Square Enix on jo aiemmin ilmoittanut, että Final Fantasy XVI tulee olemaan aiempaa enemmän aikuisille suunnattu kuin mihin sarjassa on totuttu.
Pohjois-Amerikan ikäraja-auktoriteetti ESRB on asettanut pelille ikärajan, ja sen perusteella aikuisempaan makuun suunnattu sisältö tarkoittaa ainakin törkyistä kielenkäyttöä. Lisäksi luvassa on irti leikattuja käsiä ja päitä unohtamatta paljaita maitorauhasia.
Oletettavasti Final Fantasy XVI on Euroopassakin ikärajalla K18, kun julkaisu tapahtuu 22. kesäkuuta 2023 PC:lle ja Playstation 5:lle.
"This is an action role-playing game in which players assume the role of an enslaved prince (Clive) on a quest to find his missing brother. From a third-person perspective, players explore a fantasy kingdom, complete various quests, and engage in battles against enemy soldiers and fantastical creatures (e.g., trolls, orcs). Players use swords and magical attacks (e.g., fireballs, lighting strikes) to kill characters in melee-style combat. During fighting sequences, players can perform cinematic attacks/finishing moves by following on-screen prompts. Battles are fast paced, accompanied by impact sounds, cries of pain, and large explosions. Blood-splatter effects frequently occur when characters are slashed and killed. Cutscenes depict additional acts of violence and blood: a character's hands severed by a sword; a guard's throat slit by a knife; a character impaled through the chest; a prisoner's shoulder stabbed and twisted by an interrogator's blade. The game contains some sexual material: a character caressing and straddling a man in bed; references to prostitution—sexual moaning sounds in a brothel; dialogue such as, "I'd be happy to show you...provided I can afford it" and "...thank you for your service. My chamber is just upstairs." Some characters are depicted with partially exposed breasts and buttocks. The words "f**k" and "sh*t" are heard in the game."