Cover · fair useGames › Final Fantasy Tactics
Final Fantasy Tactics 2025
Final Fantasy Tactics is a 1997 tactical role-playing game developed and published by Square for the PlayStation. It launched in Japan in June 1997 and in North America in January 1998 under Sony Computer Entertainment. This title marks the beginning of the Tactics sub-series within the Final Fantasy universe, and it introduces the fictional realm later called Ivalice. The narrative centers on Ramza Beoulve, a noble cadet thrust into the midst of a military struggle dubbed The Lion War, where two noble houses vie for control of the kingdom.
Development started in 1995 under Yasumi Matsuno, a newcomer who previously made the Ogre Battle series at Quest Corporation. Matsuno aimed to create an approachable tactical game with themes centered on class struggles and rewriting history. He served as both director and writer, while Final Fantasy creator Hironobu Sakaguchi acted as producer. Battle design was handled by Hiroyuki Ito. Many contributors were veterans from the Ogre Battle series, including artists Hiroshi Minagawa and Akihiko Yoshida, and composers Hitoshi Sakimoto and Masaharu Iwata. The game earned widespread critical praise and has since gained cult status. Its PlayStation release surpassed one million copies in Japan during 1997 and exceeded 2.4 million globally by August 2011. It is frequently mentioned among the greatest video games ever made.
The world of Ivalice later served as backdrop for additional titles, such as other Tactics games and the 2006 mainline game Final Fantasy XII. An enhanced version titled Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions was released in 2007 through the Ivalice Alliance initiative. A fully remastered edition for eighth and ninth generation consoles along with Windows, labeled The Ivalice Chronicles, debuted on September 30, 2025.
Crew
- Director
- Yasumi Matsuno
- Designer
- Hiroyuki Ito
- Programmer
- Taku Murata
- Artist
- Hiroshi Minagawa, Akihiko Yoshida, Hideo Minaba
- Writer
- Yasumi Matsuno
- Producer
- Hironobu Sakaguchi
- Music
- Hitoshi Sakimoto, Masaharu Iwata
Details
- Developer
- Square
- Publisher
- Square Enix Creative Studio III, The Ivalice Chronicles
- Platforms
- PlayStation, The Ivalice Chronicles, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox Series X/S
- Modes
- Single-player
- Series
- Final Fantasy, Ivalice Alliance





