Final Fantasy 16 demo starts exponential spike in pre-orders

Joshua Rosfield looks down on his older brother Clive as a fire rages in the background
(Image credit: Square Enix)

Pre-orders for Final Fantasy 16 have spiked at one Japanese retailer following the release of the upcoming game's demo.

On June 12, the Final Fantasy 16 demo launched, and very shortly after pre-orders for the game spiked at Japanese retailer COMG. As we can see over on nichebarrier.com, pre-orders for the game were sitting at around the 70s-80s at the start of the month, however as soon as June 12 hit, the number of pre-orders shot up into the 90s, and way up into the 100s by that weekend. 

As of the time of writing (June 20), pre-orders for Final Fantasy 16 at this particular store are sitting at 157 - with just a couple of days to go until release. The biggest change we've seen in the numbers so far happened between June 18 and 19 where 29 pre-orders were placed in just 24 hours. We can only assume that several people gave the demo a try on the weekend and were compelled to place their order very soon after.

It's worth noting that these are physical pre-orders at a single Japanese retailer, and that they're not indicative of the global market. That big spike in sales, however, is unlikely to have been entirely limited to COMG, which could mean very good news for Square Enix.

If you're still undecided about playing the next installment in the Final Fantasy series, it seems the demo could be enough to convince you. Very quickly after its launch, the demo was a hit with fans with one player calling it "the next generation of Final Fantasy." It also features subtle references to the series' past so long-time fans are sure to get a lot out of it.

The Final Fantasy 16 demo focuses on Clive’s teenage years and lasts a few hours, giving you more than enough time to get familiar with the new characters and gameplay. Speaking of Final Fantasy 16's gameplay, fans of Nier Automata and Kingdom Hearts will be glad to hear that Final Fantasy 16 was co-developed by both PlatinumGames and Kingdom Hearts 4's dev team - so don't be surprised if the upcoming RPG's battles feel a little familiar. 

Final Fantasy 16 is set to release on June 22 (yes, in just two days!) exclusively on PS5 - so make sure to get your Final Fantasy 16 pre-order in soon.

You can get an idea of what we're in for with our Final Fantasy 16 preview

Hope Bellingham
News Writer

After studying Film Studies and Creative Writing at university, I was lucky enough to land a job as an intern at Player Two PR where I helped to release a number of indie titles. I then got even luckier when I became a Trainee News Writer at GamesRadar+ before being promoted to a fully-fledged News Writer after a year and a half of training.  My expertise lies in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, cozy indies, and The Last of Us, but especially in the Kingdom Hearts series. I'm also known to write about the odd Korean drama for the Entertainment team every now and then.  

Read more
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth's Steam launch was "fantastic" analyst says after PC players sent the JRPG port flying to the US best-selling spot in the week of its release
Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster
The Final Fantasy series has sold a whopping 200 million copies, while the Pixel Remaster reportedly outsells FF16 with 5 million copies
Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth producer says the JRPG sold well, but future games "cannot be exclusive to a single platform" anymore
Key art for Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake.
In a true JRPG miracle, Square Enix says Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D sales are better "than initially assumed"
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 combat
Gorgeous JRPG homage Clair Obscur sells out its collector's edition months before launch, dev says it didn't think "the demand for our physical editions would be so high"
A screenshot of the upcoming Xbox series X game, The First Berserker: Khazan.
Steam Next Fest's biggest Soulslike is about to jump from PC to PS5 and Xbox, and everyone seems to love the demo just as much as we did
Latest in RPG
Fighting a dragon with a sword and shield in Skyrim
Former Skyrim dev says "a lot of the great stuff" in the RPG came from the devs having "quite a bit of freedom" to create what they wanted, even if it wasn't "on schedule"
Pillars of Eternity
10 years later, in a post-Baldur's Gate 3 and Avowed world, Obsidian is giving its own throwback CRPG Pillars of Eternity a turn-based combat mode
Kingdom Come Deliverance 2
Reclaiming their crown, pacifist Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 player beats the whole RPG as "Merciful Henry": 1,741 strikes blocked, 472 knockouts, and zero kills
Top-down screenshot of Monsterpatch, showing a grid-based town with Pokemon-like creatures, GBC graphics and vegetations sprinkled about.
This cozy RPG promises a Pokemon and Stardew Valley mashup with "limitless customization," 208 monsters, and more, so no wonder its Kickstarter was funded in just 16 minutes
Dragon Age: The Veilguard art showing the RPG's companions grouped together
Dragon Age: The Veilguard director is leading an unannounced game for Wizards of the Coast, which recently hinted at more Baldur's Gate
A large, muscly bloke eating noodles at a bar while two people point pistols at him from behind in Cyberpunk 2077.
The Witcher 3 and Cyberpunk 2077 developer enters into partnership with Pokemon Go owner to create a new game "set within one of CD Projekt's IPs"
Latest in News
Nintendo Switch 2 controller slot
Best Buy just confirmed the Nintendo Switch 2 pre-order date, and there's only days left to wait
AriZona 99 the game with contents
You know AriZona drinks? Yeah, there's a board game for that now... in a can
WandaVision episode 8
Robert Downey Jr's WandaVision Easter egg in the Avengers: Doomsday announcement has me thinking Scarlet Witch will be in the movie after all
Mario & Luigi: Brothership trailer still
"They are really feelin' the pressure": Former Nintendo staff think today's Direct, just 6 days before the Switch 2 Direct is a "bad idea strategically"
channing tatum gambit in deadpool and wolverine
Marvel fans are hoping Channing Tatum's Gambit return in Avengers: Doomsday will be different from Deadpool and Wolverine
Final Fantasy 16 protagonist Clive uses magic in closeup screenshot
Despite fans begging for Tifa, Final Fantasy 16's Clive is "significantly more popular" than any other Tekken guest fighter