The Final Fantasy series has long placed a heavy emphasis on storytelling and emotional payoff. Several Final Fantasy games, such as Final Fantasy VII and Final Fantasy X, have won praise for telling some of the best video game narratives of all time.
Most Final Fantasy games have celebrated endings that cap off their stories on a high. Their plot threads converge and create a satisfying resolution that comes with a huge amount of emotional weight. Some Final Fantasy endings reach higher than their peers, however, and are considered near-perfect ways to end a video game.
10 Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII
Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII closes out the Final Fantasy XIII trilogy, taking the story to strange new heights. The finale has Lightning confront Bhunivelze, the creator god, with all the powers of a new goddess of death. Lightning, boosted by the power of every being still alive, is finally able to defeat Bhunivelze and lead her people to a new, kinder world.
Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII manages to wrap things up in a happy way after three bleak games' worth of storytelling. Lightning reunites with her loved ones, especially her sister Serah. Caius finds some measure of redemption alongside Yeul. Noel and another version of Yeul get to be together. Lightning Returns manages to tie these ends together without feeling at all contrived.
9 Final Fantasy X-2
Final Fantasy X-2 has several different endings, each of which has its fans. If the player emphasizes Yuna's desire to see Tidus again in dialogue, the Fayth can resurrect him. This gives a happy ending where Yuna and Tidus reunite. This is perfect for shippers, but some fans think that it undercuts Final Fantasy X's tragic ending.
Both the 'Normal' and 'Sad' endings for Final Fantasy X-2 have more fans. In either one, Yuna makes her peace with grief and lets go of her obsession with bringing Tidus back. It's bittersweet, especially in the 'Sad' ending where she embraces an apparition of him, but it suits the game's tone perfectly and still has enough brightness to reward players for completing the game.
8 Final Fantasy VI
Final Fantasy VI is a clear fan-favorite in the franchise, especially for its unexpectedly shocking story. VI's ending is less universally acclaimed than the rest of the story, but is still distinctly poignant. The heroes reunite and defeat Kefka before he can destroy the world. Terra survives the Espers' loss by clinging to her half-human side as balance returns to a World of Ruin.
Some fans dislike that Final Fantasy VI ends with the world in more or less the same state than it begins in, reversing a lot of the World of Ruin's weight. That said, this doesn't change the fact the heroes manage to stop the worst threat, but still have to accept the world and the life they now have.
7 Final Fantasy XIII
Every Final Fantasy XIII game is divisive, but the sub-series has a devoted fanbase who love its grim storytelling and linear gameplay. Even many of Final Fantasy XIII's detractors have to admit the ending packs a punch, though.
The party help prevent Fang from destroying Cocoon as Ragnarok, defeat Orphan, fulfill their Focus, and manage to stop Cocoon crashing into Pulse. However, Vanille and Fang have to truly become Ragnaroka and crystallize to prevent the collision, and life will never be the same for any of the cast. It's as light an ending as Final Fantasy XIII could have without sacrificing any emotional weight.
6 Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers
Final Fantasy XIV has proven to be an unexpected storytelling tour de force in the MMORPG genre. Both the base game of Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn and many of its expansions have been critically acclaimed, but many fans think that the expansion Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers has the most compelling ending.
Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers continues its theme of challenging the audience's expectations all the way through to the end. In particular, Shadowbringers' ending has helped antagonist Emet-Selch become one of the franchise's most beloved villains for his climactic boss fight and tragic last words.
5 Final Fantasy XV
Final Fantasy XV is another divisive Final Fantasy game for its storytelling. In Final Fantasy XV's case, many fans find the plot disjointed and tonally awkward. Fortunately, its linear ending avoids this, to the point that many consider it the game's best storytelling.
Final Fantasy XV shines best in its characters and their relationships. It's already poignant when Noctis defeats Ardyn by sacrificing himself, but the game's credit scene ups the ante by showing Noctis' final campfire with his friends in a genuinely tragic scene.
4 Final Fantasy IX
Many Final Fantasy games conclude on an open-ended note. The protagonists make significant changes to the world and their own lives, but the story ends with them preparing to face a new day with no promises of what comes next. Final Fantasy IX takes some time to give each character a proper denouement.
Final Fantasy IX shows each character's fate a year after the game's events, concluding with a disguised Zidane reuniting with Queen Garnet. It's the perfect way to say goodbye to Final Fantasy IX's beloved cast, and well-suited to the game's brighter tone and storytelling.
3 Final Fantasy VII
Final Fantasy VII's story is responsible for transforming Final Fantasy into a pop culture touchstone. VII's setting, plot twists, and characters are all among the best in gaming. The ending itself is deliberately one of the vaguest and most ambiguous in all of Final Fantasy, hitting a note the franchise rarely explores.
Final Fantasy VII's final scene takes place hundreds of years after Jevona and Sephiroth's defeat. Red XIII and his cubs look over the ruins of Midgar, now covered in plant life. Many fans consider this ending almost frustratingly ambiguous regarding humanity's fate, but it also ties perfectly into the game's environmentalist themes and the idea that the Earth doesn't need mankind to be alive.
2 Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII
Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII is the prequel spin-off to Final Fantasy VII. From the beginning, fans know Zack Fair's fate can only end in disaster, but it's hard not to get attached to him over Crisis Core's story. Zack's arc is exactly what makes the ending so tragic and so well-crafted.
Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII gets Zack so close to where he wants to be. He almost reaches Midgar and Aerith with Cloud alongside him. Unfortunately, an army of Shinra soldiers stands between him and the city. The player controls Zack as he fights a battle he can never win, continuing to fight far past the point of lethal injuries. Playing through Zack's doomed struggle elevates an already excellent ending into a bonafide masterpiece of game design.
1 Final Fantasy X
Plenty of Final Fantasy fans hold Final Fantasy X up as the franchise's best game. In particular, X's story has garnered acclaim for its high-stakes plot and emotional weight. This comes to a head in Final Fantasy X's ending. Yuna and Tidus defeat Sin and Yu Yevon. As a result, the Fayth depart the world – including those responsible for Tidus' presence in Spira.
Tragically, Tidus begins to fade away. His companions can only watch as Tidus makes his peace with his death of sorts, while Yuna tries to cling onto him to stop him leaving, only to fall through his vanishing form. Tidus and Yuna's heartbreaking goodbye is one of Final Fantasy's most iconic storytelling moments for good reason, and ends FFX on an emotional high unlike any other.