One of the biggest surprises for me during the June 2026 Nintendo Direct was the reveal of a new Final Fantasy called Final Fantasy Resonance.

This is the first game in the series to adopt an HD-2D pixel art style seen in other modern Square Enix titles like Octopath Traveller, Live a Live, and Dragon Quest's HD-2D Remakes, and it plans to bring back an important feature Final Fantasy has been lacking for decades – turn-based combat.

When I first heard that this game was bringing back turn-based in a modern Final Fantasy (something that hasn't been seen in most major titles since 2001's Final Fantasy X), I couldn't believe it.

There had to be some kind of catch, but my doubts were laid to rest as IGN released exclusive, edited gameplay footage of Final Fantasy Resonance's combat system, and it made my heart leap with joy upon seeing it.

Final Fantasy Resonance's combat is a traditional turn-based system where you take turns pelting enemies with magic spells, summoning monsters, buffing allies with support magic, and delivering devastating melee attacks.

It also incorporates elements from more recent titles like Final Fantasy VII Remake's stagger meter that lets you stun enemies upon depleting it.

Final Fantasy Resonance isn't without its own unique gameplay mechanics, though. During battle, your characters will be able to summon spiritual Visions of iconic Final Fantasy characters like Cloud Strife, Zidane Tribal, and Terra and use their powers to aid you in battle.

Additionally, when you deplete an enemy's stagger gauge, you don't just get free hits on an enemy. You can activate a Vision's ultimate ability at the end of a Bonus Stage combo to unleash a world of pain upon your foes or activate your own character's ultimate abilities to end foes with gorgeously animated, HD-2D pixelated cinematic finishers.

Windows Central's take

Speaking as a PlayStation One-era Final Fantasy fan who's missed having turn-based combat in a Final Fantasy game for decades, this was a dream come true.

Granted, it's not quite how I'd imagine it, as Final Fantasy Resonance is based on an old 2015 mobile game called Final Fantasy Brave Exvius, but I'll take what I can get.

I have nothing against Final Fantasy 16 or Final Fantasy VII Remake's hack-and-slash combat systems, but I personally prefer turn-based combat as it's more relaxing, fulfils my need for tactical gameplay, and is more immersive as I get to enjoy the character's cinematic special moves play out without being interrupted by enemies.

Not to mention, turn-based combat is what made Final Fantasy the legendary franchise it is today, and games like Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 prove that you can make a big-budget RPG with turn-based combat and be successful in this day and age.

Hopefully Final Fantasy Resonance will be just as successful and convince Square Enix to continue making turn-based Final Fantasy games in the future. Perhaps even for a new mainline title?

Either way, I can't wait to try out Final Fantasy Resonance and indulge in its turn-based combat system when it launches on Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch 1 & 2, PC via Steam on October 22, 2026.

🗨️ Over to you

What do you think of Final Fantasy Resonance? Do you think its turn-based combat looks cool, or do you prefer Final Fantasy games with real-time combat, like the Final Fantasy VII Remake series?

If you have any thoughts on the matter, please let us know through the poll below, the comments section, or our Reddit page.

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Summer Game Fest season went out with a bang as Nintendo's latest Direct stream shocked the world with a new Xenoblade game and an upcoming remake of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.

However, it wasn't all about Nintendo Switch, as the Nintendo Direct had plenty of exciting games coming to other platforms like Xbox and PC, and we've rounded them all up for your convenience.

Kingdom Hearts 4

Four years after its debut trailer in 2022, Kingdom Hearts 4 has finally resurfaced with a new trailer that gives players their first look at its combat system, along with cinematic moments from its story.

The plot of the latest mainline entry of the Kingdom Hearts series has Sora, Donald, and Goofy journey to a mysterious city called Quadratum. Along the way, our heroes will explore worlds, encounter familiar faces and new characters, and obtain new powers to help them defeat new, dark monsters.

Kingdom Hearts 4 is set to release on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox on PC, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC via Steam and Epic Games Store in the future.

Additionally, Square Enix will be releasing Kingdom Hearts Collection [I ~ III], a compilation containing Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5+2.5 ReMIX, Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue, and Kingdom Hearts III+Re Mind on October 8, 2026, for Xbox Series X|S, Xbox on PC, PlayStation 5, and Nintendo Switch 2.

However, this compilation is available right now on PC via Steam and Epic Games Store.

Dragon's Dogma 2: Dark Arisen

Dragon's Dogma 2, the long-awaited sequel to Capcom's dark fantasy action-RPG, is getting an expansion called Dragon's Dogma 2: Dark Arisen.

This expansion will feature a new icy region to explore called Norgan, a new powerful type of gear to enhance a player's abilities called Relics, 12 new Dungeon Challenges to test players' skills, and several new hairstyle and tattoo cosmetic options.

Dragon's Dogma 2: Dark Arisen will launch on October 9, 2026, for Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC via Steam.

Final Fantasy Resonance

Final Fantasy Resonance is the Final Fantasy series' first-ever game with an HD-2D art style, and it's coming to Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch 1 & 2, and PC via Steam on October 22, 2026.

In this game, you will travel the world as young knight Rain, who is tasked with saving the world's life-giving crystals from being destroyed by the evil Veritas of the Dark.

Along the way, you will meet up with powerful friends who will join your party, fight towering monsters in turn-based combat, and summon Visions of classic Final Fantasy heroes like Cloud Strife from Final Fantasy 7 to aid you in battle.

Dragon Quest Monsters: The Withered World

Dragon Quest Monsters: The Withered World is the latest entry in the Dragon Quest Monsters spin-off series. It was first revealed alongside Dragon Quest 12, but now we have our first look at its gameplay with this new trailer.

In this game, you play as Bianca and Nera as they embark on a grand adventure, befriending friendly monsters, raising them, fusing them to create new ones, and battling evil monsters in turn-based battles.

Dragon Quest Monsters: The Withered World is set to launch on December 3, 2026, for Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch 1 & 2, and PC via Steam.

Jujutsu Kaisen Rumble: Survivaton

Not content with just making a Warhammer Survivor spin-off, the creators of Vampire Survivors have decided to make an anime spin-off called Jujutsu Kaisen Rumble: Survivaton.

In this game, you play as various characters from the popular anime and manga series Jujutsu Kaisen and fight through hordes of monsters in Vampire Survivors-style gameplay.

However, there's a competitive PvP element to this game, as you will be tasked with killing more enemies faster than your rivals in 8-player battle royales. Once only two players remain, you will have to fight each other in a 1v1 duel to determine the winner.

Jujutsu Kaisen Rumble: Survivaton is set to release in 2026 for Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC via Steam.

Atelier Karia: The Kingdom of Night and the Signpost of Reminence

Atelier Karia: The Kingdom of Night and the Signpost of Reminence is the latest entry in the Atelier series.

In this game, you play as Karia, a young woman out on a journey to reclaim her lost memories and discover the secrets of alchemy. You will explore a bright, colorful, fantastical world, gather ingredients to perform alchemy, and fight enemies in real-time battles that you can pause to perform strategic maneuvers.

Atelier Karia: The Kingdom of Night and the Signpost of Reminence is set to launch in early 2027 for Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC via Steam.

Tales of Eternia Remastered

Tales of Eternia Remastered is an HD remaster of one of the earliest entries in the Tales Of series. In this game, you will travel between two worlds to uncover the past behind a mysterious girl Meredy, and battle monsters in fast-paced real-time battles that have been refined with quality-of-life improvements.

Tales of Eternia Remastered is set to release on October 16, 2026, for Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4 & 5, Nintendo Switch 1 & 2, and PC via Steam.

🗨️ Over to you

What is your favorite game that was announced in the June 2026 Nintendo Direct? How would you rate the show overall?

If you have any thoughts on the matter, please let us know through the poll below, the comments section, or our Reddit page.

Join us on Reddit at r/WindowsCentral to share your insights and discuss our latest news, reviews, and more.

That’s right, Square Enix has seemingly fully given up their allegiance to PlayStation, likely turning down whatever money Sony was willing to throw at them, and is instead bringing the final chapter in the Final Fantasy VII remake trilogy to Xbox on day one.

Revealed as the final game of Geoff Keighley's Summer Game Fest showcase, Final Fantasy VII Revelation was also confirmed for a day-one release across multiple platforms, including Xbox.

Naturally, that's great news for Xbox fans, but it also signals a major shift in Square Enix's approach to platform releases. So, let's talk about it and what Xbox players can expect when Final Fantasy VII Revelation launches in Spring 2027.

The game is set to release on PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch 2, Steam, Epic Games Store, Xbox Series X|S, and Xbox PC. Interestingly, Square Enix specifically lists Xbox PC, which suggests that, like Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade and Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, the game will likely support Xbox Play Anywhere.

I'll admit that my appreciation for Final Fantasy largely comes from Kingdom Hearts, along with watching my brother play the series and talk about it growing up. Still, we also got a statement from the game's director, Naoki Hamaguchi, and I think it's worth sharing:

“I’m beyond excited to announce FINAL FANTASY VII REVELATION, launching simultaneously across all platforms in Spring 2027. I’m truly grateful to our fans who believed in this story and supported us for so many years. In this title, centered around “resolve,” Cloud and his companions will confront their respective convictions and continue their journey towards the final battle that will determine the planet’s fate. All the stories and emotions accumulated over the years will culminate in the most satisfying way with this experience, brought to you as the series’ final chapter. Please look forward to it.”

It's great to see the game launching simultaneously across all platforms, and I'm sure Xbox fans will be pleased as well. If you're a Final Fantasy fan and are happy about the news, or simply have thoughts on the announcement, let me know in the comments and be sure to take part in our poll!

Join us on Reddit at r/WindowsCentral to share your insights and discuss our latest news, reviews, and more.

We waited a long, long time for Final Fantasy 7 Remake on Xbox, but we won't have to wait as long for Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth.

Announced today, Square Enix confirmed that Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth is dropping on Xbox Series X|S and Xbox PC, complete with Xbox Play Anywhere support, on June 3, 2026. Pre-orders are live here, complete with a pretty generous introductory discount.

Final Fantasy 7 is arguably the most legendary Japanese RPG ever made, marking the franchise's shift to 3D on the original PlayStation. The game follows the mercenary Cloud, who finds himself the enemy of techno-fascist corporation Shinra. The firm's Mako reactors provide power to its dystopic cyberpunk megacities, while also producing mutated creatures and deadly pollution, while threatening the entire planet itself.

The remake was split into three parts owing to the original game's vast size, with the first part, Final Fantasy 7 Remake, launching on Xbox Play Anywhere last year after a long period of PlayStation exclusivity. Thankfully, the second part, Rebirth, is launching a lot sooner.

Revealed today, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth will hit all Xbox platforms via Xbox Play Anywhere, just like Final Fantasy 7 Remake.

Microsoft and Square Enix have been partnering aggressively under the latter's new CEO, collaborating on a wide variety of titles. Xbox is currently arguably the best place to play Final Fantasy as a result, playing home to more versions of Final Fantasy than other console platforms thanks to Xbox backward compatibility.

Dragon Quest VII remake also just hit Xbox Play Anywhere, joining the other recent Dragon Quest remakes and re-releases. Square Enix has a big publisher sale too on Xbox right now, with various titles anywhere up to 50% off.

Game director Naoki Hamaguchi noted on X today that Square Enix plans to share more updates on Final Fantasy 7's remake projects than "ever before" this year, implying that we could see the third part fully revealed. There are plenty of good reasons to think Final Fantasy 7's third remake will launch day and date on Xbox platforms, as Square Enix shifts away from timed exclusivity.

In a previous interview with us, Naoki Hamaguchi explained that its new CEO has been instrumental with moving the firm to multi-platform, to help Final Fantasy reach a bigger audience. "We have a new president at Square Enix, so we do have a new direction when it comes to multiplatform game releases. I believe that is the most vital point. The vision is to deliver Final Fantasy to a broader and wider audience through multiplatform releases, on multiple devices. Whether this is Xbox Cloud Gaming, console devices, or handheld PCs — that is very much now the core philosophy of Square Enix."

Following the big, highly anticipated launch of Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade on Xbox (and Nintendo Switch 2) last month, a new rumor has surfaced that suggests Part 2 of the RPG, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, will arrive on these platforms in June — and that publisher Square Enix will announce that the upcoming Final Fantasy 7 Remake Part 3 will release on Xbox, PC, and Switch 2 on day one alongside PS5.

This would see Square Enix shed PS5 exclusivity entirely with Final Fantasy 7 Remake for the first time, which would represent a major loss for Sony and PlayStation, and a huge win for gamers on Xbox, Steam, and Switch 2.

The rumor comes from Nate the Hate, a gaming content creator well known for reporting insider information that very often ends up being accurate. Specifically, he talked about Final Fantasy 7 Remake in his latest podcast episode, predicting Rebirth will appear at 2026's first Nintendo Direct and then get released on Xbox and Switch 2 in June before Part 3's multiplatform launch plans are revealed.

"I think by releasing the game in June around Summer Game Fest, it will allow Square Enix at Summer Game Fest to finally announce and give first details surrounding Final Fantasy 7 Part 3," he said.

"This way, 'Rebirth is out on all platforms, now we can talk about Part 3,' and that at that time, [Square Enix will] very likely confirm Part 3 is going to be day-and-date on all systems. There's gonna be no timed [exclusivity] to PlayStation, it's going to release day-and-date on everything," he continued.

If this does end up being what happens, it won't be particularly surprising, even if would undoubtedly be exciting for many. After Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth failed to meet performance expectations alongside Final Fantasy 16 in 2024, Square Enix admitted that it "cannot be exclusive to one console," signaling that ports of it to other systems would eventually come.

The Xbox and Switch 2 versions of Rebirth and Part 3 were then confirmed, and committed to once again last month by game director Naoki Hamaguchi. And given that timed PlayStation exclusivity has seemingly harmed Square Enix's bottom line, it makes sense that it would aim to bring Part 3 to Xbox, PC, and Switch 2 as well as PS5 at launch.

It's worth noting that Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade has been a major success on Xbox thus far, with the game achieving the #9 position in the best-selling Xbox games list shortly after release. The Final Fantasy series as a whole has also surged on Xbox in recent years, with the platform getting tons of ports of the beloved JRPG franchise.

Windows Central executive editor Jez Corden says the Xbox edition of Final Fantasy 7 Remake is "officially the best version," citing its excellent optimization and full support for Xbox Play Anywhere cross-save and Xbox Cloud Gaming. Interestingly, the Xbox Series S delivers better texture quality than the Switch 2 version of the game despite having less RAM, also.

Ultimately, the release timing for Rebirth's ports to other platforms and Part 3 potentially coming to Xbox, PC, and Switch 2 at launch is still a rumor, so keep that in mind. That said, it's coming from a very credible source, and the strategy makes a lot of sense for Square Enix's business. Don't be surprised if this is what happens.

Do you believe we'll see Final Fantasy 7 Remake Part 3 come to Xbox, PC, and Switch 2 at the same time it launches on PS5? When do you think Part 3 will release? Share your thoughts in the comments.

