The Game Census
LIGHTNING RETURNS™: FINAL FANTASY® XIII cover art

LIGHTNING RETURNS™: FINAL FANTASY® XIII

Square Enix · 2015-12-10

SteamXboxAmazonMicrosoft Store

RPG

Franchise: Final Fantasy · Modes: Single player

Releases: Feb 11, 2014 (PlayStation 3), Dec 10, 2015 (PC (Microsoft Windows)), Nov 21, 2013 (Xbox 360)

Lightning Returns is the concluding chapter of the Final Fantasy XIII saga and series heroine Lightning's final battle. The grand finale of the trilogy brings a world reborn as well as free character customization and stunning action based battles.

82
playing now
79%
positive of 4.8k reviews
Mostly Positive
steam rating
200,000–500,000
owners (SteamSpy est.)
70/100
critic score (13 outlets, IGDB)
71/100
IGDB user rating (104 ratings)
40h
to beat · rushed 25h · completionist 70h
gold
deck/linux tier (ProtonDB)
$19.99
steam price (US)

82 players in-game as of 2026-08-30 03:00 UTC (census sample)

Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII is a 2013 action role-playing game developed and published by Square Enix. A sequel to Final Fantasy XIII-2, it concludes the storyline of Final Fantasy XIII and forms part of the Fabula Nova Crystallis subseries. It was released in 2013 in Japan and 2014 in North America and the PAL regions. It was ported to Windows in 2015 and Android and iOS via cloud gaming in 2016 in Japan. Lightning Returns employs a highly revamped version of the gameplay system from the previous two games, with an action-oriented battle system, the ability to customize the player character's outfits, and a time limit the player must extend by completing story missions and side quests.

Health check

Healthy
  • · 82 players in-game at the last census sample.
  • · 202 reviews in the last 8 weeks (~25/week).
  • · Review velocity up 12% vs the prior 8 weeks.
  • · Top 14% of 6,151 RPG games in the census by review count.

Health tier since 2026-08-28

Estimated sales: 120k–289k copies

Review-multiple estimate from 4,817 total reviews — how this is computed.

All-time low: $5.99 at Humble Store (2025-09-18)via IsThereAnyDeal

12-month high $19.99 · on sale 20 of 39 observed days (census price snapshots)

