Square released Final Fantasy in Japan for the Famicom on 18 December 1987. It was directed by Hironobu Sakaguchi, with music by Nobuo Uematsu, character designs by Yoshitaka Amano and programming by Nasir Gebelli. The working title was Fighting Fantasy, dropped to avoid a clash with the gamebook series; the team wanted a name that abbreviated to "FF". Uematsu has said "final" reflected Sakaguchi's plan to quit if the game failed, though Sakaguchi later downplayed this.
Four Warriors of Light, each carrying one of the world's elemental crystals, set out on a quest that ends in a time loop with Garland, who becomes Chaos.
Nintendo published the NES version in North America in July 1990, but it was never sold in PAL regions: Europe first got the game with Final Fantasy Origins in 2003. Since then it has been remade many times, from the WonderSwan Color and PlayStation to the GBA, PSP and the Pixel Remaster.12
Names and releases
| Region | Title on the box | Platform | Date | Publisher | Src |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NA | Final Fantasynot released on NES in PAL regions | NES | July 1990 | Nintendo | 2 |
| NA | Final FantasyVirtual Console (NES version); Japan 2009-05-26; PAL 2010-05-07 | Wii | Oct 5, 2009 | — | 2 |
| JP | ファイナルファンタジーFamicom | NES | Dec 18, 1987 | Square | 1 |
| JP | ファイナルファンタジー | MSX2 | Dec 22, 1989 | Microcabin | 1 |
| JP | ファイナルファンタジーWonderSwan Color remake | Other | Dec 9, 2000 | Square | 2 |
| JP | ファイナルファンタジーI・II プレミアムパッケージwith Final Fantasy II; released in NA and Europe in 2003 as Final Fantasy Origins | PlayStation | Oct 31, 2002 | Square | 1 |
| JP | ファイナルファンタジーI・II アドバンスwith Final Fantasy II; NA 2004-11-29 and Europe 2004-12-03 as Final Fantasy I & II: Dawn of Souls | Game Boy Advance | Jul 29, 2004 | Nintendo | 2 |
| JP | ファイナルファンタジーNA 2007-06-26, Europe 2008-02-08 | PSP | Apr 19, 2007 | Square Enix | 2 |
| WW | Final FantasyAndroid followed on 2012-07-27 | iOS | Feb 25, 2010 | Square Enix | 2 |
| WW | FINAL FANTASYPixel Remaster; also iOS and Android | Windows | Jul 28, 2021 | Square Enix | 3 |
| WW | FINAL FANTASYPixel Remaster; also PS4 | Switch | Apr 19, 2023 | Square Enix | 2 |
| WW | FINAL FANTASYPixel Remaster | Xbox Series X|S | Sep 26, 2024 | Square Enix | 2 |
Also known as: ファイナルファンタジー JP1ファイナルファンタジーI JP1FF1 JP1ファイファン JP1Final Fantasy Origins NA2Final Fantasy I & II: Dawn of Souls WW2Fighting Fantasy JP2
Box art by region
NA Final Fantasy 
JP ファイナルファンタジー
Box art © its publishers, shown to identify each release. Scans: libretro-thumbnails.
Version differences
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CensorshipNES (NA)
Nintendo of America's content policies and technical limits led to a few minor changes in the North American NES release.2
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GraphicsMSX2
The MSX2 version had almost three times the storage of the Famicom game and added small graphics and sound improvements.2
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GraphicsWonderSwan Color
The WonderSwan Color remake redrew the sprites and added full background images to battles.2
Translations
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English Official
Nintendo of America1990NES · Japanese Famicom versionReleased · complete
Nintendo published the official English translation in North America in 1990.2
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Spanish Official
Square Enix2021Windows · Pixel RemasterReleased · complete
The Pixel Remaster supports 12 text languages, Spanish (Spain) among them.3
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Russian Official
Square Enix2021Windows · Pixel RemasterReleased · complete
The Pixel Remaster supports 12 text languages, Russian among them.3
Where to play legally today
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Steam Purchase
Reception
The Famicom original shipped 520,000 copies in Japan, and by March 2003 all versions together had shipped 1.99 million. Famitsu scored it 34/40 and IGN ranked it the 11th best NES game; critics praised the graphics but criticized the grinding.2
In lists
Sources
Checked: 2026-10-13Text reviewed: 2026-10-13
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