Final Fantasy IV makes a very quiet appearance on Steam

Final Fantasy IV debuted on the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1991, which means that if it was a human being it likely would have graduated college by now. But it's not a person, it's a videogame, and so instead of going to college, it's gone to Steam.

The Steam release of Final Fantasy IV is apparently a remake of the much-more-recent Nintendo DS edition of the game, which came out in North America in 2008. It's been "optimized" for the PC with support for controllers, Steam achievements and an "all-new system for charting dungeons and uncovering the secrets within."

Beyond that, it's hard to say what exactly is in store. The game literally just appeared on Steam without warning, and as far as I can tell neither Valve nor Square Enix have said a word about it. This may be the stealthiest game launch I've ever run into.

Odd though it may be, Final Fantasy IV is in fact live now on Steam and will set you back $16. And there may well be more to come; Final Fantasy III launched on Steam earlier this year and in February, Producer Yoshinori Kitase said the advent of Steam has made the PC a much more attractive proposition, and that Square Enix is now " very interested " in bringing more Final Fantasy games to the platform.

Andy Chalk

Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.