is a free-to-play Japanese gacha mobile game, developed by Lasengle (formerly Delightworks) using Unity, and published by Aniplex, a subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment Japan. The game is based on Type-Moon's Fate/stay night franchise, and was released in Japan on 29 July 2015 for Android, and on 12 August 2015, for iOS. English-language versions followed on 25 June 2017 in the United States and Canada, and a Korean version was released on 21 November 2017. An arcade version titled Fate/Grand Order Arcade was released by Sega in Japan on 26 July 2018.
The game is centered around turn-based combat where the player, who takes on the role of a "Master", summons and commands powerful familiars known as "Servants" to battle enemies. The story narrative is presented in a visual novel format, and each Servant has their own scenario which the player can explore. Servants are obtained through the gacha mechanic. , the game grossed worldwide, making it the seventh highest-grossing mobile game of all time. Total revenues reached $7 billion by September 2023.
Gameplay
Fate/Grand Order is a turn-based role-playing game with some visual novel elements. The player takes the role of a "Master" and commands a group of individuals called "Servants", who are typically historical, literary, and mythological figures from various cultures. The player commands a party composed of up to 6 Servants in each battle, 3 active members, and 3 reserve members. In each turn, the player is given a set of 5 Command Cards and may use up to 3 of them in a turn to attack. Each Servant has 5 cards the player may use; the cards for all the Servants on the field are shuffled and dealt to the player each turn. The cards have three types: Buster (a heavy attack), Arts (a medium attack that charges a gauge for the Servant's "Noble Phantasm"), and Quick (a light attack that generates Critical Stars that increase the probability of critical hits next turn). If three similar cards are used in one turn, they create a "Chain" which gives a bonus based on the cards' properties. If three cards all corresponding to the same servant are selected, then a "Brave Chain" will ensue, resulting in an extra, more powerful, attack being added to the end. Each Servant also has skills that can be used before drawing Command Cards; each skill gives effects in the battle, as well as a special command card called "Noble Phantasm" that appears when the gauge is full. The "Master" also has a separate set of skills and special abilities called "Command Spells." Command Spells have a variety of effects and recharge based on real-world time.
Servants are obtained via a gacha mechanic. Saint Quartz, an in-game currency earned both by playing the game and via real money in-app purchases, is used to summon new Servants and acquire "Craft Essences" which give additional effects when equipped to a servant. This summoning is random, with some servants available commonly, and others rarely. Another currency is "Friend Points", which are more easily acquired, but only can acquire common Servants with them. If multiple copies of the same Servant are acquired, that servant's "Noble Phantasm" can be increased.
The differences between mobile and Arcade versions are commonly the characters' appearances: The mobile version uses 2D sprites, while the Arcade version uses 3D models.
Plot
The game is divided into three canon chapters, all unlocked after clearing the previous scenario.
Chapter 1: Observer at the Timeless Temple In 2015, the Chaldea Security Organization draws on experts of both the magical and mundane fields to observe the future of mankind for possible extinction events. Humanity's survival seems assured for the next century—until the verdict suddenly changes, and now eradication of the species awaits at the end of 2016. The cause is unknown, but appears to be linked with the Japanese town of Fuyuki and the events of 2004 during the Fifth Holy Grail War. In response, Chaldea harnesses an experimental means of time travel, the Rayshift technology. With it, Ritsuka Fujimaru (a young man or woman, depending on the player's choice of gender) who was newly recruited to the organization, and a mysterious girl named Mash Kyrielight, can travel back to 2004 and discover how to save humanity. A grand order to fight fate has been declared—an order to change the past and restore the future. Following the events in Fuyuki, Ritsuka Fujimaru and Mash Kyrielight must restore the Foundation of Humanity by retrieving powerful Holy Grails. The Grails, which are capable of granting any wish, are also able to sustain abnormalities called Singularities that threaten humanity's existence. The protagonists utilize Rayshift technology to travel back in time to said periods, ranging from Orleans to Okeanos and even the ancient civilization of Babylonia. Along the way, Ritsuka encounters the main antagonist and mastermind behind the plan to eradicate humanity: the Mage-King Solomon. He proclaims that Chaldea's attempt to save humanity will not matter if they fail to obtain every single Holy Grail, before leaving. After obtaining all 7 Holy Grails, Fujimaru and their Servant advance into Ars Paulina, the throne where Solomon once sat.
In the final battle against Solomon and his legion of 72 Demon Gods, both Ritsuka and Mash are unable to defeat any of the Demon Pillars as they regenerate immediately. When all hope seems lost, the Servants that assisted Ritsuka on their quest through every Singularity appear, allowing Chaldea to break through and defeat Solomon, who is revealed to be the Demon God Goetia, a Beast that possessed Solomon's corpse and wishes to eradicate humanity in order to travel back to the dawn of humankind. Goetia used his Noble Phantasm to cancel the Servants' summoning, leaving only Ritsuka and Mash to fight. However, Mash utilizes her Noble Phantasm to deflect Goetia's Noble Phantasm to protect Ritsuka in exchange for her life. Just as hope was lost, Romani appeared and revealed that he himself is actually the real Solomon, the Grand Caster who wished to be human after the fifth Holy Grail War. Romani uses his Noble Phantasm to weaken Goetia and allow Ritsuka to summon the Servants again at the cost of his existence, entrusting everything to Ritsuka. With Goetia's defeat, the final Singularity is restored to order, and Mash is revived via the power of Beast IV, who is revealed to be Fou, a dog-like creature that has journeyed alongside Fujimaru and their party through the entirety of the game. Upon completion of the Singularities, Ritsuka Fujimaru is awarded the rank of Cause, by the Mages Association.
