"Wait, Is This A New TCG?": Final Fantasy Fans Are Only Just Discovering Its 14-Year-Old Card Game

Summary

• Final Fantasy fans are only just discovering that the series has a long-running TCG with multiple expansions.
• The discovery comes after two new starer sets led by Cloud and Zack were revealed by Square Enix.
• The sets are the perfect way for newcomers to pick up the TCG and will feature characters from throughout the series.

With its launch only a little more than a month away, hype for Final Fantasy's Magic: The Gathering expansion is really starting to pick up steam. However, some Final Fantasy fans are only just discovering that they could have been collecting cards featuring characters from their favorite series for years.

Final Fantasy has its own long-running TCG, and Square Enix just revealed what will almost certainly be two very popular new starter sets. Even though the Final Fantasy TCG spans all of the series' history - even Final Fantasy 16 characters are a part of the game following 2024's Hidden Legends set - these new starter sets are led by two sides of the same Final Fantasy 7 coin.

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Those TCG starter set leads are Cloud and Zack. Like it or not, Final Fantasy 7 is the biggest and most popular game in the series. You put its characters on anything, and it's going to get a lot of attention, hence even hardened Final Fantasy fans discovering via the new start sets' reveal that the TCG exists.

Final Fantasy Has A Long-Running TCG

And These Starter Sets Are The Perfect Place To, Well, Start

"Wait, is this a new TCG or something?" is among the replies to Square's new starter sets reveal. Another fan comments on it being a shame that so many people are still unaware the game exists, noting that the upcoming MTG crossover likely hasn't helped things. The Final Fantasy TCG was getting little attention as it is, and now even when you go looking for Final Fantasy trading cards online, the Magic set will likely trump the OG TCG in the search results.

This isn't something new either. The Final Fantasy TCG originally launched in Japan back in 2011 before getting rebooted for a worldwide release in 2016. Expansions are released at a similar pace to other TCGs - usually three a year - with each of them adding somewhere in the region of 150 cards.

If you're only just learning about the Final Fantasy TCG, this is a perfect place to start. The Cloud and Zack starter sets are designed with balance in mind, so even beginners can use them to jump right into battles against other players. These will also be the first sets in the TCG's history to include Limit Break deck cards, ensuring the playing field is as even as possible for newcomers. Square hasn't revealed prices or pre-order details for the sets yet, but has confirmed they will be released on October 3, 2025.

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