Classic Final Fantasy games are coming to Nintendo Switch and Xbox One

Planning on spending the rest of your life playing Japanese RPGs? Then you'll want to make sure you're armed with a Nintendo Switch or Xbox One – they are getting some of the best of all time ported, in the shape of a load of classic Final Fantasy titles.

Announced at the latest Nintendo Direct showcase (and followed up by a statement revealing that Microsoft's console would be getting in on the action too), several titles from across console generations are making the jump as ports.

So, deep breath: Nintendo Switch owners can look forward to, Final Fantasy VII, IX, X, X-2 and XII, Final Fantasy Chocobo's Dungeon and World of Final Fantasy (renamed World of Final Fantasy Maxima, which is also coming to the Xbox One, PS4 and PC). That's in addition to the previously-announced Final Fantasy XV Pocket Edition and the Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles HD remaster.

As well as World of Final Fantasy Maxima, the Xbox One is getting Final Fantasy VII, IX, X, X-2 and XII.

Finally fantastic on Nintendo

Final Fantasy XII will be delivered in its recent Zodiac Age remastered form, and its expected that the earlier PlayStation One titles will also be based on their more recent PC HD forms.

The game announcements will be particularly poignant announcement for fans of the series' 16-bit golden age, back in the 1990s. 

This was when Final Fantasy games were pretty much exclusively available on Nintendo hardware, before Square brought the franchise to the PlayStation console family. In many cases, this is the first time these games have been available on Nintendo hardware.

But where is Final Fantasy VIII? It's now becoming the black sheep of the Final Fantasy family, having not been remastered for mobile hardware like its late-90s brethren have been. 

As for the older 16-bit titles, which remain unavailable on any of the big three consoles, don't be surprised to see them land as the retro titles being offered up as part of the Nintendo Switch online service.

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Gerald Lynch

Gerald is Editor-in-Chief of iMore.com. Previously he was the Executive Editor for TechRadar, taking care of the site's home cinema, gaming, smart home, entertainment and audio output. He loves gaming, but don't expect him to play with you unless your console is hooked up to a 4K HDR screen and a 7.1 surround system. Before TechRadar, Gerald was Editor of Gizmodo UK. He is also the author of 'Get Technology: Upgrade Your Future', published by Aurum Press.