Chapter 1.5: Epic of Remnant In the aftermath of the Singularity crisis, Chaldea is under heavy suspicion from various organizations including the U.N. and the Mages Association due to their role in Rayshifting in various eras. Upon the suspicion, the group detected a new Singularity separate from the ones came before it. Dubbed as Sub-Singularities, Ritsuka is again tasked with handling Singularity Subspecies and solving even deeper mysteries over their existence.
Chapter 2: Cosmos in the Lostbelt Following the completion of the Sub-Singularities, Chaldea finds itself under new management under Goredolf Musik. It turns out that Goredolf was just a scapegoat in a hostile takeover by a mysterious organization, conspiring with an unknown entity known as the Alien God to destroy Chaldea and the current human history, reverting the planet back to the Age of Gods. Now on the run, Ritsuka, Mash and the surviving members of Chaldea survived aboard the autonomous vessel Shadow Border. In order to save humanity, the group now travels to different timelines called "Lostbelts"; alternate versions of history that differ drastically from the main human history and were "pruned away" from the primary timeline after having been deemed a dead end. The seven Lostbelts are each represented by a Crypter, former human Masters and their Servants, each of whom are in competition against one another as well as the Chaldean survivors for the ultimate fate of human history. Now calling themselves Novum Chaldea, the new organization faces several harsh battles between them and both the Crypters and its Lostbelt Kings, resolving and pruning each Lostbelts while they witness the descending of the Alien God itself: U-Olga Marie, who bears strong resemblance to the deceased Chaldea Director, Olga Marie. During their battles through the Lostbelts, they also encounter a man identical to Romani who introduced himself the Chaldean.
After pruning the Seventh Lostbelt, Novum Chaldea learned that U-Olga Marie is not the true Alien God itself and was actually a Disciple to the true mastermind. Novum Chaldea attempt to return to Chaldea's headquarters, where the mastermind resides, only to be blocked by a barrier. They are informed that due to using Extra Class Servants, they have been rejected by the Human Order. The organization must endure an Ordeal Call to prove that their Extra Classes are connected to humanity. After resolving the Ordeal Call, Novum Chaldea finally delved inside Antarctica with the help from the Chaldean, whose true identity is Goetia using Romani's form as an atonement for his previous deeds. Acknowledging Novum Chaldea, he once again takes the identity of Grand Caster King Solomon and forms a temporary contract with Ritsuka to assist them for the final battle.
They finally reached the true endpoint as they learned that all this time, the true culprit is none other than the Chaldeas itself as it manifested into the Seventh Beast of Humanity and the entirety of their world is a Lostbelt, created the moment Marisbury won the Fifth Holy Grail War in Fuyuki. Destroying Chaldeas would mean erasing the whole event, resulting in everyone forgetting the whole thing once they return to the Proper Human History. Accepting the consequence, Novum Chaldea, assisted by all the friends they made throughout the Lostbelts, proceed to destroy Chaldeas, restoring the Proper Human History. In the new timeline, Mash lives a normal life as a college student, not remembering her adventure with Chaldea, but is reunited with Ritsuka at Tokyo Station during her trip to Japan.
After-Time In the last second before new year 2020, Ritsuka and Mash inexplicably find themselves back at Chaldea with vague memories of the new timeline created after they pruned Lostbelt Zero, but they retain memories when they went on adventures with Chaldea. Additionally, the rest of Chaldea crew and Olga Marie are present (except for post-Novum Chaldea members such as Goredolf, Sion, Captain Nemo, and Chaldeas), the latter returns to her position as Chaldea director. Grand Assassin Azrael reveals that the world they're in is a world stuck between Lostbelt Zero and the new timeline, caused by a Beast. Azrael gives Chaldea one year to solve the whole situation with a threat that should they fail, he'll deem them responsible and kill them.
The Norns, the Norse Sisters of Fate who are squabbling over whether the past, present, or future is most important have manifested as Demi-Beasts and took advantage of Chaldea being trapped in time to use as pawns to settle their argument. They are taking turns attacking Chaldea, and the one who defeats it will win the argument and become the true Beast. Chaldea defeats Urd, the Norn of the Past, who agrees to help find and defeat the other two.
When Olga Marie is temporarily incapacitated by being turned into a child, Azrael brings a version of Goredolf from the future to help. When the problem is solved, Azrael returns Goredolf home, but Goredolf secretly reveals that the future world is in ruins.
Development and release