Final Fantasy XVI, As Told By Steam Reviews

Image: Square Enix / Kotaku

The release of a new Final Fantasy is always a massive event. Last year, PS5 owners were treated to the latest mainline entry in the iconic series of role-playing games from Square Enix, Final Fantasy XVI, and now PC players are finally getting in on the action. FF16—and its two expansions—finally released on Steam on September 17, which means PC players have had plenty of time to get acquainted with the medieval fantasy epic. Here’s what people think.

Suggested ReadingI Didn’t Play Final Fantasy XVI ‘Right,’ And That’s OK

Suggested ReadingOverall, reactions to FF16 on PC aren’t too different from the praise the game got around its initial release in 2023. Its real-time action combat gets a lot of love, as does the gorgeous setting of Valisthea which is rendered with stunning fidelity. The story, which is a Game of Thrones-inspired affair of betrayal and war, has been a big hit with PC players, as has the phenomenal soundtrack from composer Masayoshi Soken. Of course, the reactions are hardly unanimous, and the same qualities some players love also rub others the wrong way. As seems to happen with every Final Fantasy game since FF10 in 2001, there are cries that this “isn’t a real Final Fantasy game,” whatever that means. Some see the similarities to Devil May Cry’s combat and Game of Thrones’ story as a con, and the reliance on lengthy cutscenes and lack of open areas to explore is a big turn-off for some players as well. Still, despite those criticisms, FF16 is rated as Mostly Positive on Steam with over 5,000 reviews.

While reactions to the story and gameplay are largely subjective, the PC version of FF16 has also drawn criticism for the prevalence of technical issues and lack of PC optimization (though some of the issues that existed at launch have been fixed in the weeks since). Scroll through the reviews and you’ll find a lot of negative posts from players bemoaning the inclusion of anti-pirating software Denuvo, which seems to be affecting how the game runs. Players are reporting a greatly fluctuating frame rate, and some are particularly annoyed to find the cutscenes locked at 30 FPS (though there is a mod to fix that).

Here’s the full scope of what people are saying about Final Fantasy XVI’s PC version on Steam.

Image: Valve / Kotaku