Predicting the Release Date for Final Fantasy 16 on Xbox

Many of Square Enix’s games have launched as PlayStation console exclusives over the last few years, and Final Fantasy 16 was no exception. When it first hit store shelves in June 2023, the latest numbered entry in the Final Fantasy franchise was only available on PS5. After teasing a PC port of FF16 for several months, the game eventually made its way to home computers on September 17, 2024, via Steam and the Epic Games Store. However, like FF7 Remake, it sadly took more than a year for Final Fantasy 16 to be freed from its PlayStation exclusivity shackles. At the very least, the fact that it was made accessible to more players than ever before was worth celebrating.

There is one major platform that Final Fantasy 16 has yet to be ported to, though, and that’s Xbox. Microsoft’s home consoles haven’t exactly been the system of choice for many gamers when it comes to Final Fantasy titles, but following Square Enix’s recent pivot to multiplatform game development, the future of the series on Xbox is looking brighter than ever before. FF14 and the FF Pixel Remasters, for instance, were brought to Xbox Series X/S earlier this year; it seems like FF16 will soon join them, as well. Since it was released on PC, Square Enix has expressed its intent to bring Final Fantasy 16 to Xbox Series X/S sometime in the future. It’s not exactly evident at what point this will happen, but recent rumors and developer interviews may give fans a broad idea of when the acclaimed action game will hit Xbox consoles.

Recent Rumors and Interviews Can Help Narrow Down a Potential Release Window for Final Fantasy 16 on Xbox

Final Fantasy 16 Was a No-Show at Xbox’s TGS Event in 2024

In late September, Microsoft hosted its annual Xbox Tokyo Game Show broadcast, which featured a wide variety of games from both Xbox’s first-party studios and third-party developers situated in Asia. Leading up to the event, many assumed that Square Enix would finally announce a release date for the much-rumored Final Fantasy 16 Xbox port, which could potentially launch later this year. However, the event came and went, and FF16 was nowhere to be found, even though FF itself did have a presence there.

Final Fantasy 16 Will Probably Come to Xbox in 2025

Later in the month, Final Fantasy 16 creative producer Naoki Yoshida, a.k.a. Yoshi-P, said in an interview that, although Square Enix wanted to release FF16 on Xbox, they couldn’t pin down a specific launch window for the port. This explains why the game didn’t make an appearance at Tokyo Game Show. Furthermore, Yoshi-P’s statement adds more credence to recent claims made by various insiders, like the Spanish YouTuber extas1s, who have alleged that Final Fantasy 16 will hit Xbox consoles sometime in 2025 or, in other words, not in the immediate future.

If Final Fantasy 16 does come to Xbox Series X/S in 2025, there are a lot of possible release windows Square Enix could choose from. The Xbox version of the game may, for example, be released in early 2025. Reports have suggested that the Xbox Series X/S port of FF16 is already in development, so it can potentially be ready for release as soon as February, March, or April 2025. It’s also possible that Square Enix may prefer a summer 2025 launch instead, in order to align the debut of Final Fantasy 16 on Microsoft’s consoles with the game’s two-year anniversary. A late 2025 or even 2026 release for the hit action-RPG on Xbox, meanwhile, seems far less likely, as the port will presumably be finished by then.

It’s Hard to Determine When FF16’s Xbox Port Will be Announced

All the signs are pointing towards a 2025 launch for FF16 on Xbox, but it’s still anyone’s guess as to when Square Enix will officially announce the port itself. Out of all the upcoming showcases in the coming months, the Xbox Partner Preview events and the Game Awards are perhaps the most probable candidates for a FF16 Xbox port announcement. Of course, there’s also the chance that Square Enix will formally unveil the Xbox version of Final Fantasy 16 and its accompanying release date on a random weekday, so it’s hard to say for sure.