Last week saw the release of Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade on Microsoft's Xbox Series X|S consoles, the Xbox PC app (and the Xbox Ally handheld, by extension), and Xbox Cloud Gaming, complete with full support for Xbox Play Anywhere cross-saving. Considering the fact that it's been exclusive to PS5, PS4, and Steam until that release, it's nothing short of a monumental addition to Xbox's library.

Notably, though, the remake of what may be the best and most-popular Final Fantasy title of all time also dropped on Nintendo Switch 2 on the same date, prompting many curious fans and performance analysts to investigate the differences between the Xbox and Switch 2 versions of the game, and also to compare them to its PS5 and PS4 counterparts.

This includes the renowned, widely respected team at Digital Foundry — a group of performance analysts that extensively test many games to see which systems they look or run best on, and which settings players should use for optimal performance. Responding to fan requests to compare the Xbox and Switch 2 versions, Digital Foundry put them head-to-head — and what it found is very interesting.

In a video discussing the results of its testing, Digital Foundry reported that despite having slightly less high-speed RAM for games than the Switch 2 — the Series S has eight, while Nintendo's newer system has nine — the Series S actually runs Final Fantasy 7 Remake with noticeably higher texture quality and resolution.

Ultimately, this means that the game looks better on Series S than it does on Switch 2, with its visual assets considerably sharper and more detailed. The video itself shows this across a wide variety of in-game scenes, including the infamous low poly "the door" asset; you can watch it with the link above, or via the embed below.

This, Digital Foundry explains, signals that Final Fantasy 7 Remake's texture quality is less reliant on memory, and more so on the process of texture streaming. Notably, while the Switch 2's hardware is significantly better than the original handheld console, its raw power still falls short of the Xbox Series S', even while docked.

The visuals in both versions of the game fall between the fidelity of the original PS4 edition and the PS5's version of Intergrade, with quality on the Series S version surprisingly close to the PS5 edition and the Switch 2 version more in the middle. The Series S manages to match the Xbox Series X and PS5's NPC draw distance, though its shadow quality is slightly worse.

In terms of resolution and framerate, Final Fantasy 7 Remake has two settings on Series S: a 1080p 60FPS Performance mode, and a 1440p 30FPS Graphics option. On Switch 2, meanwhile, the game runs at 1080p 30FPS while docked, with dynamic resolution scaled up to 1080p with DLSS and 30FPS in handheld mode.

As for the Xbox Series X, it has complete parity with the PS5 version of the JRPG, with similarly speedy loading times and options for a 4K 30FPS mode or a 1512p 60FPS setting that prioritizes performance over visual fidelity.

Ultimately, I think both ports of the game are excellent, and the fact that the Switch 2 version looks and runs as well as it does considering its weaker overall hardware is impressive in its own right.

With that said, performance results like these show why the less-expensive Xbox Series S is excellent value, as it brings quality visuals for an attractive price. It bodes well for the port of Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth that we know is coming, and that is expected by many to arrive in 2026.

Are you currently playing Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade on either the Xbox Series S or the Nintendo Switch 2? If so, how do you feel about your experience? Are you playing on a different platform instead? Let me know in the comments.

Last week, Microsoft's Xbox brand got a massive third-party game release with Square Enix's launch of Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade — the upgraded version of the first part of the illustrious 2020 remake for the beloved JRPG — on the platform. Until last week, it was exclusively on PS5 and PS4, with only a PC alternative on Steam available.

Now, it's finally playable on Xbox Series X|S too, as well as on the Xbox app on Windows PC (it's also now on Nintendo Switch 2). Notably, it's also come with full Xbox Play Anywhere and Xbox Cloud Gaming support, meaning you can transfer your save progress across console, PC, and the Xbox Ally handheld if you're playing natively, as well as anywhere you're streaming the title to (provided you're using the same Microsoft account for everything).

It's the latest entry in the legendary franchise to make its way onto Xbox, following the MMORPG Final Fantasy 14, the Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster Collection, Final Fantasy Tactics, and Final Fantasy 16, along with several individual remasters of other classic titles — and Final Fantasy 7 Remake director Naoki Hamaguchi promises the other two chapters of the remake are coming to the platform, too.

"I'm very happy that Xbox players are enjoying FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE. We will also bring you REBIRTH and the last part of the trilogy. Let's enjoy the world of FFVII together," he wrote in a post on social media. "Thank you to Phil Spencer [CEO of Microsoft Gaming] and Sarah Bond [President of Xbox] for always supporting the FINAL FANTASY series."

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth is the second installment of the three-part remake that released on PS5 in 2024 and came to PC via Steam a year later in 2025, and is rumored to release on Xbox later this year. Part 3, meanwhile, is expected by many to arrive in 2027 for the 20th anniversary of the original 1997 title, and there are hopes for a day one Xbox launch alongside PS5 and (potentially) PC.

Notably, this news comes just after Final Fantasy 7 Remake hit the #9 position in Xbox's best-selling games list, which is a very strong showing for the JRPG, and proves that there is indeed a hungry audience of fans on Microsoft's platform eager to play and support the Final Fantasy series.

Thus, the potential for major success for Final Fantasy on Xbox is clear — and Square Enix is keen to capitalize on it. Per 2024 financial reports, both Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth and Final Fantasy 16 failed to meet expectations as PS5 exclusives, which is undoubtedly one of the primary reasons these games are being brought to Xbox.

Square Enix even went so far as to say that Final Fantasy "cannot be exclusive to a single platform" later that year, strongly hinting at the Final Fantasy 16 and Final Fantasy 7 Remake ports we've gotten, as well as the future Xbox versions in the works.

Given that the industry as a whole has been shifting towards multiplatform features and game releases, it's not terribly surprising that the rest of Final Fantasy 7 Remake is heading to Xbox. Still, it's wonderful news for fans of the series on Microsoft's ecosystem all the same, and will likely give Square Enix a nice sales boost, too.

By the way, our executive editor Jez Corden has been playing the game on Xbox, and says it's "officially the best version" of the title thanks to great optimization and impressive support for Xbox Play Anywhere and Xbox Cloud Gaming.

Are you looking forward to checking out Final Fantasy 7 Remake on Xbox? Are you playing it already? How about Rebirth and Part 3 of the remake? Let me know in the comments.

Update: Final Fantasy 7 Remake is now #5 most-sold game on the Xbox US store.

On January 22, 2026, the critically acclaimed Final Fantasy 7 Remake finally launched on Xbox as part of Square Enix's current strategy of releasing more Final Fantasy games on multiple platforms.

A strategy that is quickly proving to work out for Final Fantasy 7 Remake: in less than a week, the game has become the 9th top-paid title on the Xbox US store, as confirmed by users online and our own Jez Corden, who's been playing and loving it on Xbox. Microsoft updates its store tallies usually on a Tuesday, giving us a look at the movers and shakers on the best-selling list.

This is the latest piece of evidence that Square Enix, in my opinion, should've released their flagship titles on multiple platforms from the start.

Even Square Enix freely admitted Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth can't remain on one console to be successful after seeing sales figures for Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth and Final Fantasy 15 failed to meet expectations when they were PlayStation 5 exclusives.

Yet as soon as Square Enix started releasing their games on more platforms, the Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster topped the Xbox store charts, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth enjoyed a healthy launch on Steam, and now Final Fantasy 7 Remake is quickly rising to the top of the Xbox US store charts in less than a week.

Now, imagine the huge commercial sales boom Square Enix will achieve if it releases the 3rd final part of the Final Fantasy 7 Remake trilogy on PlayStation 5, Xbox, and Steam all at the same time, as it once implied it's dropping PlayStation exclusivity?

But first, Xbox JRPG fans will need to get their hands on the Xbox version of Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth first, which is reportedly coming soon in 2026, according to famed leaker NateTheHate (as reported by Insider Gaming).

Rumors and leaks should be always be taken with a grain of salt, but NatetheHate's leaks have been reliable, as his claims of Final Fantasy 7 Remake and Final Fantasy 15 coming to Xbox eventually ended up becoming true during June 2025.

So it's likely that we'll see Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth on Xbox halfway or near the end of 2026. In the meantime, Xbox JRPG fans will have plenty of time to keep themselves busy now that Final Fantasy 7 Remake is available on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox PC, Xbox Ally, and Xbox Cloud Gaming via Xbox Play Anywhere.

Final Fantasy 7 Remake is also available on PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC via Steam (which is my favorite version because it has insane PC mods that let you fight Darth Vader from Star Wars)

Are you happy that Final Fantasy 7 Remake is finally on Xbox platforms? Are you looking forward to playing the rest of the Final Fantasy 7 Remake trilogy when Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth and the 3rd unnamed game come to Xbox?

If you have any thoughts on the matter, let us know in the comments below.

Final Fantasy 7 Remake has been a sore point for many a' Xbox fan for over half a decade, but the pain ends on January 22nd, 2026.

Final Fantasy 7 Remake has finally shed all forms of exclusivity, and hits Xbox Series X|S, Xbox PC, and Xbox Cloud Gaming via Xbox Play Anywhere this week. Also on Xbox Ally. Whew, that sure is a lot of Xbox.

I've been lucky enough to get early access to the game thanks to Square Enix, and I'm happy to report that the port is rather excellent.

Final Fantasy holds a special place in my heart. Final Fantasy 7 was probably the first game I truly connected with on a deeper emotional level as a sprog. I have to thank the un-named Electronics Boutique employee who begged me not to buy "Men in Black" for PlayStation 1, and instead buy Final Fantasy 7, for having a disproportionate impact on my life trajectory.

I reviewed Final Fantasy 7 for Android Central back when they experimented with PlayStation coverage, and it remains my only PS4 review to date. My thoughts on the game remain the same after completing it on PS4, Steam Deck and my PC, and soon, once again on my Xbox Ally and Xbox Series X. What I've been impressed by here is just how well optimized it is on handhelds, how playable it is on Xbox Cloud Gaming, and how now this is quite easily the definitive version of the game. It was worth the wait.

Final Fantasy 7 Remake on Xbox is the definitive version

I began my new journey with Final Fantasy 7 Remake on Xbox Series X, where the game truly shines. It comes with performance and quality modes, trading resolution for frame rate, but both versions offer a decent experience based on your preferences. The quality mode is a stable 30 FPS, offering sharper picture quality and boosted visuals. If you want a smoother experience, you can trade some resolution for frame rates, nabbing 60 FPS instead.

The story is similar on the Xbox Ally, which despite being a PC, sports console-like simplified graphics options with some additions on top. It has the quality and performance modes I mentioned earlier, but it has frame rate caps running all the way up to 120 FPS. You can achieve more frames by having your Xbox Ally plugged in and using turbo mode, but honestly, what impressed me was how it runs on the Xbox Ally's low-power silent mode.

I'm someone who likes to try and maximize my Xbox Ally's battery life as much as humanly possible. I tend to look for games that can take advantage of the lower watt modes without massive visual compromises, and Final Fantasy 7 absolutely fits the bill.

The game runs very smoothly on high graphics on Xbox Ally X, at 1080p, 30-50 FPS or even higher even on the lowest power settings. I was able to comfortably play for over 3 hours without plugging in, and probably could've gone further with resolution compromises, lowered brightness, or hard frame rate caps. The base Xbox Ally is a similar story too, although with some additional compromises to reflect the Z2A's power over the Xbox Ally X's more potent Z2E. It's still impressively playable at 30 FPS, and offers good battery life on top.

It's perhaps to be expected that Final Fantasy 7 would perform so admirably after over half a decade of optimizations, but it's to Square Enix's credit that they stuck with the game for so long — and long enough to build an Xbox development pipeline that takes advantage of the ecosystem so nicely.

The fact you can take your save file to so many different form factors within the Windows and Xbox ecosystem so seamlessly here, with a single purchase, single save file — Final Fantasy 7 Remake has become a quintessential example of Microsoft's vision for the Xbox platform. I just hope we see more of it soon, too.

Square Enix is back on Xbox with a vengeance

Final Fantasy 7 Remake joins a long list of great Xbox Play Anywhere games from third-party publishers. Resident Evil 8: Village just hit Xbox Play Anywhere as well, Death Stranding finally got fixed up and optimized for Xbox Ally and Xbox PC, and has rejoined Xbox Game Pass to celebrate.

Square Enix has been aggressively pursuing Xbox Play Anywhere with its new CEO, with Final Fantasy 16 hitting the platform last summer, complete with similarly impressive optimizations. Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth is rumored to hit Xbox this year as well, raising hopes that Final Fantasy 7 Remake's third part will hit Xbox day and date, eschewing the exclusivity periods of the previous titles.

Last Christmas, I spent pretty much my entire holiday playing through Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster Collection via Xbox Play Anywhere, spent the summer playing Final Fantasy 16 across multiple Xbox platforms, and spent most of the Autumn playing Final Fantasy Tactics via Xbox Cloud Gaming. There was a point in history where long-suffering Final Fantasy Xbox fans never thought this day would arrive.

Final Fantasy has had a chequered history with Xbox, but those times are firmly behind it. Is it too little too late? It's possible. I purchased a PS4 Pro just for Final Fantasy 7 Remake, and played through the game again when it hit PC. I suspect the vast majority who want to play Final Fantasy 7 Remake already did so on other platforms. But if, like me, you love the game enough to run through it a third time — I would argue that Final Fantasy 7 Remake on Xbox Play Anywhere is quite easily the best version.

I'm not a huge fan of some of the high-level story changes Square Enix made with Final Fantasy 7 Remake, and I wish it had a "hard" difficulty mode out of the box, rather than mountains of "easy mode" options. But, these gripes don't detract from the overall package, and I'm cognizant that my nostalgia is coloring my bias a bit here.

If you love slick hack n' slashery with an edge of classic time-stop strategizing, big bombastic cinematic boss battles, anime-styled dramatic flair with unapologetic comedic highs and despair-inducing emotional lows ... look no further, Final Fantasy 7 represents one of the best "remakes" of all time.

Today, Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade finally got its demo build on Xbox Series X|S, ahead of an early 2026 launch.

Square Enix and Xbox have had something of a tumultuous relationship over the years. Final Fantasy has sporadically appeared on Xbox systems here and there, but never in a consistent way as it has with PlayStation or Nintendo platforms in years past.

As a result, Xbox never build up the same audience for JRPG and other popular Japanese genres and games that its competitors enjoy, and never achieved the same traction in the region with its ecosystem and hardware. It's a chicken and an egg scenario essentially for both companies — as Microsoft seeks to build up a bigger user base for gamers who enjoy these types of titles, and Square Enix seeks to find new users on new platforms.

As part of that, the team at Square Enix has been quite receptive to Xbox-oriented press beats recently. We interviewed We interviewed Final Fantasy director Naoki Hamaguchi a short while ago, and Hamaguchi shared some of his favorite recent Xbox titles with us while explaining why Final Fantasy has returned to the Xbox platform. Today, Square Enix shared a video with us from Final Fantasy 7 producer Yoshinori Kitase, also giving some shoutouts to Xbox.

"As a developer, I've always been drawn to platforms that allow us to push into new frontiers, and Xbox is truly putting that into practice. That is why being able to release Final Fantasy VII Remake Integrate on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox on PC, and Xbox Ally, is something that makes us extremely happy."

