Final Fantasy IV was released for the Super Famicom in Japan on 19 July 1991. It introduced the Active Time Battle system, in which commands are entered in real time rather than strictly by turns; Hiroyuki Ito devised it, and Square patented it. It was also the first Final Fantasy to allow five party members at once.
Hironobu Sakaguchi directed the game, Takashi Tokita was lead designer and writer, Yoshitaka Amano drew the art and Nobuo Uematsu composed the music. The team of 14 finished it in about a year. In October 1991 Japan also got an Easy Type with reduced difficulty.
In North America the game came out as Final Fantasy II, and that numbering stayed in use there until Final Fantasy VII. Later versions include PlayStation, WonderSwan Color and Game Boy Advance releases, a 2007 Nintendo DS 3D remake that sold 1.1 million copies by May 2009, and the 2021 Pixel Remaster.12
Names and releases
| Region | Title on the box | Platform | Date | Publisher | Src |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NA | Final Fantasy IIEnglish Wikipedia gives 23 November 1991 with a citation-needed tag | SNES | November 1991 | Square | 1 |
| NA | Final Fantasy ChroniclesCompilation with Chrono Trigger; English Wikipedia gives 28 June, Japanese Wikipedia 29 June 2001 | PlayStation | June 2001 | Square Electronic Arts | 1 |
| NA | Final Fantasy IV AdvanceJP 15 Dec 2005, AU 23 Feb 2006, EU 2 Jun 2006 | Game Boy Advance | Dec 12, 2005 | Nintendo | 1 |
| JP | ファイナルファンタジーIVFainaru Fantajī FōSuper Famicom; date also in Japanese Wikipedia | SNES | Jul 19, 1991 | Square | 1 |
| JP | ファイナルファンタジーIV イージータイプEasy Type with reduced difficulty | SNES | Oct 29, 1991 | Square | 1 |
| JP | ファイナルファンタジーIV | PlayStation | Mar 21, 1997 | Square | 1 |
| EU | Final Fantasy AnthologyEuropean compilation with Final Fantasy V | PlayStation | Feb 27, 2002 | — | 1 |
| JP | ファイナルファンタジーIVWonderSwan Color; sources give 28 or 29 March 2002 | Other | March 2002 | Square | 1 |
| JP | ファイナルファンタジーIV3D remake; NA 22 Jul 2008, EU 5 Sep 2008 | Nintendo DS | Dec 20, 2007 | Square Enix | 1 |
| JP | ファイナルファンタジーIVVirtual Console (Super Famicom version); PAL 11 June 2010 | Wii | Aug 4, 2009 | Square Enix | 1 |
| JP | ファイナルファンタジーIV コンプリートコレクションFinal Fantasy IV: The Complete Collection; NA 19 Apr, EU 21 Apr, AU 28 Apr 2011 | PSP | Mar 24, 2011 | Square Enix | 1 |
| WW | FINAL FANTASY IVPixel Remaster (also iOS/Android) | Windows | Sep 8, 2021 | Square Enix | 3 |
| WW | FINAL FANTASY IVPixel Remaster; PS4 the same day; Xbox Series X|S 26 Sep 2024 | Switch | Apr 19, 2023 | Square Enix | 1 |
Also known as: Final Fantasy II NA1FF4 JP2FFIV JP2ファイファンIV JP2Fainaru Fantajī Fō JP2Final Fantasy IV Easy Type JP1Final Fantasy IV Advance WW1Final Fantasy Chronicles NA1
Box art by region
NA Final Fantasy II 
JP ファイナルファンタジーIV
Box art © its publishers, shown to identify each release. Scans: libretro-thumbnails.
Version differences
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DifficultySNES (NA)
The North American Final Fantasy II was made easier, partly following the Japanese Easy Type: weapons and protection are stronger, and some abilities were removed.1
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CensorshipSNES (NA)
To fit Nintendo of America's rules, religious references were removed — “Holy” became “White” and the Tower of Prayers became the Tower of Wishes — and direct mentions of death were avoided.1
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TextGBA
Final Fantasy IV Advance has a revised English translation that restores plot details and uses Japanese-style spell names such as Thundara instead of Bolt2.1
Translations
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English Official
Square1991SNES · Japanese version (partly the Easy Type)Released · complete
The first English version, sold in North America as Final Fantasy II, was edited for difficulty and content.1
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English Official
Square Enix / Nintendo2005Game Boy Advance · Japanese versionReleased · complete
Final Fantasy IV Advance (2005) has a revised English translation.1
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Spanish Official
Square Enix2021Windows · Pixel RemasterReleased · complete
The 2021 Pixel Remaster includes Spanish (Spain) text.3
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Russian Official
Square Enix2021Windows · Pixel RemasterReleased · complete
The 2021 Pixel Remaster includes Russian text.3
Where to play legally today
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Steam Purchase
Reception
About 200,000 cartridges sold on the first day in Japan, and the Super Famicom version reached 1.44 million there. Across all versions the game has sold more than four million copies.1
In lists
Sources
Checked: 2026-10-13Text reviewed: 2026-10-13
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