Review momentum

PositiveNegative
454520182026Week of 2018-01-01: 19 positiveWeek of 2018-01-01: 8 negativeWeek of 2018-02-01: 18 positiveWeek of 2018-02-01: 6 negativeWeek of 2018-03-01: 28 positiveWeek of 2018-03-01: 11 negativeWeek of 2018-04-01: 17 positiveWeek of 2018-04-01: 6 negativeWeek of 2018-05-01: 12 positiveWeek of 2018-05-01: 4 negativeWeek of 2018-06-01: 17 positiveWeek of 2018-06-01: 5 negativeWeek of 2018-07-01: 15 positiveWeek of 2018-07-01: 2 negativeWeek of 2018-08-01: 4 positiveWeek of 2018-08-01: 4 negativeWeek of 2018-09-01: 14 positiveWeek of 2018-09-01: 6 negativeWeek of 2018-10-01: 10 positiveWeek of 2018-10-01: 2 negativeWeek of 2018-11-01: 28 positiveWeek of 2018-11-01: 5 negativeWeek of 2018-12-01: 18 positiveWeek of 2018-12-01: 6 negativeWeek of 2019-01-01: 16 positiveWeek of 2019-01-01: 6 negativeWeek of 2019-02-01: 11 positiveWeek of 2019-02-01: 3 negativeWeek of 2019-03-01: 15 positiveWeek of 2019-03-01: 7 negativeWeek of 2019-04-01: 9 positiveWeek of 2019-04-01: 1 negativeWeek of 2019-05-01: 14 positiveWeek of 2019-05-01: 4 negativeWeek of 2019-06-01: 24 positiveWeek of 2019-06-01: 4 negativeWeek of 2019-07-01: 32 positiveWeek of 2019-07-01: 10 negativeWeek of 2019-08-01: 6 positiveWeek of 2019-08-01: 2 negativeWeek of 2019-09-01: 4 positiveWeek of 2019-09-01: 6 negativeWeek of 2019-10-01: 10 positiveWeek of 2019-10-01: 2 negativeWeek of 2019-11-01: 20 positiveWeek of 2019-11-01: 3 negativeWeek of 2019-12-01: 24 positiveWeek of 2019-12-01: 1 negativeWeek of 2020-01-01: 20 positiveWeek of 2020-01-01: 11 negativeWeek of 2020-02-01: 21 positiveWeek of 2020-02-01: 6 negativeWeek of 2020-03-01: 24 positiveWeek of 2020-03-01: 8 negativeWeek of 2020-04-01: 22 positiveWeek of 2020-04-01: 11 negativeWeek of 2020-05-01: 45 positiveWeek of 2020-05-01: 14 negativeWeek of 2020-06-01: 16 positiveWeek of 2020-06-01: 5 negativeWeek of 2020-07-01: 34 positiveWeek of 2020-07-01: 7 negativeWeek of 2020-08-01: 15 positiveWeek of 2020-08-01: 4 negativeWeek of 2020-09-01: 22 positiveWeek of 2020-09-01: 4 negativeWeek of 2020-10-01: 20 positiveWeek of 2020-10-01: 8 negativeWeek of 2020-11-01: 24 positiveWeek of 2020-11-01: 3 negativeWeek of 2020-12-01: 21 positiveWeek of 2020-12-01: 7 negativeWeek of 2021-01-01: 26 positiveWeek of 2021-01-01: 4 negativeWeek of 2021-02-01: 19 positiveWeek of 2021-02-01: 1 negativeWeek of 2021-03-01: 19 positiveWeek of 2021-03-01: 10 negativeWeek of 2021-04-01: 35 positiveWeek of 2021-04-01: 3 negativeWeek of 2021-05-01: 35 positiveWeek of 2021-05-01: 6 negativeWeek of 2021-06-01: 19 positiveWeek of 2021-06-01: 3 negativeWeek of 2021-07-01: 25 positiveWeek of 2021-07-01: 8 negativeWeek of 2021-08-01: 23 positiveWeek of 2021-08-01: 5 negativeWeek of 2021-09-01: 23 positiveWeek of 2021-09-01: 4 negativeWeek of 2021-10-01: 20 positiveWeek of 2021-10-01: 5 negativeWeek of 2021-11-01: 19 positiveWeek of 2021-11-01: 4 negativeWeek of 2021-12-01: 20 positiveWeek of 2021-12-01: 10 negativeWeek of 2022-01-01: 19 positiveWeek of 2022-01-01: 10 negativeWeek of 2022-02-01: 15 positiveWeek of 2022-02-01: 5 negativeWeek of 2022-03-01: 21 positiveWeek of 2022-03-01: 1 negativeWeek of 2022-04-01: 17 positiveWeek of 2022-04-01: 2 negativeWeek of 2022-05-01: 