Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster, a bundle that includes updated versions of the first six games in the series, has reached a major milestone. Let’s take a look at how these numbers compare to sales of the original titles.
Final Fantasy VI
Square Enix shared the news on social media, saying that the Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster series has now reached 3 million copies sold. This includes sales across PS4, Nintendo Switch, Steam, and mobile, although the share of each platform is unclear.
“Thank you so much for your support and for sharing this EXP with us,” the company’s statement reads.
A victory fanfare awaits!
The Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster series has now reached 3 million copies sold across PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Steam, and mobile!
Thank you so much for your support and for sharing this EXP with us. pic.twitter.com/crBF2gXlcA
— FINAL FANTASY (@FinalFantasy) September 5, 2023
The first three titles in the Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster collection were originally released on Steam, iOS and Android in July 2021. Square Enix then added FFIV, V, and VI, with the PS4 and Nintendo Switch versions coming out in April 2023. So it took the remasters a little over two years to hit the 3 million mark.
The Pixel Remaster collection offered players updated 2D pixel graphics, a rearranged soundtrack, improved UI, auto-battle options, and some other features.
Final Fantasy sales: the first six original games
Looking at the sales of the original Final Fantasy titles, it is hard to say the exact figures due to the lack of certain data. But we do have an old internal Square Enix document showing worldwide shipments of these games across all platforms (as of March 31, 2003):
- Final Fantasy — 1.99 million units (including 1.21 million copies sold in Japan);
- Final Fantasy II — 1.28 million units (including 1.08 million copies sold in Japan);
- Final Fantasy III — 1.4 million units (includes only copies sold in Japan);
- Final Fantasy IV — 2.16 million units (including 1.36 million copies sold in Japan);
- Final Fantasy V — 2.62 million units (includes only copies sold in Japan);
- Final Fantasy VI — 3.48 million units (including 2.62 million copies sold in Japan).
As can be seen from this data, Final Fantasy II was the least successful of the first six games in the series. Of course, lifetime sales of all these titles have increased since then, but total figures are hard to come by, especially given the number of different versions and ports released over the years.
Earlier this year, Square Enix revealed that the entire Final Fantasy franchise reached over 180 million units sold globally (including both physical and digital copies). This ranks it as the 13th best-selling video game IP.
In June, Square Enix launched Final Fantasy XVI, a new main installment in the series. In its first six days, the game has sold 3 million units worldwide. The company’s president Takashi Kiryu later told investors that launch figures “did not meet the high end of the company’s expectations.” But it is worth noting that Final Fantasy XVI is currently only available on PS5.