One would be hard-pressed to find a JRPG series with a history as rich asFinal Fantasy. The first game in this series was released as a last-ditch effort to turn Square’s situation around, and the rampant success it enjoyed made sure of it that the company would attain a second wind, completing multiple successful mergers to become one of the most important gaming companies in modern times. Of course, there was no way thatSquare Enixwould give up on the franchise that made them what they are, andthe company did wonders to keep the franchise relevantto this very day. From its incredible highs to its horrible lows,Final Fantasyhas maintained steady levels of quality, intrigue, and a ton of drama… but that’s a discussion left for a separate day.
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One facet of the games that was wildly inconsistent in the first few games before becoming steady is the difficulty of the titles. While most people don’t really considerFinal Fantasyto have many challenging games, there’s still some merit to be had in discussing the comparative difficulty of the games in the franchise. So, keeping this in mind, here are all the mainlineFinal Fantasyentries, ranked in terms of their difficulty.
Updated on July 07, 2025 by Ritwik Mitra:Final Fantasy is a series full to the brim with a litany of games that are incredible in their own right. Each title in the series is a standalone high fantasy tale that turns into a massive epic almost every single time. The simple yet charming allure of Final Fantasy is precisely why the franchise is a blast, with the series' difficulty not really serving as a high barrier to entry… in most cases, that is. The following rankings should make things clearer.
15Final Fantasy 15
WhenFinal Fantasy 15opened with the message “aFinal Fantasyfor fans and newcomers alike,” they certainly weren’t kidding. It’s downright impossible for any player to die in this game, no matter how recklessly they play!
Consumables appear all over the environment, to the point where you never really need to buy them. Even if Noctis' HP drops to zero, there’s still a generous window where he can use a restorative and get right back into the action. The healing system in this game is just atrocious.
14Final Fantasy 8
Final Fantasy 8introduced a Junction system that was met with a mixed reception from fans. While the idea of augmenting stats with magic seemed neat, the execution of it was pretty flawed and let players completely break the game.
Related:Final Fantasy 8 Remastered: Things Cut From The PS1 Classic
This system, coupled with the fact that enemies leveled up along with the party, meant thatyou could’ve had a pretty overpowered party at a low levelif you knew which junctions to get. This made everything in the game way easier, including the superboss Omega Weapon, who was meant to be a huge challenge.
13Final Fantasy 7
WhileFinal Fantasy 7doesn’t have the problems discussed in the previous entry, it was infinitely clear that Squaresoft was trying to make this game as accessible as possible so thatit would be popular in the West.
This tactic succeeded.Final Fantasy 7ended up becoming one of the greatest and most important video games of all time. It just didn’t reach these heights because of its difficulty, which was subpar.
12Final Fantasy 6
Final Fantasy 7might be the most important game for the entire franchise — well, that and the first game — butFinal Fantasy 6is considered by many to be their personal favorite. After all, it features a massive cast and an epic story that spans two overworlds!
However, the difficulty of this game is a different matter altogether. The game is so easy that you don’t even really need to find every character in the World of Ruinbefore climbing Kefka’s Tower— you can just do that after getting a few party members. Perhaps this freedom is what makesFinal Fantasy 6so great — just a shame that it comes at the cost of reduced difficulty.
11Final Fantasy 10
Final Fantasy 10was the first game in the series to feature in the sixth generation of consoles, and it more than met expectations upon release. When one talks about some of the best games in the entire series, it’s hard to contest this game’s inclusion at the very top.
Related:Final Fantasy 10: Every Playable Character’s Ultimate Weapon (& How To Obtain Them)
However, the entire challenge of the game is hidden behind the Monster Arena and the Dark Aeons. While these are great challenges in their own right, they’re completely optional. The main game itself is way too easy in comparison, with players being able to one-shot Sin and Braska’s Final Aeon if they’ve done just some of the optional content present in the game.
10Final Fantasy 9
Final Fantasy 9is lauded by many due to the game returning to its classic roots with a fresh twist. However, whilethe overall setting and storyof the title might be reminiscent of the classic games, the difficulty is something that remained fairly bog-standard.
Most of the challenge in this game comes from the tricky final dungeon and the last boss of the game, Necron. Aside from this, a few superbosses are what provide the most challenge in this otherwise easy game.
9Final Fantasy 5
The major reason why most people even rememberFinal Fantasy 5is because of its incredible job system, which is somehow still polished to this very day. It was an addictive system that let players customize their party to a degree that no other Final Fantasy game has replicated to this day.
Its difficulty stemmed more from the fact that the job system itself was very complex, which made most mistakes a fault of the player… well, more often than not. There were moments where players who went through the game without a guide found out that their entire build was completely ineffective to challenge enemies in the endgame, let alone the superbosses!
8Final Fantasy 12
Final Fantasy 12shouldn’t have been that hard of a game… but the radically revamped nature of the combat coupled with a general level of grindiness contributed to the frustrations the player experienced while playing this game.
All the re-releases of classicFinal Fantasygames had a fast-forward, but no game needed it most thanFinal Fantasy 12. Battles are a slog without this feature, and it actually makes the grind bearable enough for the later battles to not becometoofrustrating.
7Final Fantasy 13
There are many things wrong withFinal Fantasy 13, and while one might have their gripes with the combat of this game, one can’t deny how fast-paced and stressful situations can become at times.
Related:Final Fantasy: The Franchise’s Hardest Games, Ranked By Difficulty (& How Long They Take To Beat)
The boss battles inFinal Fantasy 13are definitely a highlight, with the player required to input commands in quick succession to attack, heal, buff, and defend in the blink of an eye. Failing to do so will spell certain death.
6Final Fantasy
The old schoolFinal Fantasygames were notorious for their high level of difficulty — something that was rectified in the later releases of the game. However, the classic NES title is still around, and gamers can get a taste of just how punishing the game was.
Games had a penchant for being unreasonably difficult in the past, andFinal Fantasyis no exception. However, later re-releases have toned down on this difficulty quite a bit, allowing players to experience this game without too many issues
