Final Fantasy 16 PC in 'Final Stages of Optimization,' Requirements Will be 'Somewhat High'

11.03.2024 - 16:44 / ign.com / Naoki Yoshida

If you are a PC player impatiently waiting for Final Fantasy 16 to come to your platform of choice, you won't have to wait much longer, it seems. Producer Naoki Yoshida says that it is in the "final stages of optimization," meaning that it might not be too far away.

Speaking to Game Informer, Yoshida talked about the progress of the PC version, saying that the development team will do its best to share the system requirements needed to run the game. Though he did not explain in detail, he told the outlet that the requirements to run Final Fantasy 16 on PC will "be somewhat high."

"In terms of where we are in development currently, we're trying to figure out the final stages of optimization right now," Yoshida explained. "When we can release the PC version might be dependent on that – the system requirements and specifications for PC that players will need, so we're trying to figure that out. Naturally, [the PC specifications] are looking to be somewhat high."

Final Fantasy 16's PC port being a potentially demanding game to run is not entirely surprising, as even the original PS5 version sometimes struggled. As my colleague Mitchell Saltzman pointed out in his written review of Final Fantasy 16, the game did not hold a consistent 60 frames per second "all the time," even when he prioritized performance over visual fidelity in the game's settings.

Optimization is key in games, regardless of platform, as it allows the game to run smoothly; this is even more important on PC, which has a slew of different rigs, each with different PC components such as CPUs and GPUs, as well as the emerging market of handheld gaming PCs like the Steam Deck. Square Enix previously had issues with Final Fantasy VII Remake's PC port, which had minimal graphical options and noticeable stuttering on even the most powerful PC gaming machines.

Yoshida also notes that the development team is "looking to release a demo" for the PC port of Final Fantasy 16 ahead of the release date. Although no release date, let alone a release window, was revealed, Yoshida did say that fans won't have to wait a year or more for the port to release.

"[O]ne thing's for sure: It won't be too distant in the future; it won't be a year, it won't be two years, it will probably be shorter than that, so stay tuned," Yoshida explained.

Square Enix revealed last September that it was working on a PC port of Final Fantasy 16. The news came as a surprise to some, given in January 2023, Yoshida denied that the Japanese RPG would arrive on the platform and urged players to go buy a PS5 if they wanted to play it.

Taylor is a Reporter at IGN. You can follow her on Twitter @TayNixster.