Final Fantasy III is a 1990 role-playing video game developed and published by Square for the Family Computer. The third installment in the Final Fantasy series, it follows four orphans from the village of Ur who are chosen by the world's crystals to defeat a great evil and return balance to the world.
Role-playing (RPG)Adventure
Final Fantasy III is a 1990 role-playing video game developed and published by Square for the Family Computer. The third installment in the Final Fantasy series, it follows four orphans from the village of Ur who are chosen by the world's crystals to defeat a great evil and return balance to the world. The gameplay returns to the traditional combat system of the original game, and adds a job system allowing players to switch between character classes with unique abilities.
Development of Final Fantasy III was handled by multiple series veterans including director Hironobu Sakaguchi, designers Hiromichi Tanaka and Kazuhiko Aoki, writer Kenji Terada, composer Nobuo Uematsu, and programmer Nasir Gebelli in his final contribution to the series. Production was a struggle due to data management, and new elements were added to encourage player experimentation. The artwork was a collaborative effort between Koichi Ishii as character and job designer, Yoshitaka Amano as monster designer, and Kazuko Shibuya as main sprite artist. When it completed development, it was described as one of the largest games on the system.
Upon its release in Japan, the game sold 1.4 million copies, and saw generally positive reviews, with most of the praise going to its job system. While ported to multiple platforms in later years, the original was not released outside Japan until 2021. A remake for the WonderSwan Color was planned but ultimately cancelled, while a 3D remake for the Nintendo DS was released internationally in 2006. The game saw the introduction of several recurring elements including a job system, summoned monsters and the Moogle. Terada also adapted it into a manga, and its characters and settings made appearances in later Final Fantasy titles.
Trailer. Watch on YouTube
Final Fantasy 3 Full Walkthrough Gameplay - No Commentary (PC Longplay), Lacry. Watch on YouTube
| Platform | Region | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Windows | Europe / PAL | 2014-05-27 |
| Windows | North America | 2014-05-27 |
| Windows | Japan | 2020-02-02 |
US$15.99 at launch
Released on Steam 27 May 2014. Still sold as Final Fantasy III (3D Remake).
US$17.99 at launch
A separate 2D release of the original 1990 game, on Steam since 28 July 2021.
| Service | Tier | Added | Left |
|---|---|---|---|
| Xbox Game Pass | PC | 3 Mar 2026 |
Space needed800 MB
No DLC for either PC version. The only Steam add-on is the Pixel Remaster soundtrack.
Playable offline todayYes
Single-player only, with no online features.
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Price at release | US$15.99, 27 May 2014 |
| Ever released on disc | No Sold only as a download on PC. |
| Ever released in the store | Yes, Steam, 27 May 2014 |
| In the store to buy today | Yes, US$15.99 on Steam |
| Can be downloaded again if you already bought it | Yes |
| Disc runs with no patch | Does not exist |
| Disc runs with the final patch | Does not exist |
| Has online features | No |
| Online servers running today | Does not exist |
| Playable offline today: campaign | Yes |
| Playable offline today: local multiplayer | Does not exist |
| Playable offline today: online multiplayer | Does not exist |
| Playable offline today: DLC | Does not exist |
Plays offlineYes
| Role | Name |
|---|---|
| 3D remake developer | Matrix Software |
| Publisher | Square Enix |
| Original director | Hironobu Sakaguchi |
| Original producer | Masafumi Miyamoto |
| Original designers | Hiromichi Tanaka, Kazuhiko Aoki |
| Original programmer | Nasir Gebelli |
| Original artists | Koichi Ishii, Kazuko Shibuya, Yoshitaka Amano |
| Original writer | Kenji Terada |
| Composer | Nobuo Uematsu |
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