"Please allow me to introduce three titles that are especially memorable to me, I believe these titles that really showcase the appeal of Xbox hardware."

First up, Kitase talked up Flight Simulator 2024, "It's incredibly realistic, it reproduces the entire world at scale. It really is more of a flight simulator than a game. You know how in movies, sometimes the pilot dies in an accident or becomes unable to fly the plane, and then a passenger suddenly has to take the controls. I'm sure you've seen scenes like that. I often travel overseas on business trips by plane, and I'm always imagining what I would do if something like that happened. I always play while imagining that scenario."

Kitase also had positive things to say about Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, noting how the original movie had left a huge impression on him back in the 1980s. Like many of us, Kitase found the nostalgic recreation of Indiana himself and the opening sequences from Raiders of the Lost Ark to be "incredibly moving," and hailed the franchise for originating many modern video game mechanics. "Even if you haven't seen it, the treasure-hunting mechanics, dungeon gimmicks, or puzzle-solving mechanics ... in a way, the origin of those ideas, the original inspiration, can be found in Indiana Jones."

Finally, Kitase gave a shoutout to the recently-released Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles. "This is a strategy game set within the Final Fantasy series, with the original creator, Yasumi Matsuno, supervising the game design. It unfolds with an extremely deep and weighty story."

Can Xbox build a bigger fanbase for Japanese games?

It's no secret that Xbox is virtually non existent in Japan, and is hardly doing that well in the West either. Xbox hardware sales have been flagging for some time, and Xbox has become something of a pariah with a string of unpopular decisions this year.

Despite that, Japanese developers have been lending stronger support to the Xbox platform as of late. Franchises like Yakuza, Persona, and indeed, Final Fantasy are arriving on Xbox a lot more consistently in-line with other platforms, even if service games like Fortnite and Call of Duty continue to dominate the way the console is used.

Xbox has been expanding its horizons to PC to grow its userbase and find some of those "variety" gamers again, who have increasingly flocked to Steam in recent years. Xbox Game Pass has been a vehicle for delivering some of that variety too, although the big Xbox Game Pass price hike from a few months ago has eaten into its value proposition.

Whether it's Xbox PC, OEM devices like the Xbox Ally, or Xbox Cloud Gaming, Microsoft and its Japanese partners could have a strong position on some of these new frontiers. Xbox Cloud Gaming is a great way to experience turn-based JRPGs like Final Fantasy Tactics, Persona, and the recent Dragon Quest remakes. They're also strong on battery-limited devices like the Xbox Ally, since they can be experienced in lower power modes.

I think it's around these types of experiences that Xbox could find new audiences for these types of games more and more over time, but it's hard to know for sure if they will be able to move beyond being a simple niche. Time will tell.

You can preorder Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade on Xbox Series X|S today with some nifty bonuses (available until January 31, 2026), as well as try out this new demo. FFVII Remake launches on January 26, 2026 for Xbox Play Anywhere.

The storied Japanese developer and publisher of franchises like Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy is the next to join the spree of layoffs that continue to permeate the gaming industry.

According to a report from IGN on Thursday, Square Enix is laying off large portions of its remaining Western teams, which includes publishing staff in the U.S. and the U.K. The exact number of workers being laid off is not confirmed, but up to 137 staff in the U.K. could be affected.

The goal of these layoffs are to slim down publishing operations outside of Japan, with Square Enix focusing more on its Japanese games.

This comes as Square Enix has systematically whittled down its Western gaming division over the past several years, letting Hitman developer IO Interactive go independent, and selling its remaining Western studios to Embracer Group, including Tomb Raider developer Crystal Dynamics.

Despite no longer internally developing games with U.S. or European studios, Square Enix had continued to maintain a Western publishing division, publishing games like the first PowerWash Simulator (the sequel is notably being self-published by developer FuturLab) and the narrative-focused Life is Strange franchise.

This layoff news comes at the same time as Square Enix confirming to investors in a public report that it is "streamlining" many operations, consolidating an "overly layered and segmented organizational structure" in order to deliver savings of over 3 billion Yen, or just under $20 million USD.

Square Enix is investing in generative AI for QA testing

In that same public report, Square Enix outlined that the company is planning to make generative AI a more significant part of its game development workflow.

Specifically, Square Enix plans for AI to comprise automating 70% of its quality assurance (QA) work by 2027, with the company engaging in joint research with Matsuo Iwasawa Laboratory at the University of Tokyo.

Square Enix isn't alone in turning to AI of late in order to try and improve its development pipelines, with publisher Electronic Arts also rolling out AI tools to developers.

A report from Business Insider details how Electronic Arts employees have faced problems and setbacks due to these mandates, with coding issues and other "hallucinations" that have to be fixed.

Square Enix's multiplatform strategy continues

In the same report as above, Square Enix noted that it is continuing to focus on its multiplatform strategy, delivering more games to more players simultaneously.

This is in stark contrast to how the company previously operated, releasing many games such as Final Fantasy 7 Remake as timed console exclusives on PlayStation hardware.

Earlier in 2024, Square Enix brought Final Fantasy 16 to Xbox Series X|S. Looking ahead, Final Fantasy 7 Remake is finally slated to launch on Xbox Series X|S and Nintendo Switch 2 on Jan. 22, 2026. Final Fantasy 16 and Final Fantasy 7 Remake support Xbox Play Anywhere, meaning players can buy a copy for Xbox and then play on console or Windows PC.

Square Enix is also bringing the sequel, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, to both platforms at some point in the future, while the company has also confirmed that the third and final entry in the remake trilogy will also be a multiplatform game.

FAQ

After years of eschewing Xbox, Square Enix is back with a vengeance.

A year ago, I reported that Square Enix would begin bringing its whole slate of games to Xbox consoles. Up until then, Square Enix was bringing its games to practically every platform except Xbox, with its high-end 3D titles being exclusive to PlayStation and PC. A year later, and it feels like the entire industry has changed.

Microsoft has begun putting its games on PlayStation. PlayStation has even started publishing its games on Xbox. Dogs and cats living together, mass hysteria! It's not just the platform holders rethinking exclusivity, though.

Square Enix signalled deeper support for Xbox in a range of interviews running up to last year's Tokyo Game Show, where the Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster collection was revealed for Xbox PC and Xbox consoles. Earlier in the summer, Square Enix pledged Final Fantasy 16, and now Final Fantasy 7 Remake as well — both with Xbox Play Anywhere and Xbox Cloud Gaming support on top.

Xbox went from the platform with the spottiest Square Enix support to arguably the best Square Enix support. Thanks to Xbox backwards compatibility, Xbox has become the only place where you can play various legacy Final Fantasy titles, even among games that never saw a PC release. Other Square Enix games like Octopath Traveller, Triangle Strategy, and Dragon Quest have also been arriving on Xbox with expanded support, too.

Ahead of Xbox's Tokyo Game Show 2025 festivities, we had the opportunity to talk to Square Enix's Naoki Hamaguchi, who has been leading the charge remaking what is arguably the firm's most legendary title — Final Fantasy 7.

A change of the guard led to a new reality for Square Enix and Xbox

Final Fantasy 7 Remake is heading to Xbox Series X|S and Xbox PC on January 22, 2026, with Square Enix hinting that Final Fantasy 7 Remake "Part 3" will launch on Xbox simultaneously with PlayStation. Xbox fans have had to wait years and years to get access to this JRPG, and I was curious what exactly led to Square Enix's new thought process.

"That's a very good question," Hamaguchi started, "I think firstly, we have a new president at Square Enix, so we do have a new direction when it comes to multiplatform game releases. I believe that is the most vital point. The vision is to deliver Final Fantasy to a broader and wider audience through multiplatform releases, on multiple devices. Whether this is Xbox Cloud Gaming, console devices, or handheld PCs — that is very much now the core philosophy of Square Enix.

I noted personally that I was grateful and happy to see Square Enix lend greater support to Xbox, as someone in the ecosystem. Naoki Hamaguchi felt the same way.

"I'm definitely an Xbox fan myself. I'm going to do my best to make sure that Square Enix can continue to reach a wider audience, including Xbox. So thank you from me as well."

Circling back to handheld PCs, I was curious how Naoki Hamaguchi felt about the Xbox Series S and upcoming Xbox Ally, given his programming background. The Xbox Series S has often been the target of criticism by commentators, but many developers have also praised the Xbox Series S as an optimization target. I noted that I was impressed by how well Final Fantasy 7 Remake ran on my Steam Deck, for example.

"In terms of hardware specs, I would say the Xbox Series S is actually quite solid in terms of spec. We didn't come across much of a processing challenge, but many of the challenges were more memory related.

Optimization is something we were strongly cognizant of as we worked on the PC version as well. For Final Fantasy 7 Remake, we took some of the philosophies found in Nanite for Unreal Engine 5 and created our own solution for Unreal Engine 4. We were successful in delivering stable graphics there, and gain Steam Deck verification as well. We have been pretty proud of what we were able to achieve, even on lower spec systems."

Final Fantasy 7 Remake design philosophy, and the future

Final Fantasy 7 Remake is a bit of a misnomer. It's not a direct remake in the sense that it directly mirrors the original. It diverges in pretty large ways from what fans of the original might expect, both in terms of story and gameplay, while leaving many of the big nostalgic story beats intact.

As director of Final Fantasy 7 Remake, I was curious how Naoki Hamaguchi felt about the way the game had been delivered and received, and if they would consider doing anything differently.

"We decided to construct Final Fantasy 7 Remake as a trilogy," Hamaguchi explains. "If we were to totally align with the original, and replicate it exactly, I believe that would still appeal to players. But because it became a larger trilogy, we felt there was a necessity to change things up and try different things, to maintain interest across each part, and pique player's curiosity.

I understand that there are differing opinions regarding choices we have made for the Remake series, but I think as a whole, as a developer, I do think that these were the right decisions to make. I can't comment yet on [Final Fantasy 7 Remake] Part 3, but I am also a big fan of the original Final Fantasy 7. I am someone who played it when it first released, too. I believe that the direction that we are taking the series will ultimately satisfy fans who are eagerly awaiting its conclusion."

As someone who has enjoyed the Final Fantasy 7 Remake vision so far, I couldn't help but ask what Naoki Hamaguchi would like to tackle next in the same context. With infinite time, money, and resources, what Final Fantasy "remake" project would Naoki Hamaguchi tackle next?

"If I had all the time and money in the world, Final Fantasy 6 is my favorite mainline title. That would be very cool to take on as a remake. That being said, I've put my heart and soul into the Final Fantasy 7 Remake series for over a decade now. Working on something completely new would be quite fun as well."

September has been stacked for new games, so I also wanted to ask Naoki Hamaguchi what, if anything, he'd been able to play or look forward to playing. What games inspired him?

"Since we're talking Xbox, I'd like to share my favorite Xbox title. I absolutely love the Fable series. I love that sense of freedom and choice, and how the player's actions really impact the world. Fable has had a positive influence on my own creative work. Since there's a new Fable title in development, I'm eagerly awaiting it. Looking forward to it."

A bright future for Xbox fans of Square Enix games

The video game industry's dropping of exclusive games has been an unexpected evolution over the past few years. The battle for new players, regardless of where they are, has forced PlayStation and Microsoft to rethink their approach to their walled platforms. In a universe where players have become digitally locked into their chosen platforms, it doesn't make as much sense to gatekeep content anymore.

Microsoft has worked hard to rebuild trust with Japanese studios over the past few years, spearheaded by the likes of Mena Kato Sato, who now runs Xbox Asia. Microsoft still has work to do with other companies, such as Nihon Falcom, Konami, as well as smaller Japanese developers — but the wins keep coming.

As a fan of Square Enix's games, it has been a delight to see the support roll in. A huge thank you to Naoki Hamaguchi and his team for fielding our questions, and thanks to all of you for reading.

Final Fantasy 16 and Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster Collection are available now on Xbox and Xbox PC, with Final Fantasy 7 Remake slated for January 22, 2026.

Summer has come and gone, but the fun has just begun as September is bringing a ton of highly anticipated titles for the PC gaming community. The month has already started off strong with the much-anticipated Hollow Knight: Silksong, which finally launched on September 4, 2025, after several years of development, to much applause.

This dark, atmospheric "Metroidvania" (an affectionate genre label inspired by Metroid and Castlevania), with superb art direction and brutal combat, has been so well received that it broke Battlefield 6's Open Beta concurrent player record on Steam, with no signs of slowing down. However, Hollow Knight: Silksong isn't the only major title coming in September 2025, not by a long shot.

We have all kinds from remasters, sequels, original titles, spin-offs, and more to whet your gaming appetite for the Fall season.

Borderlands 4 (September 11-12)

One such upcoming PC title is Borderlands 4, the fourth major entry in the iconic looter shooter franchise, which is set to release between September 11 and 12, 2025. In this game, you play as a band of galaxy-faring mercenaries called Vault Hunters, and you have been tasked with helping a group of rebels free their world of Kairos from the tyrannical rule of the evil Timekeeper.

This game aims to fix the mistakes made in Borderlands 3, while improving upon the overall Borderlands experience with mountains of more guns to loot and bigger bad guys to blow up. In addition, Borderlands 4 will have new combat mechanics, a cast of powerful Vault Hunters with extensive abilities to customize, and quality-of-life improvements to make combat more exciting than ever before.

It's been a long time since I played a Borderlands game, the last being Tales from the Borderlands, which gave a final send-off to the greatest thing to have happened in this series – Handsome Jack.

This new title definitely feels like a proper evolution of the franchise, with all the new movement mechanics and crazy new powers the Vault Hunters get this time around, so I will be keeping this on my wishlist for sure.

Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles (September 30)

One title I'm looking forward to playing the most in September 2025 is Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles, the long-awaited remaster of one of the most critically acclaimed titles in the Final Fantasy franchise — Final Fantasy Tactics.

This game is a turn-based strategy RPG that takes place in Ivalice, a land in the midst of a bloody civil war with two noble houses vying for power, with you caught in the middle. It is a complex tale of war, betrayal, and drama, where you must find a way to survive this bitter conflict, even if it means coming to blows with friends.

The original Final Fantasy Tactics, released on the PlayStation One in 1997, was considered one of the greatest JRPGs Final Fantasy has ever produced alongside the likes of Final Fantasy VII for its deep story and complex combat system.

Now, modern and old-school fans alike will get to relive this classic game when it releases on September 30, 2025, for PC via Steam. This new version of Final Fantasy Tactics will include remastered graphics, full voice acting, quality-of-life improvements to make combat and levelling up characters smoother, and a new "Squire" difficulty level to help players new to turn-based strategy games enjoy the story.

I admit, I missed out on Final Fantasy Tactics when it first came out in the 1990s, as I was too young to understand turn-based strategy games at the time.

However, thanks to years of experience playing games with tactical turn-based combat like Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader, Persona 5: Tactica, Disgaea, Wasteland 3, Baldur's Gate 3, and more, I am now ready to go back to the game that helped popularize Strategy-RPGs and see if Final Fantasy Tactics lives up to the hype.