18 positiveWeek of 2022-05-01: 8 negativeWeek of 2022-06-01: 18 positiveWeek of 2022-06-01: 4 negativeWeek of 2022-07-01: 20 positiveWeek of 2022-07-01: 6 negativeWeek of 2022-08-01: 13 positiveWeek of 2022-08-01: 4 negativeWeek of 2022-09-01: 25 positiveWeek of 2022-09-01: 4 negativeWeek of 2022-10-01: 11 positiveWeek of 2022-10-01: 3 negativeWeek of 2022-11-01: 18 positiveWeek of 2022-11-01: 1 negativeWeek of 2022-12-01: 16 positiveWeek of 2022-12-01: 6 negativeWeek of 2023-01-01: 17 positiveWeek of 2023-01-01: 9 negativeWeek of 2023-02-01: 19 positiveWeek of 2023-02-01: 2 negativeWeek of 2023-03-01: 17 positiveWeek of 2023-03-01: 7 negativeWeek of 2023-04-01: 14 positiveWeek of 2023-04-01: 6 negativeWeek of 2023-05-01: 15 positiveWeek of 2023-05-01: 7 negativeWeek of 2023-06-01: 14 positiveWeek of 2023-06-01: 4 negativeWeek of 2023-07-01: 16 positiveWeek of 2023-07-01: 7 negativeWeek of 2023-08-01: 11 positiveWeek of 2023-08-01: 4 negativeWeek of 2023-09-01: 11 positiveWeek of 2023-09-01: 7 negativeWeek of 2023-10-01: 9 positiveWeek of 2023-10-01: 2 negativeWeek of 2023-11-01: 20 positiveWeek of 2023-11-01: 4 negativeWeek of 2023-12-01: 14 positiveWeek of 2023-12-01: 5 negativeWeek of 2024-01-01: 21 positiveWeek of 2024-01-01: 5 negativeWeek of 2024-02-01: 12 positiveWeek of 2024-02-01: 11 negativeWeek of 2024-03-01: 14 positiveWeek of 2024-03-01: 5 negativeWeek of 2024-04-01: 18 positiveWeek of 2024-04-01: 5 negativeWeek of 2024-05-01: 13 positiveWeek of 2024-05-01: 5 negativeWeek of 2024-06-01: 14 positiveWeek of 2024-06-01: 3 negativeWeek of 2024-07-01: 22 positiveWeek of 2024-07-01: 7 negativeWeek of 2024-08-01: 11 positiveWeek of 2024-08-01: 5 negativeWeek of 2024-09-01: 21 positiveWeek of 2024-09-01: 5 negativeWeek of 2024-10-01: 14 positiveWeek of 2024-10-01: 2 negativeWeek of 2024-11-01: 11 positiveWeek of 2024-11-01: 4 negativeWeek of 2024-12-01: 18 positiveWeek of 2024-12-01: 3 negativeWeek of 2025-01-01: 24 positiveWeek of 2025-01-01: 6 negativeWeek of 2025-02-01: 18 positiveWeek of 2025-02-01: 5 negativeWeek of 2025-03-01: 17 positiveWeek of 2025-03-01: 9 negativeWeek of 2025-04-01: 10 positiveWeek of 2025-04-01: 5 negativeWeek of 2025-05-01: 22 positiveWeek of 2025-05-01: 8 negativeWeek of 2025-06-01: 19 positiveWeek of 2025-06-01: 7 negativeWeek of 2025-07-01: 21 positiveWeek of 2025-07-01: 7 negativeWeek of 2025-08-01: 14 positiveWeek of 2025-08-01: 5 negativeWeek of 2025-09-01: 18 positiveWeek of 2025-09-01: 2 negativeWeek of 2025-10-01: 12 positiveWeek of 2025-10-01: 5 negativeWeek of 2025-11-01: 17 positiveWeek of 2025-11-01: 8 negativeWeek of 2025-12-01: 21 positiveWeek of 2025-12-01: 9 negativeWeek of 2026-01-01: 21 positiveWeek of 2026-01-01: 3 negativeWeek of 2026-02-01: 18 positiveWeek of 2026-02-01: 9 negativeWeek of 2026-03-01: 20 positiveWeek of 2026-03-01: 5 negativeWeek of 2026-04-01: 17 positiveWeek of 2026-04-01: 5 negativeWeek of 2026-05-01: 18 positiveWeek of 2026-05-01: 6 negativeWeek of 2026-06-01: 13 positiveWeek of 2026-06-01: 9 negativeWeek of 2026-07-01: 18 positiveWeek of 2026-07-01: 10 negativeWeek of 2026-08-01: 18 positiveWeek of 2026-08-01: 6 negative
Weekly review counts (Steam review histogram). Positive above the line, negative below.

Players online

88372026-08-06 23:00 — 54 players2026-08-07 07:00 — 46 players2026-08-07 15:00 — 58 players2026-08-07 23:00 — 54 players2026-08-08 07:00 — 53 players2026-08-08 15:00 — 77 players2026-08-08 23:00 — 73 players2026-08-09 07:00 — 84 players2026-08-09 15:00 — 75 players2026-08-09 23:00 — 75 players2026-08-10 07:00 — 42 players2026-08-10 15:00 — 74 players2026-08-10 23:00 — 60 players2026-08-11 07:00 — 57 players2026-08-11 16:00 — 73 players2026-08-12 23:00 — 49 players2026-08-14 07:00 — 65 players2026-08-15 14:00 — 88 players2026-08-16 22:00 — 63 players2026-08-18 06:00 — 51 players2026-08-19 13:00 — 73 players2026-08-20 21:00 — 55 players2026-08-22 04:00 — 70 players2026-08-23 12:00 — 82 players2026-08-24 20:00 — 53 players2026-08-26 04:00 — 54 players2026-08-27 12:00 — 57 players2026-08-28 19:00 — 63 players2026-08-30 03:00 — 82 players
Concurrent players, hourly average, last 30 days (census samples).

Price history

$19.99$6.002015-11-192026-08-112015-11-19 — best price $19.992016-05-26 — best price $9.992016-10-27 — best price $9.992017-06-22 — best price $9.992018-01-18 — best price $9.992018-06-21 — best price $9.992018-11-27 — best price $19.992019-04-30 — best price $9.992019-09-12 — best price $9.992020-01-07 — best price $19.992020-03-17 — best price $10.002020-07-22 — best price $6.002021-01-05 — best price $19.992021-05-06 — best price $9.992021-10-12 — best price $19.992022-03-28 — best price $19.992022-06-30 — best price $9.992022-09-23 — best price $9.992023-01-27 — best price $19.992023-05-05 — best price $9.992023-08-04 — best price $19.992024-01-03 — best price $19.992024-03-14 — best price $7.992024-05-08 — best price $19.992024-09-16 — best price $7.992024-12-04 — best price $19.992025-02-05 — best price $19.992025-04-01 — best price $19.992025-07-23 — best price $19.992025-12-06 — best price $19.992026-02-23 — best price $19.992026-05-07 — best price $19.992026-08-11 — best price $19.99
Lowest recorded price across tracked stores, per day (census snapshots).

Attention

8621512026-05-30 — 199 pageviews2026-06-02 — 191 pageviews2026-06-05 — 210 pageviews2026-06-08 — 254 pageviews2026-06-11 — 291 pageviews2026-06-14 — 276 pageviews2026-06-17 — 280 pageviews2026-06-20 — 378 pageviews2026-06-23 — 268 pageviews2026-06-26 — 273 pageviews2026-06-29 — 240 pageviews2026-07-02 — 262 pageviews2026-07-05 — 284 pageviews2026-07-08 — 202 pageviews2026-07-11 — 209 pageviews2026-07-14 — 268 pageviews2026-07-17 — 164 pageviews2026-07-20 — 210 pageviews2026-07-23 — 174 pageviews2026-07-26 — 238 pageviews2026-07-29 — 234 pageviews2026-08-01 — 161 pageviews2026-08-04 — 152 pageviews2026-08-07 — 196 pageviews2026-08-10 — 251 pageviews2026-08-13 — 199 pageviews2026-08-16 — 212 pageviews2026-08-19 — 218 pageviews2026-08-22 — 203 pageviews2026-08-25 — 204 pageviews2026-08-27 — 185 pageviews
Daily Wikipedia pageviews (attention proxy, census-recorded).

Completion

42
achievements tracked
70.8%
earned "The Savior's Descent"
16.2%
median achievement earned by

Global achievement rates from Steam.

Details

WindowsSingle-playerSteam AchievementsSteam Trading CardsAdjustable Text SizeAdjustable DifficultyKeyboard Only OptionPlayable without Timed InputSave AnytimeStereo SoundSurround Sound2 DLC

7 supported languages: English, French, Italian, German, Spanish - Spain, Japanese, Korean

Player tags

RPGJRPGAnimeActionFantasyAdventureAction RPGOpen WorldStory RichSingleplayer

Census log

Computed from census-recorded observations only — dates are observation dates.

Players also track

FINAL FANTASY XIV OnlineDying LightPillars of EternityFINAL FANTASY® XIIIFINAL FANTASY® XIII-2Tales of Berseria™Beyond: Two SoulsDragon Age™ Inquisition

Similarity via IGDB.

Wikipedia ↗Official site ↗