Four classic Final Fantasy games get the DRM-free treatment from GOG, and they're 60% off if you're fast

You can learn a lot about someone from their favorite Final Fantasy games, and there are certainly those that get the bulk of the attention from the wider audience. But then there are those that don’t always get the immediate shout-outs, but deserve your attention because, if they do click for you, they’ll hit harder than anything else. I’m here to give you that little push today, because four Final Fantasy games that fall into that category have just arrived on GOG, meaning no DRM and a guarantee for the future, and you can grab them at less than half price if you’re quick about it.

Final Fantasy 9 is the easiest sell on the table here. It’s a game I bounced off at first, because its intentional throwback to the series’ classic fantasy heritage didn’t land as well with me after the more modern-feeling FF7 and FF8. Yet upon giving it a second chance I warmed to it almost beyond belief; I maintain it has one of the strongest core casts in the entire series, and a tale that twists and turns as it buries deep into questions around death and finding your humanity. GOG also confirms that this version is compatible with the highly popular FF9 Moguri Mod, which you’ll find almost universally recommended to polish up the core experience.

My personal favorite (and one that earns its headline spot on our best Final Fantasy games list) is Final Fantasy 4. It felt like the first to really break the more traditional mold and its character development holds up just as well today as it did at launch. I’ve watched multiple people discover it for the first time in recent years and immediately push it right up to the top end of their personal lists. While FF6 tends to pull more plaudits from the old-school era, FF4 edges it out for me by a hair due to its tighter, more directed focus.

Another I rate above its surrounding, more-popular peers is Final Fantasy 8. FF8 is weird and bold in ways that make it messy, but that’s why it’s so beautiful. It’s got all the sweeping romance amid a rapidly escalating conflict that you want, complemented with a delicious dose of mysterious background villains on the side, in what might be FF’s finest love story. Mechanically, the draw system that underpins its combat is bizarre, sometimes broken, and its most divisive aspect – but if it clicks for you, you’ll join the ranks of the FF8 defenders forever.

Final Fantasy 3 rounds out our set, and it’s one you could easily have missed. The original FF3 we got in the West back in the ’90s was actually FF6, and the ‘true’ third installment didn’t get fully localized until the 3D remake in 2006 (with the pixel remaster following much later in 2021). It’s the strongest of that early trilogy, and holds up the best of them as a result. Just don’t blame me if you’re an FF14 player and find yourself bursting uncontrollably into tears when Eternal Wind starts playing.

Because these four newcomers are part of GOG’s preservation program, they’re guaranteed to work on “current and future most popular Windows PC configurations,” with tech support provided if you run into problems. There’s no DRM, so you’re also free to download it with no restrictions or periodic check-ins. Plus, there’s a big saving if you get a move on and grab them in the first week.

Final Fantasy 9, FF8 Remastered, FF4 3D Edition, and FF3 3D Edition are all available now on GOG, DRM free. There’s a 60% discount available through Saturday February 7 at 12am PT / 3am ET / 8am GMT / 9am CEST. Expect to pay $6.39 / £4.49 for FF3 and for FF4, $7.99 / £6.39 for FF8, and $8.39 / £6.39 for FF9. You can find them here.

I’m hoping this is the start of more Final Fantasy games making their way across to the platform. While the 3D remakes of FF3 and FF4 are excellent editions to play, it’d be great to see the pixel remasters there as well. If this opens the floodgates to the rest of the series traipsing across to GOG, then that’s a win for PC gamers in general; more choice is always better.