Final Fantasy VIII

ファイナルファンタジーVIII (Fainaru Fantajī Eito)PlayStation, Windows, PlayStation 3, Switch +61999

  1. JP1999
  2. NA1999
  3. EU1999
  4. RU—

Final Fantasy VIII (ファイナルファンタジーVIII in Japan, often shortened to FF8) kept the same title in every region. The easiest legal way to play it today is Final Fantasy VIII Remastered (2019) on Switch, PS4, Xbox One, Windows or smartphones; the 2013 PC version is also still sold on Steam.

Final Fantasy VIII is a role-playing game from Square, released in Japan on February 11, 1999, in North America on September 9, 1999, and in Europe on October 27, 1999. Yoshinori Kitase directed it, Shinji Hashimoto produced it, and Nobuo Uematsu wrote the score. It is the first Final Fantasy to consistently use realistically proportioned characters, and instead of magic points it relies on a junction system for spellcasting. The theme song "Eyes On Me", sung by Faye Wong, sold over 400,000 copies as a CD single in Japan.

The game has a long trail of versions. A Windows port followed in 2000 with the Chocobo World minigame, an upscaled PC version arrived on Steam in 2013, and in Japan the PlayStation original was reissued through Game Archives in 2009.

On September 3, 2019, Square Enix released Final Fantasy VIII Remastered for Switch, PS4, Xbox One and Windows, co-developed with Dotemu and Access Games; iOS and Android versions followed in 2021.1

Names and releases

RegionTitle on the boxPlatformDatePublisherSrc
NA Final Fantasy VIII PlayStation Sep 9, 1999 Square Electronic Arts 1
NA Final Fantasy VIIIAdds the Chocobo World minigame. Japanese Windows release date differs between sources (1999 vs 2000), so it is not listed. Windows Jan 26, 2000 Square Electronic Arts 1
JP ファイナルファンタジーVIIIFainaru Fantajī Eito PlayStation Feb 11, 1999 Square 1
EU Final Fantasy VIII PlayStation Oct 27, 1999 Square 1
AU Final Fantasy VIII PlayStation Oct 29, 1999 Square 1
EU Final Fantasy VIII Windows Feb 18, 2000 Eidos Interactive 1
JP ファイナルファンタジーVIIIGame Archives (PS3/PSP, later PS Vita). PlayStation 3 Sep 24, 2009 — 2
WW Final Fantasy VIIIUpscaled PC version on Steam. Windows Dec 5, 2013 Square Enix 3
WW Final Fantasy VIII RemasteredSteam. Windows Sep 3, 2019 Square Enix 4
WW Final Fantasy VIII RemasteredAlso PS4, Xbox One and Windows; co-developed with Dotemu and Access Games. Switch Sep 3, 2019 Square Enix 1
WW Final Fantasy VIII RemasteredAlso Android. iOS Mar 24, 2021 Square Enix 1

Also known as: ファイナルファンタジーVIII JP1Fainaru Fantajī Eito JP1FF8 WW2FFVIII WW2Final Fantasy VIII Remastered WW1

Box art by region

  • Final Fantasy VIII box art, North America release
    NA Final Fantasy VIII
  • Final Fantasy VIII box art, Europe release
    EU Final Fantasy VIII
  • ファイナルファンタジーVIII box art, Japan release
    JP ファイナルファンタジーVIII

Box art © its publishers, shown to identify each release. Scans: libretro-thumbnails.

Version differences

  • ContentWindows (2000)

    The 2000 Windows version includes Chocobo World, a minigame built for the PocketStation. Since the PocketStation was never released outside Japan, the PC port was the only way most Western players could play it.1

  • GraphicsWindows (2000)

    Reviewers of the 2000 Windows port criticized its blurry pre-rendered backgrounds and keyboard controls; GameSpot judged the PlayStation version better-looking and better-sounding.1

  • GraphicsRemastered (2019)

    The 2019 Remastered upgrades the graphics with high-definition character models.1

All differences (4)

Translations

  • English Official

    Square / Square Electronic Arts1999PlayStation · Japanese versionReleased · complete

    Square and Square Electronic Arts produced the official English localization.1

  • Spanish Official

    Square Enix2013Windows · PC versionReleased · complete

    The Steam PC version includes official French, Italian, German and Spanish text; Remastered adds Japanese.3

Where to play legally today

  • GOG Purchase

    FINAL FANTASY VIII - REMASTERED

    2019 remaster, DRM-free, GOG Preservation Program

    Checked: 2026-10-135gog.com

  • Steam Purchase

    FINAL FANTASY VIII

    2013 upscaled PC version

    Checked: 2026-10-133store.steampowered.com

  • Steam Purchase

    FINAL FANTASY VIII - REMASTERED

    2019 remaster

    Checked: 2026-10-134store.steampowered.com

How to run it today

On PC, both the 2013 version and the 2019 Remastered are sold on Steam. The GOG edition of Remastered is part of the GOG Preservation Program, is verified on Windows 10 and 11 and supports modern controllers.

5

Reception

Final Fantasy VIII sold 2.21 million copies in Japan on its first day, 6.08 million worldwide by the end of 1999 and more than 9.6 million by August 2019. It won the AIAS award for Console Adventure/Role-Playing Game of the Year.1

Sources

  1. 1en.wikipedia.org
  2. 2ja.wikipedia.org
  3. 3store.steampowered.com
  4. 4store.steampowered.com
  5. 5gog.com
  6. 6store.steampowered.com
  7. 7store.steampowered.com
  8. 8ja.wikipedia.org
  9. 9ja.wikipedia.org
  10. 10ja.wikipedia.org

Checked: 2026-10-13Text reviewed: 2026-10-13

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