Final Fantasy XVI Has Gone Gold Ahead Of Its June Release

Nearly three months ahead of its scheduled release date, Square Enix has announced that Final Fantasy XVI has gone gold, meaning the game is ready to be pressed onto discs--though development will still continue. On Twitter, the studio marked the milestone with a photo of staff--and a Torgal plushy--celebrating. "Mastered up today," the tweet reads. "Both the staff and Torgal are delighted."

Final Fantasy XVI is the first mainline game in the series since 2016's Final Fantasy XV. There have been a few other Final Fantasy games released in the years since then, such as Final Fantasy VII Remake, but the release of a core numbered entry in the series has become a rare occurrence. Back in April last year, producer Naoki Yoshida said that the development team had entered "the finale" of Final Fantasy XVI's development, and by November, main director Hiroshi Takai said that development was 95% complete.

Final Fantasy XVI--which will be a PS5 exclusive for at least six months--will forgo the series' traditional turn-based combat for more character action-like battles, similar to Final Fantasy XV. A high-fantasy epic that mixes a more action-packed approach with unique Eikon battles, the game takes place in the wartorn world of Valisthea and centers around the Dominants, gifted individuals who can wield the power of Eikons.

The game will officially launch on PlayStation 5 on June 22, and for more details, you can check out everything that we know about Final Fantasy XVI.