Watch order
Final Fantasy film & TV timeline
Square Enix's CG films, the Final Fantasy XV prequel anime, and the Final Fantasy XIV live-action drama in US release order—with separate worlds (Spirits Within, VII, XV, XIV) and a clear split from the games on Final Fantasy games timeline.
Release order
When each Final Fantasy film or series reached US audiences—one entry per theatrical CG film, web anime run, or full Netflix season. Spirits Within (2001) stands alone; Advent Children, Brotherhood, and Kingsglaive tie to VII or XV; Dad of Light is a real-world drama about playing XIV.
- Spirits Within only → 2001 film (no game connection)
- Final Fantasy VII fans → play FF VII (1997 or Remake path on games page) → Advent Children (2006)
- Final Fantasy XV fans → Brotherhood (2016) → Kingsglaive (2016) → play Final Fantasy XV
- Final Fantasy XIV fans → Dad of Light (2017) anytime—real-world story, not expansion lore
Story order tips
When events happen in each work's fiction—2060s Earth for Spirits Within, post–Final Fantasy VII for Advent Children, and XV prequel years for Brotherhood and Kingsglaive. Dad of Light is not in-game fiction and has no separate must-play titles.
- Spirits Within → standalone sci-fi Earth—no link to any numbered game
- Advent Children → about two years after the original Final Fantasy VII ending
- Brotherhood → Noctis and friends before the XV game opens
- Kingsglaive → Niflheim's attack on Insomnia—parallel to the start of Final Fantasy XV
Story order
When events happen in each work's fiction—2060s Earth for Spirits Within, post–Final Fantasy VII for Advent Children, and XV prequel years for Brotherhood and Kingsglaive. Dad of Light is not in-game fiction and has no separate must-play titles.
- Spirits Within → standalone sci-fi Earth—no link to any numbered game
- Advent Children → about two years after the original Final Fantasy VII ending
- Brotherhood → Noctis and friends before the XV game opens
- Kingsglaive → Niflheim's attack on Insomnia—parallel to the start of Final Fantasy XV
Timeline
When each season premiered in the US. Expand a row for dates and where it fits in your watch order.
Release order
Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within
TheatricalFilmCG animationPhotoreal CG sci-fi follows Dr. Aki Ross fighting a Phantom plague on a future Earth that never appears in numbered Final Fantasy games. Hironobu Sakaguchi’s theatrical experiment shares the brand name only—no Midgar, no crystals, no party of Warriors of Light.
- Overview
- Square Pictures pushed early-2000s photoreal humans and a Hollywood-scale alien siege under the Final Fantasy banner. It remains the franchise’s clearest standalone film—watchable with zero game homework.
- Related games
- No link to worlds on Final Fantasy games—name-only crossover.
- Where it fits
- Watch alone. Do not place before Advent Children or XV media; branches never connect.
- Premiere dates
- US theatrical premiere July 11, 2001 (Square Pictures / Columbia).
Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children
TheatricalDVDFilmCG animationCloud, Tifa, and companions face Geostigma and Sephiroth’s lingering will roughly two years after the 1997 Final Fantasy VII ending. Tetsuya Nomura’s CG film launched the Compilation era for Western home video audiences.
- Overview
- First major VII sequel film—stylish battles and Midgar-region melancholy that defined post-game Cloud for a generation. Complete Edition later extends runtime; either cut continues 1997 continuity, not Remake’s diverging branch.
- Related games
- Follows 1997 VII—not Remake/Rebirth—on Final Fantasy games.
- Where it fits
- Watch after finishing original Final Fantasy VII (or a full recap). Skip if you only play Remake/Rebirth and want zero classic spoilers.
- Premiere dates
- Japan theatrical 2005; US home-video premiere April 25, 2006 (PG-13). Complete Edition followed in 2009.
Brotherhood: Final Fantasy XV
YouTubeCrunchyrollWeb seriesAnimationFive free web episodes sketch Noctis, Prompto, Gladiolus, and Ignis before Final Fantasy XV’s road trip begins. About an hour of character backstory released across Uncovered events and weekly drops in 2016.
