It is quite shocking when we look back at the launch date of Final Fantasy, one of the world's biggest game franchises. The series came to existence in 1987, making it close to thirty-three years old. With multiple games split across three decades of its lifetime, the series is a cult-classic. The Final Fantasy is what people think of when they talk about JRPGs, and that is for a good reason.

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The games have continually evolved the genre and made it better with every release. However, as good as the story and gameplay evolution has been, there's something that hasn't been as constant. The difficulty of the games is all over the place, with some games being relatively easy to the other being incredibly hard to beat. Let's check how the games rank on the difficulty scale.

Updated April 02, 2021, by Thomas Bowen: Throughout the years, both the Final Fantasy franchise and the JRPG genre to which it belongs have garnered a reputation for being both incredibly long and, at times, confusingly difficult. While not all of its mainline entries match these descriptions, some really can take both a huge amount of skill and a ridiculous amount of time for players to make it to the end. Those looking for a challenge can definitely find one here, although anyone seeking a laid back adventure would perhaps do well to avoid some of the series' tougher titles.

10 Final Fantasy VI (35 Hours)

The Final Fantasy VI was initially released in 1994 on Famicom and Super Nintendo. The game is easily a fan favorite and has received many positive reviews from most known websites. However, if there's one thing common in all the reviews was it's the difficulty slope. Final Fantasy VI is one of the easiest games in the franchise, next to Final Fantasy XV, which is probably even more comfortable than the sixth one. However, the difficulty doesn't speak of its quality, which is excellent.

Completing the main story of Final Fantasy VI will take players around 35 hours, although there are plenty of side quests and subplots that can easily stretch this out beyond the 60 hour mark. This is especially true of the game's GBA port, which adds extra dungeons, new weapons and a few additional Espers as well.

9 Final Fantasy X (46 Hours)

While some might assume that the difficulty of Final Fantasy games has gone down with time, it is not entirely true. However, in the case of Final Fantasy X, the game is clearly on the easier side. The tenth entry in the franchise is a very good game based on the review scores, but it does lack a punch of difficulty the original games were known for. There are optional quests in-game that carry some difficulty, but the main game itself is pretty much painless.

Final Fantasy X is one of the longest titles in the series, with its main story clocking in at just under 50 hours. Those hoping to collect all of the ultimate weapons and beat all of the game's super bosses should be prepared for a longer ride still, with the average completionist run taking a somewhat insane 150 hours. It's well worth it though, as the Dark Aeons and Penance are some of the toughest boss battles to ever grace the series.

8 Final Fantasy IX (39.5 Hours)

Released merely a year before the popular Final Fantasy X, the ninth entry was more challenging than its sequel. The game was a PS1 title, so one part of the difficulty goes to the game's old age. However, it was still relatively easy compared to many other games in the series. The game resembles a world more in line with the older titles, but the difficulty it packs is severely low in comparison. Except for the final boss and a couple of dungeons, the game proves to be relatively easy.

Clocking in at around 40 hours, Final Fantasy IX doesn't demand too much of its players' time. At least not for a main story playthrough, anyway. Completionists should be prepared to allocate around twice that though, as getting hold of all of the weapons and becoming strong enough to take down the game's optional superbosses can be a very time consuming process indeed.

7 Final Fantasy V (32.5 Hours)

Final Fantasy V was launched in 1992 on Super Famicom and was not as well-received as many other titles. The reasons were many, including the fact that the game had a too high encounter rate despite its difficulty. This made the entire experience overly repetitive for many fans and critics. While the game is still praised for its job system and the feature to combine abilities, it is equally criticized for its storytelling and grinding experience.

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Despite the occasional need for grinding, Final Fantasy V is a fairly short game. Playing through its main story takes around 32 hours, making it considerably shorter than some of the series' later entries. As is often the case with Final Fantasy games though, a completionist run is nowhere near as straightforward and can take more than 70 hours to complete.

