Will Final Fantasy 16 be open world?

Luca Di Marzo
Final Fantasy 16 world setting

Square Enix is set to advance the Final Fantasy series with its impending sixteenth mainline entry. Known for its rich storylines and captivating gameplay, Final Fantasy has previously teased us with elements of open world play. However, does Final Fantasy 16 plan to dive headfirst into open world design?

The celebrated JRPG series, Final Fantasy, is back on the horizon with its newest addition, Final Fantasy 16. With decades of lore and gameplay innovation behind it, this game is teeing up to compete with other major releases of 2023, building upon the significant strides made by its predecessor, FF15.

Though there’s a fair amount of detail circulating about the game, such as the protagonist Clive, many fans are still left pondering about the game’s design.

Square Enix has already outlined several modifications to the franchise’s battle system, but a pivotal question remains unanswered – Is Final Fantasy 16 heading in the direction of open-world gameplay?

Is Final Fantasy 16 open world?

Final Fantasy 16 will not feature an open world design or open world gameplay elements.

The game’s producer, Naoki Yoshida, clarified the direction of the game’s design in a 2022 interview. When probed about the potential open-world aspect, Yoshida revealed that Final Fantasy 16 would not be adhering to this popular design trend.

Yoshida discussed their reasoning, stating: “To bring a story that feels like it spans an entire globe and beyond, we decided to avoid an open-world design that limits us to a single open-world space, and instead focus on an independent area-based game design that can give players a better feel of a truly ‘global’ scale.”

Clive in Final Fantasy 16
Clive will take center stage in FF16.

We can speculate that the game’s structure might bear a resemblance to the design adopted by God of War Ragnarok. This title doesn’t feature a completely open world; instead, it presents a series of intricately designed, interlinked areas.

This design choice creates a comprehensive and diverse game world without restricting it to a single open-world space.

It’s still uncertain how expansive or linear the specific areas in Final Fantasy 16 will be. Stay tuned to CharlieIntel for the latest updates and information on this promising title. We’ll continue to dig deeper and bring you the inside scoop as more details emerge.

For more on upcoming releases, check out our guides below:

EA Sports FC | Counter-Strike 2 | Diablo IV | Pokemon Scarlet & Violet: The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero | Starfield | Mortal Kombat 1 | CoD 2023 | Final Fantasy 16 | Spider-Man 2 | Wolverine | Marathon | Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater remake

Related Topics

About The Author

Luca is an Associate Editor at CharlieIntel. An accomplished, writer with interests in sports and gaming alike, Luca is focused on Call of Duty and FIFA as a content creator. After earning his BA in English Literature at Concordia University, he began writing for Gamelevate, OddsShark, and H4X. Luca joined CharlieIntel in 2021. You can reach Luca at [email protected], or via X @TheLucaDiMarzo.