Silent Hill f (September 25)

Other standout upcoming PC titles for September 2025 include Silent Hill f, a spin-off of the iconic Silent Hill franchise set in Japan, which is scheduled to release on September 25, 2025.

Plus, there's Dying Light: The Beast, a new entry in the zombie-killing Dying Light franchise set to launch on September 19, 2025, which sees the return of fan-favorite protagonist Kyle Crane.

If you want to know what else you can look forward to, here's a list of the biggest PC titles coming in September 2025.

• Firefighting Simulator: Ignite (September 9, 2025, Steam): "Face unpredictable dangers, fight perilous fires with your crew, and save lives in Firefighting Simulator: Ignite. Step into the boots of a U.S. firefighter and play with up to 3 friends or with the help of your NPC controlled crew members."

• Dead Reset (September 11, 2025, Steam): "Trapped in a terrifying death-loop, surgeon Cole Mason is kidnapped and brought to an underwater facility, forced to operate on a patient to extract an evolving parasitic horror. Dead Reset is a blood-soaked interactive horror, where each death brings you closer to the truth."

• Chrono Gear: Warden of Time (September 12, 2025, Steam): "Turn back the clock and fight to repair Time itself in this cinematic action platformer with fast sword combat and time-based powers. You are the Warden of Time, Ouro Kronii - be proud and fight hard!"

• No, I'm Not a Human (September 15, 2025, Steam): "WARNING. Stay inside. Lock your doors. Close the blinds. Only let humans in. Eliminate all Visitors. An anxiety horror about paranoia in the End of Times."

• Strange Antiquities (September 17, 2025, Steam): "Become the custodian of a store dealing in occult antiquities. Explore the quaint and gloomy town of Undermere, where strange goings-on and dark mysteries abound. Find and identify arcane artefacts, use your collection to aid the townsfolk with their unusual problems — and remember to pet your cat!"

• DeadWire (September 18, 2025, Steam): "Shootouts and smart hacking mechanics, DeadWire lets you trigger chain reactions by hacking cars, barrels, and enemies while you shoot, stab, and throw grenades to take revenge on the criminal gangs of your city."

• Formula Legends (September 18, 2025, Steam): "From the golden age to the modern era, race through time in Formula Legends. Master reimagined circuits, command legendary cars, and chase glory across decades of motorsport history. A love letter to Formula racing, where speed, skill, and strategy define the champion."

• Towa and the Guardians of the Sacred Tree (September 18, 2025, Steam): "In this Roguelite set in a far-off mystic realm, ancient forces stir, and untold dangers await. As Towa, lead the guardians of the sacred tree in forging strong relationships and powerful swords to fight Magatsu’s forces and determine the future of Shinju Village."

• Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter (September 19, 2025, Steam): "Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter reimagines the first chapter of a beloved series, infusing it with enhanced visuals and refined gameplay. Join Estelle and Joshua, partners bound by fate, as they unravel dark conspiracies threatening the peace of the Liberl Kingdom."

• Endless Legend 2 (September 22, 2025, Steam): "Lead your people to victory on an ever-evolving world in this strategy game featuring asymmetric factions led by powerful heroes. Build your empire, wield political influence, and raise grand armies to wage war in a race to uncover dark secrets buried within the planet."

• Blade & Soul Heroes (September 24, 2025, Steam): "This thrilling free-to-play Collectible Action MMORPG offers the duality of turn-based strategy & real-time action. Experience exciting cross-platform play and embark on an epic quest where numerous stories are waiting to be discovered alongside your five member team. Unite your heroes!"

• Agatha Christie: Death on the Nile (September 25, 2025, Steam): "Death on the Nile is an adventure-detective game, offering a fresh twist on Agatha Christie’s famous story. Set in the lively 1970s, play as Hercule Poirot and detective Jane Royce as they solve two connected mysteries. Dive into a journey filled with intrigue, deception, and unexpected revelations."

• PAC-MAN WORLD 2 Re-PAC (September 25, 2025, Steam): "PAC-MAN WORLD 2 Re-PAC modernizes, updates, and enhances the fan favorite 3D Platforming adventure in nearly every way! Venture across PAC-LAND to reclaim the golden fruit and put a stop to the ghosts and their dastardly boss, Spooky!"

• Sonic Racing CrossWorlds (September 25, 2025, Steam): "Race across land, sea, air, space, and time in Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds! Warp through Travel Rings into new dimensions where something new awaits around every twist and turn."

• Atelier Resleriana: The Red Alchemist & the White Guardian (September 25, 2025, Steam): "The story of two protagonists as they rebuild their hometown and seek the hidden truth. Engage in timeline-based command battles and enjoy the easy-to-learn yet deeply engaging synthesis. Plus, take on shop management, explore random dungeons, and more!"

• EA SPORTS FC 26 (September 26, 2025, Steam): "The Club is Yours in EA SPORTS FC™ 26. Play your way with an overhauled gameplay experience powered by community feedback, Manager Live Challenges that bring fresh storylines to the new season, and Archetypes inspired by greats of the game."

• Hotel Barcelona (September 26, 2025, Steam): "From the creators of DEADLY PREMONITION + NO MORE HEROES. A marshal possessed by a murderer. A hotel full of killers. CHECK IN, WIPE ‘EM OUT."

• Nicktoons & The Dice of Destiny (September 30, 2025, Steam): "Bring iconic Nickelodeon heroes into a world of fantasy and real-time RPG action. Throw the dice and dive into a wild, action-packed adventure with SpongeBob, Katara, Leonardo, and others. Featuring epic battles, dynamic environments, it's an engaging gameplay experience for players of all ages."

A little over a week ago, Final Fantasy developer and publisher Square Enix released the highly anticipated Patch 7.3 update for Final Fantasy XIV (FFXIV).

The patch — titled "The Promise of Tomorrow" — is one of the largest 2025 releases for the game, and served to close out the story of the 2024 expansion Dawntrail while introducing new features and several pieces of fresh content to enjoy.

With Dawntrail largely now complete (two more patches that lead into the next expansion are coming, mind you), now is arguably one of the best times to jump into the globally popular MMORPG and catch up before the next DLC if you're a new player. And in apparent recognition of that fact, Square Enix has kicked off a colossal sale for all of FFXIV's editions that knocks their prices down by 40%.

"We are pleased to share that the FFXIV Starter Edition, Dawntrail, and Complete Edition—including Collector's Editions—are 40% off for a limited time! Whether setting sail for new adventures in Tural or taking your first steps into Eorzea, you won't want to miss this opportunity," reads the developer's announcement of the sale.

The discounts are available on both Steam and the Square Enix Store for the PC version, as well as on the PlayStation Store for those who would prefer playing on PS5 or PS4.

Sadly, there are no discounts for the Xbox Series X|S edition, so users of Microsoft's consoles are missing out. Across all platforms, the sale is scheduled to run until August 27.

These are some of the steepest markdowns I've ever seen for FFXIV, with the 50% off deal that I took advantage of to get into the game in 2023 being the only one better.

While they're around, you can get the $19.99 Starter Edition for $11.99, the $59.99 Complete Edition for just $35.99, and the $139.99 Complete Collector's Edition for only $83.99. Existing players can also pick up Dawntrail standalone for $23.99; it's usually $39.99.

The Starter Edition gives you access to the base A Realm Reborn experience and the first two expansions, Heavensward and Stormblood, along with 30 days of game time (FFXIV's monthly subscription cost you'll have to pay after is $14.99/month).

Note that the game's generous free trial features these, too, though you'll have certain restrictions like limited chat options, no trading, and no Free Companies (guilds).

The Complete Edition, meanwhile, adds on Shadowbringers, Endwalker, and Dawntrail, with the Complete Collector's Edition also including all the bonus Collector's Edition unlocks from every expansion. All in all, I'd say the Complete Edition is the best deal here if you're new to the game, and it's what I recommend.

Truthfully, I've never been much of an MMO player — being a veteran Destiny 2 player is about as close as I've gotten to that title, over the years — but I still ended up falling in love with FFXIV despite that. One reason why is that compared to many games in the genre, it has a distinct lack of fear of missing out (FOMO) pressure, and doesn't punish you for taking breaks.

Another is that its main story quest (MSQ) is genuinely terrific — for the most part, anyway. The base game story is a bit weak, but starting with Heavensward, it comes into its own and grows into something truly special, with Shadowbringers and Endwalker in particular standing out as narrative masterpieces. Sadly, Dawntrail is a definite step down from that peak, but it's not terrible.

Beyond the MSQ, there's also a wealth of both casual and hardcore content to engage with, including everything from seasonal events and minigames to optional dungeons, raiding, and an in-game economy fueled by crafting jobs. There's player housing to engage with, too, as well as a strong roleplay scene.

The biggest draws to FFXIV for me are its MSQ and its roleplaying community, largely because I'm always craving a good fantasy story and enjoy writing creatively with friends. But even though I don't engage much with hardcore content, I definitely enjoy doing more casual dungeons and "Trial" bosses as well. The game's rotation-based combat flows incredibly well and is fun to learn.

All in all, FFXIV has rapidly become one of my favorite games to play in the last two years, and it's one I almost always log into daily, at this point.

It's not without problems — the MSQ hasn't been great lately, the lottery system in place for player housing is frustrating, and there's been a heightened amount of maintenance downtime recently, to name some — but it's still one of the best PC games, and a must-play in my book.

The Marketing Research and Technology company, Circana, has recently posted a sales chart for the best-selling Xbox games (which combines for both physical and digital copies) in the US during June 2025.

One of the top games is a surprising entry.

According to the sales chart (provided by @matpiscatella.bsky.social‬), Elden Ring Nightreign has been sitting at No.1 for a month.

Meanwhile, the long-awaited Xbox port of Final Fantasy XVI instantly jumped to the No.4 spot and managed to outsell Minecraft of all things in June 2025.

Content - June 2025 Top 10 Best-Selling Premium Games on Xbox Platforms - U.S. (Dollar Sales, Physical and Digital from digital data sharing publishers, excludes add-on content)

— @matpiscatella.bsky.social (@matpiscatella.bsky.social.bsky.social) 2025-07-23T21:05:07.591Z

Elden Ring Nightreign, being the number one best-selling Xbox game of June 2025, is understandable.

It was a strange yet well-executed Roguelike spin-off of Elden Ring, which was well received by critics and fans for its unique combat and challenging bosses returning from previous FromSoftware Titles.

Elden Ring Nightreign also got a favorable 4/5 star review from us here at Windows Central.

Final Fantasy XVI, on the other hand, was a game that I never expected to be a top-selling Xbox title so quickly, let alone one that could outsell Minecraft, the biggest videogame franchise of all time.

This is no disrespect towards Final Fantasy XVI mind you as it's a fine game with insanely high production values, over-the-top combat, and complex story and characters.

I say this because despite its high quality, Final Fantasy XVI was considered a financial disappointment that failed to meet Square Enix's lofty expectations when it was locked as a PlayStation 5 exclusive title.

It was eventually released on PC in late 2024, and after many months of rumors, Final Fantasy XVI finally came to Xbox platforms after shadowdropping during the Xbox Game Showcase in June.

As the sales chart shows, Final Fantasy XVI's financial fortunes have been changing for the better thanks to Square Enix doubling down on its multi-platform strategy.

In fact, Final Fantasy XVI's been doing so well on Xbox that not only is it outselling Minecraft, it's also overtaken Call of Duty Black Ops 6, WWE 2K25, Forza Horizon 5, and even Red Dead Redemption 2.

What's even more impressive is that Final Fantasy XVI has managed to achieve this sales milestone without the aid of Xbox Game Pass.

Could this be a result of waning interest in the other titles in the sales chart? Perhaps a huge demand from Xbox fans wanting to play Final Fantasy XVI or want more Xbox JRPGs from Square Enix? Or maybe it's a combination of both?

Who knows? Either way, with this development and Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster topping Xbox Store sales in 2024, this new multi-platform approach Square Enix has adopted is definitely working out for them.

I can tell that when Final Fantasy VII Remake's long-awaited release on Xbox arrives during Winter 2025, that this upcoming Xbox title is going to shoot to the top of Xbox US sales chart in no time flat.

Will these lead to Final Fantasy games being released on Xbox day one?

Personally, it's nice to see Final Fantasy XVI get such a positive reception on Xbox and finally earn financial success for all the hard work the developers put into it. It's almost enough to make me forget about the depressing rumor that Final Fantasy IX's supposed remake is cancelled.

Plus, this guarantees that Square Enix will continue to release more Final Fantasy games and JRPGs on Xbox in the future, just like the upcoming Xbox release of Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles.

In addition, this means that we'll 100% see an Xbox port of Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth at some point now that Final Fantasy VII Remake is coming to Microsoft's platform.

However, will this lead to future mainline Final Fantasy titles releasing on both PlayStation and Xbox platforms at their launch date, making timed exclusives a thing of the past?

And what about FromSoftware? Will Elden Ring Nightreign's monumental success convince the studio to make more multiplayer games like the mysterious Nintendo Switch 2 exclusive title, The Duskbloods?

We will have to wait and see what Square Enix and FromSoftware have planned for Tokyo Game Show 2025 (which Xbox will be attending) to find out.

On July 8, 2025, the Anime News Network (a website dedicated to reporting and reviewing all things anime) recently conducted an interview with Naoki Yoshida (a.k.a. Yoshi-P), the producer for Final Fantasy XIV and Final Fantasy XIV.

Yoshi-P was asked a fair number of questions, which included Square Enix's plans for Final Fantasy's future, his experiences and inspirations, whether or not Final Fantasy will ever have turn-based combat again, and more.

Here's what he had to say.

The first question Naoki Yoshida answered was about Square Enix's current multiplatform strategy of releasing more of its games on Xbox and PC.

He confirms that Square Enix plans to double down on this strategy by stating, and I quote, "It is safe to assume that we will strive for multi-platform release moving forward."

This statement is compounded by the recently announced Final Fantasy Tactics: Ivalice Chronicles coming to PC, along with Final Fantasy XVI and Final Fantasy VII Remake finally announced for Xbox.

As a result, every mainline Final Fantasy game is now available to play on Xbox. With this in mind, I believe it will only be a matter of time before Final Fantasy Tactics: Ivalice Chronicles and Final Fantasy VII Rebirth follow suit.

The second major question Anime News Network asked Naoki Yoshida was if mainline Final Fantasy titles would ever go back to having turn-based combat. Anime News Networks asks this while citing the popularity and success of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 as a sign that players are hungry for turn-based combat.

Naoki Yoshida answers this with a lengthy response: "With this question of turn-based versus action, it tends to isolate the gameplay to just the battle system. That doesn't take into account what kind of game the creators want to deliver to players.

For example, based on a certain graphical quality we want to present to our players, or the narrative we want to deliver to our players, it relates to how we set up the game's systems around it. This includes the battle system, game design, and gameplay feel. It's not a clear-cut answer, whether it will become all turn-based, or if it's going to become more action-based."

He then finished with "[I'm] not necessarily going to be on Final Fantasy 17, so we also don't want to obstruct or limit our future director or whomever will be producing the games like 17 or even 18. We don't want to put them on a rail."

