Final Fantasy XV

Final Fantasy XV, an action role-playing game from Square Enix, launched in 2016 as the fifteenth main entry in the Final Fantasy series. It first arrived on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in November 2016, followed by a Windows release in March 2018, and later came to Google Stadia on November 19, 2019. The game presents an open world with a real-time combat system that allows for rapid weapon swapping, elemental magic, vehicle travel, and camping. Its base story was later expanded through downloadable content, which added standalone narratives, extra playable characters, and multiplayer options.

The story unfolds on the fictional planet Eos, where the empire of Niflheim controls nearly everything except Insomnia, the capital of Lucis. Niflheim seeks the magical Crystal guarded by the Lucian royal family. During a peace signing ceremony, Niflheim attacks the capital, but the Crystal is not stolen at that point; it is later taken by Ardyn. Noctis Lucis Caelum, the prince of Lucis, sets out to reclaim his throne. Along the way, he discovers his destiny as the "True King," fated to use the Crystal’s power to save Eos from eternal darkness. The game initially shared thematic ties with the Fabula Nova Crystallis subseries during development but was officially removed from that subseries and is not considered part of it in canon.

Development began in 2006 as a PlayStation 3 spin-off called Final Fantasy Versus XIII, with Tetsuya Nomura as director and character designer. After six years, in 2012, the project was reworked into the next mainline title. Nomura was replaced by Hajime Tabata, and the game moved to eighth-generation platforms. These changes required a rewritten story, with some scenes and characters repurposed or removed. The setting was described as "a fantasy based on reality," drawing locations and creatures from real-world elements.

Square Enix supported the game with a multimedia project called the "Final Fantasy XV Universe," which included spin-off games, an anime series, and a feature film. Gameplay and story DLC were released between 2017 and 2019. Critics received Final Fantasy XV well, praising its gameplay, visuals, and soundtrack, though opinions on its story and presentation were mixed. By May 2022, the game had sold ten million copies worldwide, ranking among the best-selling Final Fantasy titles.