshida adds that "It won't be too distant in the future; it won't be a year, it won't be two years, it will probably be shorter than that, so stay tuned".
Considering we're in early 2024 as it is, this seems to point toward a 2024 release for Final Fantasy 16 on PC. But, if you're not running some of the best graphics cards, and if you didn't take Yoshi-P's advice to buy an SSD for the PC version, you may need to spend a little extra on getting your PC up to scratch.
According to Yoshida in the same interview, "Naturally, [the PC specifications] are looking to be somewhat high", and considering that the team made the game with the PS5 in mind, that's no surprise. Apparently, GameInformer states that Square Enix and the team at Creative Business Unit III, the developer behind FF16, will try to announce the best specs and requirements ahead of time. To do this, they seemingly confirm the demo for PC too, with Yoshida adding "We're looking to release a demo for the PC version as well,".
Square Enix seemed disappointed in sales for Final Fantasy 16, and also, not really? It seems pretty hard to impress Square Enix in regards to sales numbers, but hopefully, the requirements aren't too high as to limit the potential players that can pick up one of the best games of 2023.
There's no true release date for the PC version of Final Fantasy 16 yet, and similarly for the demo of the game. However, we'd hope it would launch alongside Final Fantasy 16's second DLC, The Rising Tide, with a 'Complete Edition' style tagline that includes all previous content and updates. Perhaps on the anniversary of Final Fantasy 16's release date.