Essentially, this is a roundabout way of saying that Naoki Yoshida may not be working on the next mainline Final Fantasy title, and whoever ends up being the director and producer will make it however they want so long as it fulfils their creative vision.

Whether or not the next game will have real-time or turn-based combat is up to them.

The interview then goes on with Naoki Yoshida answering minor questions like stating that his team, Creative Studio III, is continuing to work on Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail and that he has no plans of retiring anytime soon.

Square Enix wants to make Final Fantasy however they wish, but is that what the fans want?

I have mixed feelings about Naoki Yoshida's response regarding turn-based combat. On the one hand, I can respect a company wanting to develop a game that fulfils their creative vision without letting anything stifle it.

After all, one of the main aspects of Final Fantasy that helped it become the legendary JRPG franchise it is today was that every single mainline is vastly different from one another, always innovating and changing things.

On the other hand, that's also become Final Fantasy's greatest weakness. Over the last couple of decades, the franchise has changed and experimented too much to the point where it has practically lost its identity.

As a result, action games Final Fantasy XVI and Final Fantasy VII Rebirth have been failing to meet financial expectations, while its competitors like Persona and Metaphor: ReFantazio are thriving while embracing turn-based combat.

Plus, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has proven to Square Enix that you can make an emotionally provocative story while having turn-based combat, and when the Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster launched on Xbox, it was the most popular Xbox Store game of October 2024.

I believe it's clear as day that the fans (myself included) are tired of Final Fantasy games experimenting with real-time combat or mixing real-time combat with turn-based mechanics. They want this beloved franchise to go back to its roots and embrace the turn-based combat that made fans love Final Fantasy during the 1980s and 1990s.

Even some of the higher-ups at Square Enix are starting to notice this by acknowledging Clair Obscur: Expedition 33's success, and vowing to make future Final Fantasy games 'Command-based' going forward.

Could this mean that Final Fantasy XVII will be turn-based, or will it have Final Fantasy VII Remake/Rebirth's real-time combat system, where you can pause the game and command AI allies to fight in battle?

We will have to wait and see what Square Enix has in store for us, potentially at Tokyo Game Show 2025, to find out.

Over the last couple of months, there have been rumors spreading that Square Enix is developing a remake of Final Fantasy IX, one of the most beloved entries of the Final Fantasy franchise and the last mainline title released for the PlayStation One.

These speculated rumors have been fueled by Square Enix, which has recently been showing off new artwork, merchandise, and a website celebrating the 25th anniversary of Final Fantasy IX, suggesting it may reveal the remake on its birthday of July 7.

Well, July 7 is here, and there's sadly no news of a Final Fantasy IX remake from Square Enix. Instead, we've been given a montage video showing the game's memorable moments on YouTube.

To make matters worse, there's been a new rumor from renowned leaker 'Natethehate' suggesting that the Final Fantasy IX Remake may now be cancelled.

According to 'NateTheHate' as shared by (@HazzadorGamin on X), he says, and I quote "As of last check it remains in development, to my knowledge; but I need to a do a fresh check & see what a more current status is -- as I did hear a month or so ago that it was in trouble & possibly cancelled. I only had one source on the cancellation possibility and need to verify the info further."

Now, rumors should always be taken with a grain. However, it's worth noting that 'NateTheHate' once leaked that Final Fantasy VII Remake and Final Fantasy XIV would be coming to Xbox, and it turned out to be true when Final Fantasy XVI shadow-dropped on Xbox with Final Fantasy VII Remake coming to Xbox in Winter 2025.

So it's very likely that news of the Final Fantasy IX Remake being canceled may turn out to be true, and if it is, then this is an incredibly heartbreaking way to celebrate the 25th anniversary of one of the greatest JRPGs ever made.

It's a sad day to be a fan of Final Fantasy IX

After all this build-up, all we've got is some merch, a montage video, and rumors that the Final Fantasy IX Remake may not even be happening anymore.

Final Fantasy IX deserves better treatment than this for its 25th Anniversary, as I consider it to be one of the best games ever made.

Its story was full of charm, adventure, and heart, its turn-based combat and levelling-up systems were engrossing, its characters were lovable and unforgettable, and its world was filled to the brim with secrets, side quests, and mini-games that hooked me for hours on end.

Final Fantasy IX is also one of the few games I've played that's even managed to make me cry, and this is coming from a guy who sat through the saddest moments of Silent Hill 2, Final Fantasy VII, Mass Effect, Persona, and Dark Souls, without shedding a tear.

I would have loved to see Final Fantasy IX get a modern-day remake that gave us upgraded visuals of the game's cartoony artstyle, a refined cinematic presentation of the game's story (while keeping it faithful to the old game) and new challenges and bosses for us to tackle that were never found in the original game.

Although, if a remake did get made, I would prefer it if the Final Fantasy IX Remake retained the original game's turn-based combat system rather than adopt action-RPG combat like Final Fantasy VII Remake, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, and Final Fantasy XVI have.

I have nothing against real-time combat, I just prefer turn-based combat as I enjoy the relaxing yet tactical feel of it. Plus, turn-based JRPGs like Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 have proved to Square Enix that JRPGs with turn-based combat can still be financially successful, and if recent business meetings are any indication, Square Enix is taking notice and may consider bringing back turn-based combat for future mainline Final Fantasy games.

Although 'NateTheHate' says he needs more verification from his sources to confirm Final Fantasy IX Remake's cancellation, so there's still hope it may come true in the future. We will have to wait for future rumors and official confirmation from Square Enix to find out if this game ends up coming true.

From the pay-to-win loot boxes of the infamous Star Wars Battlefront 2 launch to the ridiculously overpriced skins you can buy in competitive shooters like Valorant, exorbitant microtransactions have come in many shapes and sizes over the years and continue to be a significant issue in the gaming industry. Early Monday morning, though, Final Fantasy XIV (FFXIV) — Square Enix's globally popular MMORPG — introduced what might just be the worst microtransactions I've ever seen.

I'm referring to the Belt-Leather Attire set that was just added to FFXIV's Online Store cash shop that includes a trousers variant, a cropped slops version, and an additional purchase with a hat and gloves. Overall, the attire looks nice, if not a bit simple; it's hard to go wrong with the combo of a turtleneck sweater and a leather harness, and a pair of leather pants and shoes complete the look.

But then I saw the prices.

The two variations of the set — each only featuring some minor differences like cuffs on the pants or boots instead of regular shoes — cost $18 each, and the hat and gloves cost an additional $6. Altogether, to get every piece in the Belt-Leather set to play around with, you'd need an eye-watering $42.

To put things into perspective, that's two dollars more expensive than the entire ongoing Dawntrail expansion itself, and an absolutely absurd amount of money to charge players for some simple variations on a simplistic set of clothes. Unsurprisingly, the FFXIV community is in an uproar over these items and their prices, with several posts criticizing them at the top of the r/ffxiv subreddit right now.

"This is a new low when it comes to the cash shop," wrote one fan; in the eyes of many, the bang you get for your buck in the Online Store has been deteriorating for a long time now. "I never thought I would say this about this game, but Square Enix deserves these sh*tposts at this point. I bought a lot of glamours over the years, but this is some next-level robbery here," said another exasperated player.

Indeed, asking for $42 for a relatively plain glamour is simply ridiculous — especially when past $18 sets have included alternate pieces and fancier designs, and with look-a-like options available for barely any gil (FFXIV's main earnable in-game currency) at all on the player-driven Market Board. Within hours, a player put together a "Belt-Leather at home" set that looks nearly identical, without spending a penny on Online Store apparel.

The timing of this release isn't particularly great, either — though, admittedly, there's not exactly a good time to introduce insanely pricey cash shop items. Still, it's a shame that they came a little over a week after Square Enix announced support for Hrothgar and Viera wearing hats is coming soon, as fans have been asking for that feature since those playable races came out with Shadowbringers in 2019.

It's an unfortunate and deflating reminder that while player feedback about certain things is finally being responded to with improvements, there are also controversial mishaps like this that make it feel like there's always a step back after every step forward.

In regards to the FFXIV Online Store specifically, I expect we'll only see positive change come if people steer clear of buying microtransactions like these on a wide scale. As one player wrote, these have the prices they do "because people will still buy it and they know it."

You shouldn't, though. With plenty of alternative attires purchasable on the Market Board with gil and the Steam Summer Sale now live, I guarantee you there are better things you can spend $42 on right now.

Final Fantasy XIV is one of the biggest and best MMOs you can play today, and stands tall as one of the best PC games and best Xbox games in general — even despite things like these overpriced shop items. Notably, you can play the base A Realm Reborn experience and the first two expansions Heavensward and Stormblood for free (with limited features), and it's available on Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC, PS5, and PS4.

On June 8, 2025, Square Enix gave Xbox fans what they've been wishing for years by revealing the Xbox port of Final Fantasy VII: Remake (along with a shadowdrop of Final Fantasy XVI on Xbox) during the Summer Game Fest Xbox Games Showcase.

The Xbox port is scheduled to launch during the Winter of 2025 for Xbox Series X|S, giving Xbox JRPG fans a chance to finally play the critically acclaimed reimagining of the most iconic instalment of the Final Fantasy franchise.

Personally speaking, while I am glad that Xbox fans will finally get to play this game after waiting patiently for years, I believe Final Fantasy VII Remake's PC port will always be the superior version due to one factoid: mods.

The modding scene for Final Fantasy VII Remake on PC is gigantic. Ever since the game broke free of PlayStation exclusivity and came to PC in 2021, fans have been creating all kinds of wacky, weird, and downright insane mods that transform Final Fantasy VII Remake into almost a new game.

These mods include changing the background music, giving characters new costumes, swapping out character models with characters from other pieces of media, and more.

So, before fans flock to the Xbox version, let's look back on the PC version of Final Fantasy VII Remake and showcase some of the coolest mods it has to offer.

Be warned, this list will contain spoilers for Final Fantasy VII Remake, so read at your own risk.

Final Fantasy VII Remake PC mods – Star Wars

It's no secret that the Final Fantasy series was heavily inspired by Star Wars. Many of the games (especially Final Fantasy II, IV, VI, VII, and XII) featured ragtag rebels fighting to save the world from tyrannical empires led by diabolical dark lords bearing looks, powers, and morals similar to Darth Vader.

As you can imagine, fans of both franchises have attempted to merge Final Fantasy with its inspiration through various Star Wars-themed mods in Final Fantasy VII Remake.

These mods include a Luke Skywalker mod by GeorgeIE00 that replaces Cloud Strife with the iconic Luke Skywalker, and the Lightsabers mod by TheWolfster, which replaces Cloud and Sephiroth's weapons with those of Lightsabers.

The most impressive of these Star Wars mods, and possibly the coolest PC mods for Final Fantasy VII Remake in general, is the Darth Vader (Sephiroth) mod by The Wolfster and the Darth Vader Voice Replacement mod by NormieMods.

The first mod replaces Sephiroth's character with that of Darth Vader, and the second mod replaces Sephiroth's voice in the English dub with an AI voice filter to make it sound like the late, great James Earl Jones (Darth Vader's most iconic voice actor).

When you combine these mods with the Lightsaber mod, they completely transform Sephiroth into the infamous Darth Vader himself, and the results are horrifying for how good and fitting they are.

Much of Sephiroth's mannerisms and dialogue in Final Fantasy VII Remake feel like the kind of things Darth Vader would say and do in movies and TV shows, and these mods prove it.

Not to mention, having Sephiroth's smug face replaced by Darth Vader's cold, emotionless helmet makes the scenes where Sephiroth is playing mind games with Cloud or fighting him genuinely scary now.

You can't tell what Sephiroth's thinking anymore due to the helmet, so you have to use your imagination and read his body language to understand his character, just like we had to with Darth Vader when the Original Star Wars movie trilogy first came out, and I love it.

Plus, seeing Darth Vader go toe to toe with Cloud Strife and asking him to join him with dialogue almost identical to what he says in Star Wars V: The Empire Strikes Back is such an awesome, crossover moment to witness.

Final Fantasy VII Remake PC mods – Kingdom Hearts

Speaking of crossovers, Final Fantasy VII Remake is home to a variety of Kingdom Hearts mods, which makes sense given that Final Fantasy VII characters have frequently appeared in that series.

Some of these include various Keyblade mods that replace weapons of certain characters with variations of Sora's iconic weapon from the Kingdom Hearts series:

• Cloud Kingdom Hearts Keyblade Various Scenes and Battles 4K Final Fantasy 7 Remake MOD by insomniagimania.
• Earthshaker and Gazing Eye Keyblades by insomniagimania.
• Cloud Two-Handed Metal Chocobo by ColossalCake.
• Oathkeeper Keyblade by MemoryH.
• Oblivion Keyblade by MemoryH.

Other mods include the Cloud Kingdom Hearts Outfit and Sephiroth Kingdom Hearts Outfit mods by ColossalCake. These mods faithfully recreate Cloud's and Sephiroth's unique costumes from Kingdom Hearts 1 in full-HD glory for Final Fantasy VII Remake.

SteamHeat on Nexus even recreated the bandaged-up Buster Sword from Kingdom Hearts 1 with the Kingdom Hearts Buster Sword mod to complement the Cloud Kingdom Hearts Outfit.

If you combine the Cloud Kingdom Hearts mods with that of the Darth Vader mod, you could virtually create a 'what-if' sneak peek at what Kingdom Hearts 4 may look like, since Star Wars is owned by Disney.

Another cool mod for Kingdom Hearts to try out is Sephiroth - Ansem (Kingdom Hearts) by MemoryH.

This mod replaces Sephiroth's character model with that of Ansem, one of the major villains of Kingdom Hearts, complete with custom facial animations to match Sephiroth's facial expressions during cutscenes.

The mod also includes a bonus weapon for Ansem — the Blade of Ruin, which replaces Sephiroth's Masamune blade.

To make the Kingdom Hearts conversion complete with the Ansem mod, you can download the Darkness Of The Unknown Sephiroth BGM mod by raycopper. This places the music that plays in the final boss fight of Final Fantasy VII remake with that of the final boss music used in Kingdom Hearts 1.

Final Fantasy VII Remake PC mods – Monster Hunter

Ever since Final Fantasy VII spin-off mobile game, Final Fantasy VII: Ever Crisis, had a crossover event with Capcom's Monster Hunter franchise, fans have been modding in the Monster Hunter-themed costumes from the event into Final Fantasy VII Remake.

These mods include:

• Cloud - Glavenus Armor (Ever Crisis x Monster Hunter)' by MemoryH – this gives Cloud the gear of Glavenus, a Brute Wyvern from Monster Hunter Generations and Monster Hunter World: Iceborne (a game which has its own massive catalog of insane PC mods).
• Monster Hunter Tifa by JayUx2 – This mod gives Tifa the armor of the Elder Dragon Kirin.
• Aerith Kamura Dress by Ninjagrime – This mod has Aerith dress up like Minoto and Hinoa from Monster Hunter Rise.

One fan named Kazumashirou wasn't content with just the Ever Crisis crossover content and decided to mod in one of the greatest weapons in Monster Hunter history into Final Fantasy VII Remake – the Wyvern Ignition Greatsword.