- Overview
- Marketing anime that still functions as soft canon prep—friendship vignettes and childhood wounds the game assumes you feel. Short enough to binge the night before installing XV.
- Related games
- Prequel flavor for Final Fantasy XV on Final Fantasy games.
- Where it fits
- Start the XV media path here, then Kingsglaive, then the game. Independent from VII or Spirits Within.
- Premiere dates
- US streaming from March 30, 2016 (Episode 1 at Uncovered: Final Fantasy XV) through Episode 5 on September 17, 2016 (YouTube / Crunchyroll windows).
Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV
TheatricalDigitalFilmCG animationCG feature follows King Regis and the Kingsglaive as Niflheim strikes Insomnia—events parallel to Final Fantasy XV’s opening. Sean Bean, Lena Headey, and Aaron Paul headline the English dub of Takeshi Nozue’s war film.
- Overview
- Theatrical-scale CG that fills the crown-city fall the game summarizes in cutscenes. Nyx Ulric’s story gives XV a political prologue without replacing Noctis’s playable journey on the open road.
- Related games
- Same timeline as XV’s opening on Final Fantasy games—film-only Nyx focus beside the RPG.
- Where it fits
- Watch after Brotherhood; play Final Fantasy XV immediately after for the intended 2016 media-to-game arc.
- Premiere dates
- US limited theatrical from August 19, 2016; digital August 30; Blu-ray October 4, 2016.
Final Fantasy XIV: Dad of Light
NetflixTV seriesLive-actionEight-episode Japanese live-action drama follows a son reconnecting with his father through Final Fantasy XIV play. Based on a real player’s blog—family story first, MMO screenshots second, expansion lore never the point.
- Overview
- Rare Final Fantasy media about players rather than Warriors of Light. Mixes domestic drama with in-game footage without claiming patch-note or expansion-plot canon.
- Related games
- Uses Final Fantasy XIV as backdrop—not expansion story on Final Fantasy games.
- Where it fits
- Optional anytime for XIV fans. No Story-tab entry—real-world setting, not Eorzea chronology on either tab.
- Premiere dates
- Japan broadcast April–June 2017 (MBS/TBS); Netflix worldwide premiere September 1, 2017 (eight episodes).
FAQ
Which branch to pick, VII vs XV order, Spirits Within standalone, and optional OVAs.
Watch order
Standalone: Spirits Within (2001). VII path: Final Fantasy VII (1997) → Advent Children (2006). XV path: Brotherhood (2016) → Kingsglaive (2016) → play Final Fantasy XV. XIV optional: Dad of Light (2017). Branches do not connect to each other.
Brotherhood: Final Fantasy XV (character backstory, March–September 2016) → Kingsglaive (fall of Insomnia, August 2016) → Final Fantasy XV game. All three were marketing the same 2016 launch—fiction order matches that path.
Canon & games
The Final Fantasy games timeline (Final Fantasy games timeline) covers mainline I–XVI, VII Remake/Rebirth, and saga FAQ for X and XIII. This page is films and series only.
No. Spirits Within is unrelated to any game. Advent Children adds VII epilogue context but is optional after FF VII. Brotherhood and Kingsglaive enrich Final Fantasy XV but the game stands alone. Dad of Light is a real-world drama—not game plot.
Optional & extras
More timelines
Other release-order and story-order guides on this site.
- Game series
Final Fantasy
Final Fantasy release and story order (1990–2024)—mainline I–XVI, VII Remake/Rebirth, connected sagas (VII, X, XIII), and MMO placement.
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Kingdom Hearts
Kingdom Hearts release and story order (2002–2026)—Birth by Sleep through KH III, HD collections, and where to start.
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The Elder Scrolls
Elder Scrolls release and Tamriel story order (1994–2019), DLC placement, and classic vs modern play paths.
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Dragon Age
Dragon Age release and story order (2009–2024)—Origins, Awakening, Dragon Age II, Inquisition, The Veilguard, and essential DLC FAQ.