Is Final Fantasy 16 open world?

Final Fantasy 16 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 is once again back with a new setting, story, and set of characters. Final Fantasy 16 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 know a decent amount about the game already, 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 16 be open world?

Square Enix

Will Final Fantasy 16 be open world?

In a 2022 interview, the game’s producer Naoki Yoshida made it clear that Final Fantasy 16 will not be using the open-world game trope.

When quizzed on the subject, here’s what the dev had to say on avoiding an open world: “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.

How linear or open Final Fantasy 16’s areas will be remains to be seen. As always, stay with us at Dexerto and we’ll reveal more about the game as we get it.

If you’re looking for more Final Fantasy 16 information and guides, be sure to check out some of our other content:

How long is Final Fantasy 16? Main story length & completionist run | Is Final Fantasy 16 coming to Xbox? | Is Final Fantasy 16 a PS5 console exclusive? | 9 Best Final Fantasy games to play before FFXVI | Final Fantasy 16: Abilities and skill trees | Final Fantasy 16 editions & pre-order bonuses