This rocket-powered greatsword was a fan-made weapon that officially debuted in Monster Hunter World, and now Cloud will get to wield this mighty weapon for himself through this crazy mod.

Final Fantasy VII Remake PC mods – Other Final Fantasy games

While Final Fantasy games have had official crossovers with each other in the past (especially Final Fantasy XIV), Final Fantasy VII Remake itself never had any.

Some fans decided to change that with various mods that provide characters with outfits and weapons from previous Final Fantasy games, or transform them into different characters from previous games using character model swap mods.

These mods include:

• Freya Crescent x Cloud by Harlemento – this mod replaces Cloud with an original character model of Freya, the Dragoon from Final Fantasy IX, complete with her trademark spear and custom facial animations to match Cloud's dialogue.
• Tifa as Garnet by mariagata – this mod has Tifa dress up like Princess Garnet from Final Fantasy IX.
• Shimmering Blade (FFX Auron's Katana) by ereshes – this replaces Cloud's Buster with Auron's Shimmering Blade from Final Fantasy X.
• Tifa - Knight of Etro and Aerith - Knight of Etro by MemoryH – these mods give Tifa and Aerith the armor set Lightning wore in Final Fantasy XIII-2.
• Cloud - Locke Outfit (EverCrisis) (FFVI - FF6) by Ninjagrime – this makes Cloud dress up like Locke the thief from Final Fantasy VI.
• Bahamut - Diabolos (FF14) by MemoryH – this replaces Bahamut's character model with Diabolos' from Final Fantasy XIV.
• Tidus Cloud (FFX) by Ninjagrime – this makes Cloud dress up like Tidus from Final Fantasy X.
• Noctis (Cloud Replacement) by LadyLunanova – this mod replaces Cloud's character with Noctis from Final Fantasy XV.
• Tifa Rinoa Outfit (FFVIII) by Ninjagrim – this mod has Tifa dress up like Rinoa from Final Fantasy VIII.
• Cloud Squall Outfit (FFVIII) by Ninjagrim – this mod has Cloud dress up like Squall from Final Fantasy VIII.
• Tifa Lioness (Squall Outfit) (FFVIII) by Ninjagrim – this mod has Tifa dress in a custom-made outfit inspired by Squall's attire from Final Fantasy VIII (while adding a little tribute to Monty Oum, the late great animator behind RWBY, Dead Fantasy, and Haloid).

Final Fantasy VII Remake PC mods – Music

The vanilla version of Final Fantasy VII Remake has an amazing soundtrack. It faithfully recreates the OST of the original game with bombastic orchestral arrangements while adding a few original and memorable tracks of its own.

However, some fans prefer listening to the original Final Fantasy VII's PlayStation One soundtrack, like CodeBurstZero. This modder made a collection of mods that replace Final Fantasy VII Remake's entire soundtrack with that of the original game's OST.

Other modders, meanwhile, have made custom soundtracks for boss fights, brought back songs from older Final Fantasy media, or switched around the placement of certain songs to better fit the mood of certain scenes in the game.

These music mods include:

• Eligor Battle Re-score - Death Metal Anxious Heart by Neocoretx – this mod replaces Eligor's cutscene intro music and boss fight theme with a death metal rearrangement of Anxious Heart'.
• One-Winged Angel Music Mod for Sephiroth Battle by MathMP – this mod replaces 'One-Winged Angel Rebirth' from Sephiroth's boss fight with various tracks from Final Fantasy VII, Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII Reunion, and Final Fantasy VII Advent Children.
• Abzu Boss Fight Music Replacement by slayersantiago – this mod replaces Abzu's boss fight music with a custom arrangement of tracks from Final Fantasy VII Remake, Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII, and the Distant Worlds orchestra.
• Advent Children Music for Arbiters of Fate Boss Fight by MathMP – this mod replaces the Arbiters of Fate's boss fight music with various fight scene tracks from Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children, as these bear a strange resemblance to that movie's villains, Kadaj, Yazoo, and Loz.

Final Fantasy VII Remake PC mods – Miscellaneous

This last list of Final Fantasy VII Remake PC mods doesn't have their own categories, but they were so awesome on their own merits that they deserve honorable mentions, and they are:

• Rude - Kiryu Kazuma (Yakuza) by MemoryH – replaces Rude with Kazuma Kiryu, one of the main protagonists of the Like a Dragon franchise.
• Barret - Master Chief (Infinite) by MemoryH – swaps out Barrett with Master Chief from the Halo franchise, decked out in his Halo: Infinite armor.
• 2B Tifa by tifabro – has Tifa dress up like 2B from Nier Automata.
• Tifa Advent Children Outfit by Ninjagrim – gives Tifa her Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children costume.
• Cloud Advent Children Outfit by Ninjagrim – gives Cloud his Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children costume.
• ''Playable Sephiroth'' by Ninjagrim – replaces Cloud with a playable version of Sephiroth.
• Ultima Weapon pak by Steamheat – replaces the Buster Sword, Hardedge, Twin Stinger, or the Mythril Saber with Ultima Weapon, Cloud's most powerful sword from the original Final Fantasy VII.
• PS1 Menu Sounds by oluvids – replaces all of Final Fantasy VII Remake's menu sound effects with the classic PlayStation One menu sound effects from the original Final Fantasy VII
• PS1 Battle Sounds by oluvids – converts all Final Fantasy VII Remake's sound effects for Spell Casting, activating abilities, and triggering Limit Breaks during battle with the classic PlayStation One sound effects used in the original Final Fantasy VII.
• T. Va by monkeyman279 – has Tifa dress up like D. Va from Overwatch.
• Custom Difficulty Gameplay Settings by arthas1986 – will allow you to alter the damage output, stagger resistance, and health pools of enemies to make the game more challenging.
• Blood Trail Original Style by FantasyRaiderr – alters the 'Blood Trail' scene to be more in line with the original game's by making the blood more red, adding environmental destruction, and adding dead bodies.
• Rufus - Kamen Rider Decade by MemoryH – transforms Rufus into the wandering world-destroying hero, Kamen Rider Decade.
• Classic Save Point by MatyaModding – converts the vending machines into the classic save points from the original Final Fantasy VII.
• Audio Censor Mod by CaligoLux – a goofy mod that censors all the swearing in Final Fantasy VII Remake with consor noises from SpongeBob Squarepants or alternate voice lines to invoke nostalgia of the original game's censorship of swearing.
• The Ghost Return from Final Fantasy VI by Gantz79 – alters the Mysterious and Enigmatic Spectre enemies to resemble the ghosts from Final Fantasy VI.
• Dragon Slayer PAK by TerryXX – replaces the Buster Sword with the Dragonslayer, the iconic sword used by Guts in the dark fantasy manga/anime franchise, Berserk.

These mods make Final Fantasy VII Remake's PC port the best place to play

And there you have the coolest mods currently available to install and alter your playthroughs of Final Fantasy VII Remake.

It's worth noting that Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is also gathering its own library of PC mods. However, it ain't as big as Final Fantasy VII Remake's catalog of mods since Final Fantasy VII Rebirth was only released on PC a few months ago at the time of this writing.

When the inevitable Xbox port for Final Fantasy VII Rebirth gets announced, we will host another list to showcase all the crazy mods concocted to show their love for one of the best PC games Square Enix has put out in years.

Ever since Final Fantasy XI in 2002, mainline Final Fantasy titles have forsaken turn-based combat in favor of either real-time combat or tab-targeting MMO combat, with various mixed results.

However, it seems that Square Enix may be starting to realize that having the Final Fantasy series go back to its turn-based roots may not be a bad idea.

An Investment Media Reporter by the username of @yuzz__ on X (as translated by @Genki_JPN), says they recently attended a shareholders meeting at Square Enix and asked if they would like future Final Fantasy titles and Dragon Quest to have 'command-based' combat (or more commonly turn-based combat in the west).

Referencing the recent RPG hit, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, @yuzz__ noted its popularity and massive commercial success as a reason why Final Fantasy games should have 'command-based' combat again in order to be successful.

Square Enix responded, saying that "they are aware of Expedition 33 and consider command-based RPGs to be Square Enix’s origin and foundation. They value the command-based RPG genre and plan to continue delivering games in this style in the future."

This statement could potentially mean Dragon Quest 12 will remain turn-based and future mainline Final Fantasy games may return to turn-based combat again, and I'm all for it.

I would kill for a mainline Final Fantasy game to be turn-based again.

Now I have nothing against Final Fantasy VII Remake, Final Fantasy XVI, and Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, as they are fine games in their own right.

However, turn-based combat is part of the reason why people (myself included) fell in love with the early Final Fantasy games to begin with.

Yet this real-time action-oriented direction the franchise has been on has consistently failed to meet Square Enix's lofty expectations.

Meanwhile, the Final Fantasy Remasters dominated the Xbox store charts when they were ported to Xbox, and Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 utterly destroyed Square Enix's gaslighting over turn-based combat by selling over 3.3 million copies while winning universal acclaim.

I'd love to see Square Enix revive the old Active-Time Battle system utilized in Final Fantasy games from the Super Nintendo and PlayStation One eras (From Final Fantasy 4 to Final Fantasy 9).

This system was still turn-based, but you had to make decisions quickly as enemies could act while you were deciding what action to perform during a character's turn. That way, combat would still be fast-paced without taking away the tactical nuances of turn-based combat.

Maybe this is why Square Enix announced a remaster for Final Fantasy Tactics, to further test the waters of players' interest in turn-based combat, so to speak?

Either way, I hope Square Enix is starting to finally realize that its experiments with real-time combat systems have run their course, and it's time for Final Fantasy to embrace its turn-based past in order to preserve its future.

Early on Friday morning, Square Enix — developer and publisher of the Final Fantasy series — gave fans of its popular long-running MMORPG Final Fantasy XIV a closer look at its upcoming Patch 7.3 update for Dawntrail scheduled to release in early August 2025. A lot was discussed and shown during the nearly four-hour long Letter From the Producer, but one bit of news in particular has the community in quite a tizzy.

That news is the announcement that FFXIV Patch 7.3: The Promise of Tomorrow will bring something people have been begging for since the release of Shadowbringers in 2019: the ability for Hrothgar and Viera characters to wear more than a small handful of hats and helmets. You see, while these races can equip headgear, nearly every piece of it in the game won't actually display on them; this, no doubt, is a result of the former's unique leonine features and the latter's rabbit-like ears.

Come August, though, that's changing with "expanded headgear support" for Hrothgar and Viera that's finally coming six years after Shadowbringers added them. Notably, Viera will have an additional option to hide their ears or let them clip through hats and helmets — something modders realized looks fine years ago. And as you might expect from a community that's been praying for this feature for three expansions now, the hype is real:

VIERA AND HROTHGAR ARE FINALLY GETTING HATS!!!!!! from r/ffxiv

Indeed, celebration of the news has quickly risen to the top of the r/ffxiv subreddit, with countless fans rejoicing at the shocking notion that yes, it's finally happening. "OH MY GOD! OUR time has come! YAYYYYYYY," writes one ecstatic Warrior of Light. "RAAAAAA! Finally! I was this close to fant'ing," said another, referencing the Fantasia items that let you remake your character you can buy for $10 or occasionally get in-game free.

Some, though, aren't letting themselves get too excited just yet, with many pointing out the vagueness of wording like "expanded headgear support" and "various headgear will now display on Hrothgar and Viera characters."

"Expanded headgear. Doesn't mean every single hat in the game. Sure it's a good thing but it's pretty vague on the amount of hats. Keep your expectations realistic," warns one of the top comments on the aforementioned post. "We're making 3 hats available for viera and hrothgar, please look forward to it," another user joked.

I can certainly understand tempering expectations, though it's worth noting that the developers mentioned making headgear compatible with Hrothgar and Viera will be an ongoing process that will eventually encompass helmets as well. So even if many hats and helmets aren't wearable by these races at Patch 7.3 launch, there's a very good chance they will be at a later date.

After six years of radio silence on this topic, I'm just shocked that Square Enix is implementing any headgear support for Hrothgar and Viera at all. Frankly, it's kind of ridiculous that it's taken this long for it to come to the MMO, but as this fan writes, "better late than never."

As for the rest of what's coming in Patch 7.3, players can look forward to the next leg of the Main Scenario Quest (MSQ), Yok Huy allied society quests, several new dungeons, the FFXI crossover alliance raid San d'Oria: The Second Walk, and a new Cosmic Exploration planet called Phaenna.

Final Fantasy XIV is one of the biggest and best MMOs you can play today, and stands tall as one of the best PC games and best Xbox games in general. Notably, you can play the base A Realm Reborn experience and the first two expansions Heavensward and Stormblood for free (with limited features), and it's available on Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC, PS5, and PS4.

With Final Fantasy 16 being released during the Xbox Game Showcase, did you know that the Xbox Series X and S are now the only consoles with complete collections of the Final Fantasy series?

You can play all mainline entries for the Final Fantasy series, including Final Fantasy XIII, thanks to backwards compatibility, which isn't available on PlayStation.

Here are all the entries and how players can access them through the Xbox Series X|S ecosystem:

• Final Fantasy I through VI: Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster series.
• Final Fantasy VII: Direct port to Xbox Series platforms.
• Final Fantasy VIII: Available via remaster on Xbox Series X|S.
• Final Fantasy IX: Direct port to Xbox Series platforms.
• Final Fantasy X and X-2: Available via remaster on Xbox Series X|S.
• Final Fantasy XI: This one is no longer playable, as the MMO has been discontinued across all console platforms.
• Final Fantasy XII-Zodiac Age: Available through the Xbox store.
• Final Fantasy XIII and XIII-2: Available via backward compatibility with Xbox 360. Missing on PlayStation 5.
• Final Fantasy XIV: Available through the Xbox store.
• Final Fantasy XV: Available through the Xbox store.
• Final Fantasy XVI: Available through the Xbox store.

I definitely didn't have Xbox being the most complete place to play Final Fantasy games. With the launch of Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade coming later in 2025, all they need is something like Final Fantasy VII Rebirth Intergrade, and they'll have every numbered playable entry for Final Fantasy.

That's absolutely astonishing for Xbox fans. With the sudden rise of Square Enix support on Xbox, the platform is quickly turning into a gaming Garden of Eden. Play what you want, where you want.

The Xbox motto is suddenly making more and more sense by the day.

Are you excited to play any of the recently announced Final Fantasy games? Let us know below, or on social media. I, for one, will be checking out Final Fantasy XVI through the Xbox PC app once I'm finally done reviewing this massive Dune: Awakening game.

Square Enix, not content with just announcing a Final Fantasy Tactics remaster for Xbox, has decided to give Xbox JRPG fans even reasons to be excited during the Xbox Games Showcase by revealing Xbox ports for Final Fantasy VII Remake and Final Fantasy XVI.

After years of rumors, Final Fantasy VII Remake Integrade and Final Fantasy XVI are finally making their way to Xbox Series X|S, along with all their DLC expansions.

For fans, you won't even have to wait for one of these games as Final Fantasy XVI is available today! That's right, you can play it right now, no waiting.

