Despite this series being thought of as a massive string of single-player RPGs, there have been a lot of Final Fantasy games that have offered multiplayer in some regard, mainly in the plethora of spin-off series that have popped up throughout the years.
This breakdown will mostly focus on true co-op experiences in the series. Before diving in, honorable mention should be given to two Japanese-exclusive options that could have made the cut. Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII had multiplayer in the Japan version on PS2, and Final Fantasy Type-0 had co-op on the PSP version. With the rules in place, let’s get to it.
12 Final Fantasy IV And Turn-Based Co-Op
1991 was technically the first time co-op appeared in the series via Final Fantasy IV. Players could plug in another controller and that player could control some of the party. However, that’s the true extent of it — they couldn’t control anything outside of battle.
While that's a bit dubious in terms of fairness, regardless of further hair-splitting, this system was used for Final Fantasy V, Final Fantasy VI, and Final Fantasy IX, and it works across the SNES and PS1 versions of all four games. This feature was not added into the Pixel Remaster versions of these games, however.
11 Chocobo's Dungeon 2
Chocobo's Dungeon 2 was released for the PS1 in 1998 in Japan and a year later in North America. This spinoff was a roguelike dungeon crawler where you play as a Chocobo. Another player could jump in and control the bird’s AI partner, but their abilities were limited.
In fact, the AI seemed to be stronger. The latest entry, Chocobo's Mystery Dungeon Every Buddy, which was a remaster of the 2008 Wii game, allowed for similar buddy control — although it was a little more involved than Chocobo's Dungeon 2.
10 Final Fantasy XI
Final Fantasy XI was released in 2002 on the PS2 in Japan, with that version not coming out until 2004 in North America. However, they did get the PC version in 2003. Since then, the PS2 and Xbox 360 versions have been shut down as of 2016, although they were pioneers of console MMOs at the time.
The PC version is still going strong though — with the latest expansion, Rhapsodies of Vana'diel, hitting a year earlier in 2015. Despite being overshadowed by the new Final Fantasy XIV, Final Fantasy XI still sees consistent content updates and has a dedicated online community.
9 Final Fantasy XIV
Final Fantasy XIV originally launched in 2010. It was so bad that Square Enix pulled it off the shelves and rebooted it in 2013 as A Realm Reborn. Now, it’s one of the best-selling and most highly praised entries in the entire Final Fantasy series. It fixed a lot over the original release, mainly in the combat and movement areas.
As an MMO, you'll be able to team up with other players for a majority of the activities in the game. Progressing in its hardest raids, playing casual dungeons, or even just sitting around and chatting in one of the world's many hub areas are just a few of the social activities you can do in FFXIV.
8 Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles
Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles first debuted in 2003 in Japan and a year later in North America. It was a unique multiplayer setup, and expensive too, as it required four Game Boy Advance consoles and four Link Cables. The 2020 remaster fixed that but removed local play in favor of online support. The next entry was Ring of Fates, which used the wireless capabilities of the DS for support.
The sequel to that, Echoes of Time, was strange because it launched on DS and Wii. The Wii version had no noticeable differences between the handheld version, which rubbed some people the wrong way. It’s not a perfect series of multiplayer games but they are all fun in quick bouts.
7 Final Fantasy Tactics
The 2007 PSP re-release of Final Fantasy Tactics had an optional mode called Rendezvous. Players could team up together to earn special rewards and JP using their own characters from their save files. But this version of the game was notoriously slow, so not a lot of people got into it.
Prior to this, Final Fantasy Tactics Advance also had co-op missions, but there weren’t many. Strangely, the DS sequel didn’t offer multiplayer of any kind.
6 Final Fantasy Explorers
Final Fantasy Explorers was like the spiritual successor to Crystal Chronicles, as well as Square Enix’s answer to Monster Hunter. It launched on the 3DS in 2014 in Japan and 2016 in North America.
Players could customize their avatar with a Job and go out into the world to farm monsters for parts to create better gear. It was a repetitive cycle that wasn’t as intuitive as Monster Hunter, but it did support four players. Fans certainly wouldn't mind if Square Enix gave it another shot.
5 Final Fantasy XV: Comrades
Square Enix toyed with the preceding concept again when it released the free expansion, Comrades, for Final Fantasy XV. It has since been cut off from the main game and stands alone as a free-to-play RPG. It’s more like Destiny, although one that is more mission-based and lacking in exploration elements.
In Comrades, you can create a custom avatar, craft and upgrade equipment, develop your town, and take on missions against a variety of powerful monsters with up to three other players. The game expands on the combat system of the base game, but with a bit more variety for your custom character.
4 Theatrhythm Final Bar Line
The Theatrhythm series are rhythm-based games that allow you to play through the tracklist of every numbered Final Fantasy game, and even several of the more popular spin-off series like Dissidia, Crystal Chronicles, and Tactics.
Theatrhythm Final Bar Line supports up to 8-player sessions where you can work together or against other players to determine who is the best Final Fantasy musician. There are over 300 songs in the game, each with its own difficulty settings and quests to complete.
3 Dissidia Final Fantasy NT
This fighting game series started on the PSP, but the first two games were all one-on-one arena fighters. This latest entry, which first hit Japanese arcades in 2015 before coming to PS4 in 2018, allowed players to have three-on-three battles. This then allowed Square Enix to finally put co-op into the series.
Players can join up with two other people online to face off against a rival three. It gets chaotic as a fighting game but it is satisfying to bust out now and again. It is also free to play now, although the dwindling player base may make it difficult to quickly find a match.
2 Dissidia Final Fantasy Opera Omnia
Dissidia Final Fantasy Opera Omnia, more conveniently known as DFFOO, is a mobile gacha game featuring the majority of the main cast of every Final Fantasy game, including the spin-offs. As a spin-off of the Dissidia series, various Final Fantasy characters band together to stop dimensional distortions from destroying the world.
Certain battles can be played in co-op with up to two other players. Each player chooses one of their characters to bring into battle against massive monsters that require strategy and teamwork to take down. Plus, you can unlock every character in the game just by playing through the story or side quests, ensuring you can always have your favorite Final Fantasy characters around.
1 Stranger Of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin
Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin is a reimagining of the original Final Fantasy, where you play as Jack on his quest to defeat Chaos. You can change jobs and equip a variety of different weapons to change up combat, and even outfit your party with different equipment to customize your experience.
After clearing the prologue, the entire game can be played in co-op with up to two other players. Multiplayer mode is very similar feature-wise to singleplayer mode, but with a few key differences. Most importantly, you can revive other players if they die, and support jobs like Knight and White Mage are even more valuable, as you can aid your party members during combat.