6 Final Fantasy XII (61 Hours)

When the world of gaming was crowned with cult classics like San Andreas and Resident Evil 4, Final Fantasy XII was just the perfect game to release. The game brought a unique experience to the table, as people were pretty much used to playing 3D games at that time. It brought a much-needed spike of difficulty to the franchise and gaming in general. On top, the game was incredibly frustrating because of its repetitiveness.

Such is the amount of content that's crammed into Final Fantasy XII that exploring all that Ivalice has to offer can take players more than 150 hours. Of course, a significant chunk of this will likely be spent trying to take down challenging foes like Yiazmat. Those just looking to soak in the game's main story need only set aside around 60 hours of their time, which is perhaps a bit more realistic for most modern day players.

5 Final Fantasy XIII (48.5 Hours)

Now we're reaching into the domain of the actually tricky games. Final Fantasy XIII isn't the best game in the series, but it is undoubtedly a memorable one. The game came out in 2010 for both PS3 and Xbox 360 and was a step into a new direction. The most notable aspect of the game has to be its visual shift and art direction, but other than that, the difficulty was pretty good as well. It is a timing-based game that requires a good command of the controls; without which, surviving just isn't possible.

Despite often being criticized for its linear narrative, Final Fantasy XIII packs in an awful lot of story. The main narrative alone can take more than two full days of playtime to complete, while also tackling all of the missions on Gran Pulse can push this time well beyond the 100 hour mark.

4 Final Fantasy (17.5 Hours)

It is quite apparent why the original Final Fantasy is on the list. Despite being a classic, the game belongs to an era when genres were still evolving rapidly. This meant that the game suffers from outdated technicalities, but it also suffers from the limitations of the platform. When combined, it makes an immensely tricky experience that was unlike anything for that time.

The series' first entry also happens to be its shortest by far, although this is perhaps to be expected given the limitations of the NES and the fact that, at the time of its creation, it was an unproven concept. The main story takes around 18 hours to complete, although this time is roughly doubled when attempting a completionist run.

3 Final Fantasy II (25 Hours)

When the first game gained popularity from the classic gameplay formula and difficulty, it was fair to assume that the sequel will follow in the same steps. Final Fantasy II does everything that makes the first game so difficult and paddles up on everything else. The leveling system in the game was quite honestly unlike anything for the time. It was an absolute slow-moving mechanism, which will totally not flow nowadays.

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As with its predecessor, Final Fantasy II is a relatively short game; at least by modern standards, anyway. The main story lasts for just 25 hours, although the game's additional content manages to push this time a little past the 40 hour mark. Given the game's difficulty though, many players may be grateful for its short length.

2 Final Fantasy IV (23 Hours)

The fourth entry in the series isn't just difficult. It is one of the most popular games of the time. Released in the year 1991, Final Fantasy IV was the first FF game that was made for Super Nintendo. It was critically acclaimed with praises ranging from its focus on quality to its story. The game was a step forward for the RPG genre in almost every way. However, the difficulty was still just as hardcore as before; at least on the Nintendo DS, anyway.

Cecil's story clocks in at just under a full day of playtime, although the DS port typically takes a little longer to complete. The latter also packs in quite a lot of additional content and boasts a completionist time of 56 hours. By comparison, a completionist run of the original takes fewer than 40.

1 Final Fantasy III (30 Hours)

The biggest baddy in the series has to be the third entry, Final Fantasy III. The Nintendo DS version is said to be the epitome of difficulty in Final Fantasy games. This game is made for the RPG enthusiasts and has the same old liming job system. On top, Final Fantasy III can be best described as non-friendly and brutal. While some players may live for this kind of difficulty, most people may find it irritating at best.

A big part of Final Fantasy III's difficulty comes from it's length; which, at 30 hours, is significantly longer than the two games that proceeded it. Those hoping to complete everything that the game has to offer are in for an even rougher ride too, with a full completionist run typically taking around 73 hours of torture.

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