Two of Final Fantasy's best modern-day hits are finally coming to Xbox

Final Fantasy VII Remake is an action-RPG reimagining of the iconic PlayStation One JRPG, Final Fantasy VII. It follows the tale of Cloud Strife as he and the eco-terrorist group Avalanche fight to save the planet from the tyrannical Shinra Corporation and the malevolent war hero-turned-villain Sephiroth.

Meanwhile, Final Fantasy XVI is a brand new mainline entry in the Final Fantasy series that follows the story of Clive Rosfield. Clive is a wandering warrior traversing the war-torn land of Valisthea to exact revenge on the infernal Eikon, Ifrit, for destroying his kingdom and friends.

These two games are critically acclaimed for their complex, rich storylines, casts of intriguing characters, action-packed real-time combat systems filled with in-depth mechanics, and epic, cinematic boss fights.

For many years, Final Fantasy VII Remake and Final Fantasy XVI were locked behind PlayStation and PC platforms. However, Xbox fans will finally experience these beloved games for themselves by playing Final Fantasy XVI today and in the future when Final Fantasy VII Remake launches for Xbox Series X|S this winter!

Sony's State of Play June 2025 event has made a dream come true for long-time Final Fantasy fans as Square Enix has announced that the classic PlayStation One-era Strategy-RPG, Final Fantasy Tactics, will be remastered for modern platforms as Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles.

This new version of Final Fantasy Tactics will feature improved graphics, several adjustments to the story and gameplay, fully voiced dialogue, and more.

Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles will also include the option for players to experience the original's PlayStation graphics and gameplay as a "Classic" mode.

The game is currently slated to launch for Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC via Steam on September 30, 2025, and its available for pre-order on the digital storefronts for each respective platform.

This PlayStation One classic gets to shine once more and remind us of Final Fantasy's 'Golden Age'

For those unaware, Final Fantasy Tactics was a spin-off of Square Enix's Final Fantasy series released in 1997 for the PlayStation One. It followed the story Ramza Beoulve, a noble thrust into a bloody conflict where two noble factions are waging war for the right to rule the realm of Ivalice.

Unlike other Final Fantasy games at the time, which used traditional JRPG turn-based combat, Final Fantasy Tactics employed turn-based tactical gameplay where you positioned your party on a grid to attack enemies or cast spells from a distance.

Final Fantasy Tactics was widely regarded as one of the best games in the entire Final Fantasy franchise for its innovative tactical gameplay and complex story of political intrigue, tragedy, and war.

In fact Final Fantasy Tactics was so successful, it birthed its own series and served as the setting for Final Fantasy 12.

Now, new and long-time Final Fantasy fans will get to relive this legendary title when this upcoming Xbox title/upcoming PC title arrives on Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo Switch, and PC platforms on September 30, 2025.

"You think you want it, but you don't."

This is a comment from former Blizzard president J. Allen Brack, responding to players asking for a World of Warcraft "Classic" mode. It has since become quite notorious among World of Warcraft fans, not only for its pretty arrogant and callous dismissal of an entire section of the fanbase, but also, because Blizzard eventually capitulated and gave players what they had been asking for.

Now under new leadership, World of Warcraft has changed its philosophy to: giving fans exactly what they want. A shocking revelation, I know. But the game has never been in a better spot, with a variety of modes for different types of players, killing off its previous "one shoe fits all" dispassionate telemetry-first design philosophy. We're even getting player housing.

It's perhaps ironic, then, that the main reason we're getting Player Housing in World of Warcraft is due to competition from a competing MMO: Final Fantasy 14.

World of Warcraft was forced to throw their playbook out of the window to meet fans where they were, rather than what the "data" was telling them. Activision's telemetry must have told them that "nobody wanted" player housing, but the popularity of the feature in Final Fantasy 14 certainly suggested otherwise. FF14 innovated where World of Warcraft had failed, and won itself a large and thriving fanbase of its own on the back of that innovation.

For whatever reason, Square Enix began ignoring its own successes when it comes to the mainline Final Fantasy games, which, in recent years, have been on a steady decline in popularity and relevance.

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 proves

Square Enix's most recent Final Fantasy projects, namely 15, 16, 7 Remake and 7 Rebirth have found decent success, but I would argue none of them received the fanfare some of their predecessors enjoyed. The Final Fantasy 7 remakes have proven that there's still magic to be found in the franchise — even if they flooded Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth with dull Ubisoft-inspired open world drudgery.

Where there has been less success is in the truly new Final Fantasy games, 15 and 16 are both not what I would describe as classic entries in the series and represent something of a low point. Square Enix fully abandoned what made the series great, opting away from what fans want in favor of chasing other popular games in a desperate, mis-guided attempt to get more money.

It's utterly insane to me that Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth features Ubisoft-style towers to unlock additional content in the open world. It speaks of a complete dereliction of gauging what is actually fun, and smacks of the type of design decision led by Microsoft Excel rather than good sense.

A little game from France called Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has shone a spotlight on Square Enix's design decisions around Final Fantasy — which was famously a variety of turn-based, command-based, and active-turn-based over the years, with tactical gameplay at its core.

Expedition 33 borrows from classic JRPGs like Final Fantasy 8 and even the Super Mario RPG, atop some AAA production values and photorealism, wrapped in a dark fairy tale plot.

Square Enix has previously claimed that people don't want turn-based games anymore. Clearly, with Expedition 33 selling a million copies already — not including Xbox Game Pass — that simply isn't true. This isn't an established franchise like Dragon Quest or Persona, either.

Is Square Enix simply out of touch now? There's nowhere that drives that possibility home more strongly, for me, than Square Enix producer Naoki Yoshida's own words.

Square Enix: it's time to stop the gaslighting over turn-based tactical combat

Naoki Yoshida is credited with the revival of the MMORPG, Final Fantasy 14, which found success by chasing World of Warcraft's model more closely, albeit with that classic and cozy Final Fantasy veneer.

While I would say drawing inspiration from World of Warcraft did work incredibly well for Final Fantasy 14, this new approach clearly harmed the production of Final Fantasy 15, 7 Rebirth, and 16.

Final Fantasy 16 in particular dropped all pretence that Square Enix wanted to honor the legacy and passion of decades of Final Fantasy precedent, ditching all command-based, tactical gameplay in favor of a derivative and half-baked "Devil May Cry" hack n' slashery. But why? Yoshida gave his "reasons" in a previous interview.

"One thing that we found recently is that as graphics get better and better, and as characters become more realistic and more photo-real, is that the combination of that realism with the very unreal sense of turn-based commands doesn't really fit together."

Stylized turn-based games like Persona, Octopath Traveller, and Dragon Quest are okay, but not photorealistic ones? Huh? What?

In my view, this is the damning quote that proves to me that Naoki Yoshida and the team leading Final Fantasy have utterly fallen out of touch, not only with Final Fantasy fans, but the wider audience in general.

"Some people are fine with it. They're fine with having these realistic characters in this unreal type of system. But then on the other hand, there are people that just can't get over it. I mean, if you have a character holding a gun, why can't you just press the button to have the gunfire — why do you need a command in there?"

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 solved this made up "problem" by letting you free-aim with the character's guns. It's almost as if Square Enix is trying to explain away the lack of creativity.

Seriously though; the whole argument falls apart entirely when you consider that video games aren't meant to be realistic from the ground up.

Final Fantasy 16 has some of the most vacuous, boring, and patronizing combat I've ever experienced in an action game — the game effectively plays itself, with boss battles playing out in cutscenes rather than active combat. And Yoshida has the audacity to claim players won't want to input commands?

It's not the first or last time we've seen the industry try to downplay turn based games, and it's not the first or last time games like Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 or Baldur's Gate 3 will show up to prove everyone wrong.

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has a core team of just 33 people, built in part by Ubisoft veterans who were finally free of telemetry-based corpo-style game development — which has led the industry down this cul-de-sac of anti-creativity.

It's potentially the highest user-rated game on Metacritic in history, as fans pour in not only to praise the game, but also to send Square Enix a strong message: stop gaslighting us.

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is available now on Windows PC, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Game Pass.

Final Fantasy IX, one of the most beloved entries in the Final Fantasy franchise and the last mainline Final Fantasy title to be released for the PlayStation One will be having its 25th anniversary later this year on July 7, 2025.

To celebrate this occasion, Square Enix has launched a new Final Fantasy IX anniversary website which will be selling new merchandise for the game including plushies, figures, music tracks, books, and more.

However, fans on Reddit are speculating that this website could be hinting that Final Fantasy IX's long-rumored remake could be announced for its 25th anniversary.

Final Fantasy IX 25th anniversary website launched from r/PS5

What also fuels this speculation is that according to VGA, a GeForce NOW database leak in 2021 suggested that a Final Fantasy IX remake was reportedly in the works. Several games in this list would later become reality, such as the Chrono Cross Remaster, Kingdom Hearts 4, and the PC port of Final Fantasy VII Remake.

Of course, this leak should be taken with a grain of salt as there's currently no official confirmation from Square Enix that they are working on a remake for Final Fantasy IX.

However, we may have an idea of what a remake may look like because according to an IGN interview with Final Fantasy XIV's producer/director, Naoki Yoshida, when he was asked about a potential Final Fantasy IX remake, he responded thusly:

"Of course, I do know there are requests for Final Fantasy IX to be made, but when you think about Final Fantasy IX, it’s a game with huge volume." Yoshida then proclaims, "When you think about all of that volume, I wonder if it’s possible to remake that as a single title. It’s a difficult one. It is a tough question."

This suggests that if Square Enix does go ahead with remaking Final Fantasy IX, it may split the game into multiple titles, much like it's been doing with the Final Fantasy VII Remake trilogy.

Will Final Fantasy IX receive the Final Fantasy VII Remake treatment?

Final Fantasy IX is one of my favorite games of all time. The rich story and characters, timeless artstyle, medieval fantasy setting, in-depth exploration, and addictive turn-based combat system made me into the JRPG lover I am today, even more so Final Fantasy VII.

If Square Enix does end up remaking Final Fantasy IX, I hope they keep the turn-based combat intact. I much rather prefer that gameplay style over the real-time combat modern Final Fantasy games have been using, like Final Fantasy XVI and Final Fantasy VII Rebirth.

Not only that, I hope that the Final Fantasy IX remake ends up on Xbox consoles and PC. That way, I can play it alongside other awesome JRPG revivals like Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster, the Live A Live Remake, and Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake.

Of course, only time will tell if these rumors of Square Enix returning to the magical world of Final Fantasy IX to give it a next-gen makeover turn out to be true.

Modern games, such as Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, are increasingly demanding of your available storage. But in this case, at least, Square Enix has made use of a tool that should be used by more developers to make Steam Deck downloads take up less space.

As reported by GamingOnLinux, the latest update to Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth significantly reduces the size of the download when installing it to your favorite handheld.

On Steam Deck it now comes in at just over 88GB, which is still a lot, but substantially less than the over 144GB download on a desktop gaming PC. Thanks, Square Enix, from Steam Deck owners everywhere.

So how is this possible just for Steam Deck? Admittedly, this passed me by, but as GamingOnLinux goes on to explain, developers can actually target Steam Deck specifically when adding their packages to Steam.

By setting up a dedicated content depot for Steam Deck, overall package sizes can be reduced by offering such things as lower resolution textures. After all, we're not hunting for 4K visuals and ray tracing on the Deck, are we?

This isn't a totally foreign concept, either. Borderlands 2 always springs to mind, offering an HD texture pack as an additional download for those who wanted it and had the hardware to use it.

The Steam Deck is powerful, but not that powerful, and we can't use these super shiny high-res texture packs anyway, so it makes sense to offer specific versions without them. The sad truth is that not many do this, but they definitely should.

Square Enix gets a gold star for effort here, and is setting an example others should certainly follow. The update you're looking for is version 1.003, so grab it and reclaim some of your precious storage.

Recently, the notable tipster NateTheHate, has been stating on Resetera that Xbox ports for Final Fantasy 16 and Final Fantasy 7 Remake could be announced later this year, with an Xbox port for Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth set for 2026 (via @IdleSlothVGT on X).

NateTheHate has made claims of Xbox ports for FF7 Remake and Rebirth before, which my colleague, Jez Corden, has corroborated with our own sources. However, we've been been unable to lock down the timing of these announcements at the time of this writing. Nate seems to have given us some idea of the timing in new posts.

According to NateTheHate, Final Fantasy 16 will be announced/released for Xbox sometime around the first half of 2025 (possibly Spring), Final Fantasy 7 Remake's Xbox port will be announced/released in 2025, and Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth's Xbox port will come in somewhere in 2026. NateTheHate speculates that Square Enix will announce the Xbox ports for these aforementioned Final Fantasy games simultaneously for maximum effect.

Historically, Microsoft has had partner-focused showcases around the Spring timeframe, which would be a good idea to showcase Square Enix's efforts to further support Xbox. Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth recently hit Steam and seems to be doing well for the company, despite previous assertions that it missed expectations when it was PS5 console exclusive.

It's only a matter of time until the biggest modern hits of the Final Fantasy series come to Xbox

As Square Enix releases more of its JRPGs on multiple platforms, like the Trials series, Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster Collection, and Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake, the possibility of NateTheHate's rumor is looking more likely true by the day.

Xbox Series X|S could certainly benefit from having Final Fantasy 16, Final Fantasy 7 Remake, and Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth as these games are regarded as some of the best PC titles the modern franchise has to offer, since they made the jump from PlayStation to PC via Steam.

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth is especially one that Xbox fans would love to play as our diehard Xbox and Final Fantasy fan, Jez Corden, gave the PC port for Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth a 4.5/5 star review.

However, as always, take rumors with a pinch of salt, even if they're looking increasingly likely.

Last year, Blizzard announced a long-awaited, long-requested (read: decades) feature for World of Warcraft: Player Housing. And now, we have new details on how it'll all work.

World of Warcraft's official website has just posted a small preview of its long-awaited Player Housing feature, which is scheduled to be implemented in the World of Warcraft: Midnight expansion launching later this year. The preview details what the developer's intentions are with Player Housing, how it will work in-game, and hints on what owning a house will cost.

Here are all the important details you need to know from this announcement.

For those unaware, Player Housing is a gameplay system where a player or a guild can buy houses to live in. Player Housing has been featured in other MMORPGs like Final Fantasy 14, Elder Scrolls Online, and Star Wars: The Old Republic, yet Blizzard's 20+ year-old MMORPG juggernaut until it was announced back in late 2024.

Blizzard begins the preview for World of Warcraft's Player Housing by stating that it is designed to be easy-to-use for casual players while having a ton of advanced customization tools for hardcore players so they lavishly design their homes to express their creativity.

Blizzard then states that Player Housing is built to be evergreen content for the game, not just a one-in-done deal. Player Housing will even have its own personal roadmap where the system will receive new content updates in every future World of Warcraft patch and expansion.

On the technical side of things, Blizzard has confirmed Player Housing will have two Housing Zones available when it launches, one for the Horde and one for the Alliance.

The design of the Alliance Housing zone will be inspired by locales like the Elwynn Forest, Westfall, and Duskwood, while the Horde Housing zone will look reminiscent of Durotar's coastline areas and Azshara. Blizzard says they're planning to make two zones to start with because they plan on taking a 'quality-over-quantity' approach and not spread the zones thin so players can see and socialize with each other more frequently.

