Final Fantasy 16's PC version is next on Yoshi-P's to-do list

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The IRL loading screen gets longer as the in-game ones get shorter.

Square Enix Sony State of Play 2022 official screencap
(Image credit: Square Enix)

The long saga of trying to figure out when PC players will be able to play Final Fantasy 16 continues. Although there's still no release date for it, producer Naoki "Yoshi-P" Yoshida says the PC version is still in development and that you'll hear more about it when it gets closer to the finish line.

Speaking on a recent stream, Yoshida said the PC version still needs work in order to mirror the PlayStation 5 version of the game, specifically citing its lack of loading screens when traveling between locations and transitioning from cutscenes to gameplay. Yoshida says the team hasn't "had the time to optimize the PC version of the game" because they've been busy with the PS5 version.

"We will be sharing more about the PC version when the time is right, please look forward to it," he said, echoing a sentiment he often shares when talking about upcoming features for the other Final Fantasy he's in charge of, Final Fantasy 14.

Final Fantasy 16's PC version has been in flux from the moment the game was announced in 2020 with a trailer that clearly stated a PC version would be available. Square Enix wouldn't say a word about it afterward and then Yoshida briefly denied that it existed earlier this year. Just a month later, he was on the Japanese PlayStation blog talking about releasing a PC version sometime after its six-month PS5 exclusivity deal expires. The producer said, "Even if we start optimizing the PC version after the PS5 version comes out, we won't be able to optimize it in half a year, so it won't come out in a short span of half a year."

Stay strong, PC players. We will have to continue waiting for what reviewers have said is an excellent, action-heavy entry in the long-running RPG series. Good thing there aren't any other Final Fantasy games not coming to PC at launch that will continue to wear down our resolve.

Japanese translations for this story were provided by Kazuma Hashimoto.

Tyler Colp

Tyler has covered videogames and PC hardware for 15 years. He regularly spends time playing and reporting on games like Diablo 4, Elden Ring, Overwatch 2, and Final Fantasy 14. While his specialty is in action RPGs and MMOs, he's driven to cover all sorts of games whether they're broken, beautiful, or bizarre.