Is Final Fantasy XVI open world?

❘ Published: 2023-06-23T15:43:38

Square Enix

Final Fantasy XVI is the next phase of Square Enix’s ever-growing universe. The series has certainly flirted with the idea of open-world content in the past, but will FFXVI go full-board open-world?

In steps the sixteenth mainline entry into the legendary JRPG series Final Fantasy. The epic franchise has spanned several decades but comes back into the forefront again with a new setting, story, and set of characters. Final Fantasy XVI looks to build on some of the positive foundations and ideas laid down by FF15 and be a title to rival any in 2023.

We knew a decent amount about the game prior to its release, including Clive and his Chocobo — but this barely scratches the surface of fans’ musings. The devs have already explained how they’ve changed the series’ core combat in recent times, but will Final Fantasy XVI be open world?

valisthea world map marked in final fantasy 16

Will Final Fantasy XVI be open world?

In a 2022 interview, the game’s producer Naoki Yoshida made it clear that Final Fantasy XVI will not be open-world.

When quizzed on the subject, here’s what the Final Fantasy dev stated with regards on XVI not being an open world game: “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.”

We’d hazard a guess that its design will be closer to that of another 2023 title – Dead Island 2. Instead of a fully open-world playground, that game consisted of several rich interconnected areas accessible by fast travel or a short loading screen. As a result, the individual sums amounted to a fully detailed and varied full part.

If you’re looking for more Final Fantasy XVI information and guides, be sure to check out some of our other content: