{"id":51283,"date":"2025-08-22T04:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-08-21T19:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/?p=51283"},"modified":"2025-08-21T18:19:41","modified_gmt":"2025-08-21T09:19:41","slug":"final-fantasy-9-takes-top-spot-in-japans-playstation-4-ps-store-downloads-following-the-games-25th-anniversary","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/news\/final-fantasy-9-takes-top-spot-in-japans-playstation-4-ps-store-downloads-following-the-games-25th-anniversary\/","title":{"rendered":"Final Fantasy 9 takes top spot in Japan&#8217;s PlayStation 4 PS Store downloads following the game&#8217;s 25th anniversary"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/blog.ja.playstation.com\/2025\/08\/20\/20250820-downloadranking\/\">Japan\u2019s PlaySta<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/blog.ja.playstation.com\/2025\/08\/20\/20250820-downloadranking\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">t<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/blog.ja.playstation.com\/2025\/08\/20\/20250820-downloadranking\/\">ion Store<\/a> has listed <strong>Final Fantasy IX<\/strong> as its most downloaded title for July. This coincides with the game <a href=\"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/news\/final-fantasy-9-gets-new-character-profiles-on-25th-anniversary-site\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">celebrating 25 years since its initial release<\/a> in Japan on July 7, 2000.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1152\" height=\"648\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1152px) 100vw, 1152px\" src=\"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/20250821-512830001.jpg\" alt=\"Final Fantasy IX.\" class=\"wp-image-51286\" srcset=\"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/20250821-512830001.jpg 1152w, https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/20250821-512830001-380x214.jpg 380w, https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/20250821-512830001-768x432.jpg 768w\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>For reference, the top three PlayStation 4 downloads in Japan for July are <a href=\"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/news\/final-fantasy-9-director-hints-at-connection-between-2001-a-space-odyssey-and-the-games-trance-system\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Final Fantasy IX<\/a>, Dragon Quest XI S: Echoes of an Elusive Age \u2013 Definitive Edition, and Monster Hunter: World. Whereas Dragon Quest XI and Monster Hunter: World <a href=\"https:\/\/blog.ja.playstation.com\/2025\/07\/08\/20250708-downloadranking\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">ranked fifth and third last June<\/a>, Final Fantasy IX wasn\u2019t even on the list. However, its sudden jump to number one could indeed be thanks to <a href=\"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/news\/final-fantasy-9-gets-new-character-profiles-on-25th-anniversary-site\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">the game\u2019s 25<sup>th<\/sup> anniversary<\/a> being celebrated all over Japan, thus prompting many fans to revisit the classic game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Over in the USA and Canada, the top three downloads for the PlayStation 4 are <a href=\"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/news\/red-dead-redemption-2-voice-actor-roger-clark-expresses-interest-in-working-with-hideo-kojima\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Red Dead Redemption 2<\/a>, Star Wars Battlefront II, and Batman: Arkham Knight. Despite the two online stores featuring similar libraries (some games are region locked), it can be safe to say that a good number of PlayStation 4 users in Japan currently prefer JRPGS while those in the West love action\/multiplayer games. Given that the PlayStation 4 is almost twelve years old, it isn\u2019t surprising that the top downloads for the console feature older titles, several of which are usually on sale.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"960\" height=\"540\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 960px) 100vw, 960px\" src=\"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/20250821-512830002.jpg\" alt=\"Death Stranding 2: On the Beach\" class=\"wp-image-51287\" srcset=\"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/20250821-512830002.jpg 960w, https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/20250821-512830002-380x214.jpg 380w, https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/20250821-512830002-768x432.jpg 768w\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The top downloads for the PlayStation 5 on the PS Store also feature different titles between Japan and the USA\/Canada. <a href=\"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/news\/hideo-kojima-teases-what-death-stranding-2-on-the-beach-could-have-looked-like-without-the-pandemic-and-everyone-wants-to-see-more\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Death Stranding 2: On the Beach<\/a>, Elden Ring Nightreign, and Wuchang: Fallen Feathers are the top 3 most downloaded games in Japan for July, while EA Sports College Football 26, Ready or Not, and <a href=\"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/news\/hololive-to-hold-wholesome-roleplaying-event-in-grand-theft-auto-5\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Grand Theft Auto V<\/a> reigned in the USA\/Canada.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"864\" height=\"486\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px\" src=\"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/20250821-512830003.jpg\" alt=\"Apex Legends.\" class=\"wp-image-51288\" srcset=\"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/20250821-512830003.jpg 864w, https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/20250821-512830003-380x214.jpg 380w, https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/20250821-512830003-768x432.jpg 768w\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>While the PlayStation VR2 category shows fewer differences between countries (<a href=\"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/news\/palworld-tops-ps5-download-rankings-in-japan\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Beat Saber always manages to find a place<\/a> in the top three), the free-to-play title category is where players seem to have similar tastes. <a href=\"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/news\/japanese-overwatch-hostess-club-gets-banned-lewd-apex-legends-hostess-club-takes-its-place\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Apex Legends<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/news\/esports-player-faces-backlash-from-japanese-sponsor-and-public-for-posting-hiroshima-bombing-gif\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Tom Clancy&#8217;s Rainbow Six Siege X<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/news\/12-year-old-fortnite-player-from-japan-gives-up-middle-school-to-pursue-pro-gaming-and-youtube-career\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Fortnite<\/a> are the Japan PlayStation Store\u2019s top three most downloaded titles, whereas Apex Legends dropped to tenth place in favor of Fortnite in the USA\/Canada. Roblox took second place while Tom Clancy\u2019s Rainbow Six Siege X took third place in the Western countries.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Japan&#8217;s PlayStation 4 PS store ranks Final Fantasy 9 as the most downloaded game in July &#8211; coinciding with the game&#8217;s 25th anniversary.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":67,"featured_media":51285,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_gspb_post_css":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[61,3],"tags":[36,17],"class_list":["post-51283","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-final-fantasy","category-news","tag-final-fantasy","tag-japan-related-news"],"blocksy_meta":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Final Fantasy 9 takes top spot in Japan&#039;s PlayStation 4 PS Store downloads following the game&#039;s 25th anniversary - 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