Final Fantasy XVI release date set for June 22, 2023

The time has come - at long last, we have a release date for the latest main-line entry in the Final Fantasy series. Final Fantasy XVI will officially release on Thursday June 22, 2023.

The date was confirmed as part of a bumper Final Fantasy XVI showcase and related announcement at tonight's Game Awards event, which is taking place right now in Los Angeles, where FF16 Producer Naoki Yoshida took to the stage.

The new trailer revealed a new one of the FF16 characters - this game's take on Cid - as well as information about the game's special and collector's editions.

The release date announcement is the climax so far of a hype train that began over two years ago, back in September in 2020. Square Enix was able to hold its tongue and not give release information on the game until quite late in its development - eventually giving it a generic window of "Summer 2023" this June.

RPG Site does understand that at earlier phases of development that FF16 was set to be an earlier release in 2022, but quietly internally slipped, and even more recently moved again within 2023 to the now-announced date - which hopefully means that this release date announcement, revealed just over six months from the intended day, will stick. Final Fantasy XV had its release date announced late, but suffered a last-minute three-month delay. 

If you're getting pumped for FF16 and want to know more about the game, we've got you covered, with in-depth articles including Battle System Analysis, details of who the key development staff are, and in-depth profiles of two developers in particular - Director Hiroshi Takai and Creative Director Kazutoyo Maehiro. 

For now, the countdown to next June begins. Keep it locked to RPG Site - we'll have all the news between now and then, and hopefully even a hands-on or interview or two.