Blizzard then goes on to explain that Player Housing will offer hundreds upon hundreds of decorations and customization items for your house that are earned as in-game rewards while there will be a small handful of paid cosmetic Player Housing items you can buy in the cash shop.

As for how a player acquires a house, Blizzard hasn't stated what the actual process will entail. However, Blizzard has confirmed that Housing will be available to everyone and that obtaining a home will not involve exorbitant requirements, high purchase costs, lotteries, or onerous upkeeps. Plus, your house won't get repossessed if your account subscription expires so you get to keep it if you're having a break from World of Warcraft.

Player houses can also be shared with your Warband so all your created characters will be able to visit them regardless of whether they're Horde or Alliance. In addition, Housing rewards are shared amongst your Warband so you can acquire decorations no matter what character you play as.

On top of that, a player's friends or guildmates can visit their house and vice versa with minimal faction restrictions. For example, a player's Human character can't buy a house in the Horde Housing zone but their Troll character who's a part of the Warband as the Human can, and then that Human character can visit that Horde home as if it were their house.

Blizzard then closes out the preview by teasing the concept of Neighborhoods. Player houses will be organized into roughly fifty plot Neighborhoods so players can live side by side, work together, and form a small community.

Neighborhoods will be instanced but also persistent so player neighbors can see and interact with each other. World of Warcraft will feature two types of Neighborhoods:

• Public Neighborhoods, which will be maintained by the game's servers.
• Private Neighborhoods that are created by guilds or circles of friends so they can build and customize their personal Neighborhood without being bothered by the general public.

World of Warcraft's Player Housing premise shows promise

From the sounds of this preview, World of Warcraft is already promising to fulfill some of my six most requested features for Player Housing, such as making player houses account-wide available for a player's Warband, unlocking decorations through in-game content, and making houses for individual players and guilds.

The biggest request that I'm happy Blizzard is fulfilling is that players won't have to spend a small fortune to buy a house, pray to Lady Luck on lotteries to buy a house, or be forced to stay subscribed just to keep their home if they don't like playing. This already puts it leagues better than the Player Housing system I experienced in Final Fantasy 14 where my Free Company couldn't get a house for two years because of these aforementioned costs that World of Warcraft is planning to avoid.

Granted, it is concerning that World of Warcraft's Player Housing will have a Neighborhood system like Final Fantasy 14 did as FF14's Neighborhoods had limited plots of land to work with. However, World of Warcraft has far greater server resources at its disposal so I'm hopeful that it won't have the same problems as FF14 did.

Now, all that remains is a full gameplay demonstration of how Player Housing will work in execution and what the actual process of acquiring a house will entail. All of which will most likely be revealed in the lead-up to World of Warcraft: Midnight's full release during the Summer of 2025.

In the meantime, we'll be keeping ourselves busy hunting Gallywix and The Harbinger in the World of Warcraft's Undermine Patch.

Final Fantasy 7 was an icon of its era, and it has returned for a new generation.

Final Fantasy 7 Remake launched a few years ago, kickstarting Square Enix's massively ambitious project to rebuild the entire PlayStation 1 classic with modern gameplay and graphics. The original was a huge game in its own right, spanning multiple discs in what was the franchise's first 3D outing, complete with digital audio and text-based dialogue, and pre-rendered cinematics. It was a landmark event in gaming canon, and the rebuild project has thus far, been generally quite successful.

I reviewed Final Fantasy 7: Rebirth a little while ago for PC, and am currently going through my second playthrough. It's rare that I commit to a second run almost immediately after completing a game these days, but the combination of nostalgia, infectiously fun gameplay, and boatloads of semi-open world exploration has kept me hooked so far. And it looks like it's keeping many of you hooked as well.

In a new post on BlueSky, Circana's Mat Piscatella detailed fresh success Final Fantasy 7: Rebirth is seeing, since escaping its console exclusivity deal with PlayStation 5 to hit Windows PC via Steam.

"Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth had a fantastic Steam launch," the post reads. "Across physical and tracked digital, Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth was the best-selling game of the week ending Jan 25th in the US market (in dollar sales), while the FFVII: Remake & Rebirth Twin Pack ranked third." Piscatella described how Circana's consumer retail tracking service pegged the game as having a fantastic start in the United States, after Square Enix previously described its PlayStation 5 launch outing as "not meeting expectations."

Final Fantasy has had something of an identity crisis in recent years, as Square Enix struggles to give the franchise confident footing in a strange market. Final Fantasy was always known for experimental iterations game-over-game, but with Final Fantasy 16, the franchise took quite a heavy swerve into hack n' slash gameplay, getting rid of the tactical feel and party-oriented "journeying" the franchise is known for. Final Fantasy 7 Remake and Rebirth are a lot closer to what long-time fans likely expect of the series, and it'll be interesting to see how Square Enix pours some of that learning into the inevitable Final Fantasy 17.

Square Enix recently confirmed that Final Fantasy 7 Remake "Part 3" is essentially written, and now in development. The games have typically been PlayStation exclusive, at least initially, although it seems Square Enix has ditched its console exclusivity strategy to go broader. The firm recently brought Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster Collection to Xbox, for example, and has been hinting that it aims to bring Final Fantasy 7 Remake and Final Fantasy 16 to Xbox Series X|S in the future too.

At the very least, it seems that Final Fantasy 7 Remake "Part 3" and Final Fantasy 17 will launch immediately onto PC if Square Enix can get its developer pipeline synced up between console and Windows. These latest sales figures will likely encourage Square Enix to expedite that process. For additional context, Square Enix isn't the only company trying to find new users by ditching exclusivity. PlayStation itself just ported Spider-Man 2 and a variety of other games to Steam as well, and Xbox has notoriously begun porting its own titles not only to Steam, but to PlayStation itself. Strange times indeed.

Final Fantasy 7: Rebirth is available now on Steam, and just got an optimization patch with fixes for Steam Deck playability too.

Two weeks ago, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth finally launched on PC to much fanfare and critical acclaim (including us when we gave it a 4.5-star review). However, players recently have encountered several stifling stability and graphical issues hampering their enjoyment when playing it on PC and the Steam Deck as Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth is Steam Deck verified.

In response to this, Square Enix has just today rolled out a small hotfix patch to resolve these technical difficulties players have been dealing with. According to Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth's Steam page, this patch contains the following fixes:

• Improved overall game stability, including several bug fixes.
• Fixed the graphics preset to be set to 'Low' when launching for the first time on Steam Deck, even when save data is linked from the cloud. (The next time the game is launched on Steam Deck, the saved settings will be applied.)
• When playing on a PC that supports NVIDIA DLSS, the default setting for 'Anti-Aliasing Method' is now set to 'DLSS'.
• The DirectStorage DLL (Dynamic Link Library) has been updated to the latest version.

One of the biggest issues addressed was that Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth kept syncing up the graphics settings to the Steam Cloud when playing it on Steam Deck. This was a big problem because it forced Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth to run at higher graphic settings than the Steam Deck is capable of handling when playing across multiple platforms, and caused the game's performance to suffer as a result.

With this patch, this bug will hopefully be eliminated now so players can play one of the best PC games of 2025 without any hassle and enjoy Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth's PC-exclusive features (provided that their PC rig meets Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth's PC spec requirements).

2025 is already off to an explosive start for gaming as Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, one of the most well-regarded titles of 2024, has finally arrived on Windows PC after releasing on January 23, 2025. To celebrate this occasion, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth's PC port has received discounts on multiple storefronts, such as this 49% discount, which reduced its price tag from $81.19 to $41.19 at CDKeys.

What makes Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth worth buying on PC?

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth is the 2nd chapter in an ongoing, massively ambitious trilogy that aims to reimagine one of Final Fantasy's greatest entries, Final Fantasy 7, into a series of blockbuster action RPGs. Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth continues from where Final Fantasy 7 Remake left off as Cloud and his band of friends, Barrett, Tifa, Aerith, and Red XIII, embark on a journey to save their planet from being destroyed by the Shinra Corporation and the enigmatic Sephiroth.

This game took the foundations of its predecessor, Final Fantasy 7 Remake, and improved upon them, from gameplay to presentation and story, to deliver one of the best PlayStation games of 2024, and now, with this new PC port, one of the best PC games of 2025.

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth has mountains of content worth taking the trip to hunt Sephiroth for. It's got a deep combat that offers an immense degree of playstyle experimentation and customization. The 60+ hour campaign is a well-written, cinematic roller-coaster ride that pays homage to every Final Fantasy 7-related media while being accessible to newcomers. Plus, it offers a healthy amount of challenging, rewarding, optional content to participate in.

Additionally, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth has a sublime presentation with a gorgeous art style, an incredible soundtrack, and well-optimized performances enhanced by the PC version's exclusive features. On top of all that, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth is Steam Deck-verified, so you can continue playing it while traveling abroad or at a friend's house.

In short, if you're a hardcore fan of Final Fantasy 7 or a general fan of action RPGs, then we highly recommend Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, especially since the PC version is now on sale.

This game normally has an MSRP of $69.99, but there's a massive sale going on. It's being sold for $41.19 at CDKeys (after having its normal CDKeys price tag decreased by 49%). Not only is this deal $28.80 cheaper than Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth's normal MSRP, but it is also $7.80 cheaper than the discounted $48.99 price tag it's having right now on Steam/GreenManGaming.

• Square Enix has announced in recent interviews that the third title in the Final Fantasy 7 Remake trilogy is progressing smoothly as its story has been completed.
• Additionally, Square Enix has implied that Final Fantasy 7 Remake Part 3 may be released on multiple platforms as part of its multi-platform strategy and include extra features like New Game Plus.
• Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth's PC port is now available to purchase on Steam.

After many long months, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth has finally come to PC as it launched today on Steam. To mark the occasion, Square Enix was recently interviewed by several publishing outlets including Famitsu and 4Gamer on the state of the third and final game in its critically-acclaimed Final Fantasy 7 Remake trilogy.

For starters, Square Enix has confirmed to Famitsu (as reported and translated by Eurogamer) that it has completed writing the plot for the third game and that development for the game overall is progressing without delay. However, no release date for the third game has been announced as of yet.

Then Square Enix went on to state that it is considering extra features for the third game like New Game Plus.

In an interview with 4gamer (translated by @Genki_JPN), Square Enix implies that Final Fantasy 7 Remake Part 3 may not be a PlayStation-exclusive title at launch like its predecessors were due to the company's new modus operandi of releasing games on multiple platforms. Nonetheless, Square Enix says it makes no promises that it could launch on multiple platforms but it will try its best.

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth has finally arrived on PC

While fans wait in anticipation for the final act of the Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth trilogy, they can whet their appetites with Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth's newly released PC port. Our own, longtime Final Fantasy veteran, Jez Corden recently reviewed Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth and gave it an extremely high rating of 4.5/5 stars while stating "Final Fantasy 7 Remake was a great example of how to rebuild a classic for modern audiences."

It's got a deep, varied combat system, spectacular presentation, and an engaging plot with tons of fanservice for fans of the original Final Fantasy 7. On top of that, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth is Steam Deck verified so you can take one of the best PC games with you on the go.

If you want to check out this modern-day classic for yourself on PC, be sure to check out our Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth PC requirements guide before purchasing it to see if your PC rig has what it takes to run at its full potential and enjoy its exclusive PC features.

It's finally here. Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth has made the leap from PlayStation to Windows PC via Steam, ready to wrap you in a one-winged embrace of pure nostalgia. But in 2025, nostalgia alone is perhaps not enough.

Indeed, the amount of people out there excited for Final Fantasy 7 is diminished in a post Fortnite, post Genshin Impact world. Final Fantasy isn't the powerhouse franchise it once was, even if it holds a special place in the hearts of hundreds of thousands of gamers of a certain age. It's this unique needle that Square Enix finds itself charged to thread: how do you accommodate the warm and fuzzy nostalgia of the game's core fans, while appealing to the "modern" gamer, whoever that is.

Games like this are becoming increasingly rare in an age dominated by service games, addictive social media algorithms, and, dare I say it, player doubt. AAA games have increasingly come under scrutiny as corporate interests vacuum up the art and chase a quick buck. I'm grateful to Square Enix that they resisted the urge with Final Fantasy 7.

Square Enix went above and beyond with Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, building heavily on the foundation set by FF7 Remake while baking in a mountain of new features and additional playstyle options. While I'm unsure how I feel about some of the new story elements, it celebrates the classic aspects in such a bombastic way I'm willing to overlook my doubts. Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth is a fantastic, high-quality PC port that shows Square Enix learned from its previous outing with Remake.

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth: Visuals and Sound

I've been playing Final Fantasy VII Rebirth the past few weeks, and it's clear how much Square Enix has learned from previous outings on PC, right from the settings menu.

The system I've been running FF7 Rebirth on is no slouch, and I don't have multiple computers to test it on, but the firm assures that it's optimized for the Steam Deck, which should give you some idea of how faithful Square Enix has been here. I've been playing it on my Windows 11 RTX 4080 laptop, with 32GB RAM and a Core i9 13950HX CPU, in virtually flawless 60 FPS at both 1440p and 1080p depending on whether or not I had access to my 4K TV at the time or not. I had some occasional dips when new assets were streaming into the game, but for the most part it has been nothing short of pleasant. No crashes, no glitches, and no bugs that I could find, but it's always hard to gauge when it comes to PC games. Your system mileage may vary, but I've had far, far worse experiences when it comes to AAA PC ports.

Square Enix gives players a lot more freedom to tweak the graphics settings in FF7 Rebirth over its predecessor, which was notoriously restrictive and "console"-like in its visual options. Sure, it could be better still — support for some of the more modern NVIDIA features is still missing. But overall, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth's configurability is vastly expanded here, showcasing improved tooling and learning. Final Fantasy 7 Remake "Part 3" will likely be even better still, as the company delivers on its plan to eventually go for full simultaneous PC and console launches.

In terms of pure art, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth is another spectacular looking game from Square Enix, and also showcases a vast improvement in quality when it comes to designing believable and dense open world environments. Comparing FF7 Rebirth to Final Fantasy 16 feels almost like comparing games from two different teams, despite the games being mere months apart.

Square Enix has been aggressively faithful to the static backgrounds of the source material, pulling out every stop to not only recreate, but also overdeliver on the environments from the original. Indeed, it seems Square Enix is acutely aware that nostalgic feelings warp and "upscale" memories when imagination emerges to fill the gaps in some of those blocky 90s visuals. To compensate for this, regions like Junon, Costa Del Sol, Cosmo Canyon, and others are so much more intricate and impressive than they perhaps needed to be. Even small details you remember from the original, like a specific store, NPC, or even mini-game, has been reproduced with respect and love. The sheer attention to detail is absolutely jaw-dropping, activating core memories on a near rapid fire cadence. For those without nostalgia of the original game, you'll discover a truly huge and varied world of interconnected biomes, sci-fi cityscapes, in a world wracked by post-industrial decay. The way gameplay delivers players towards some of that exploration isn't always spot on, but this is doubtless one of the most picturesque games of the modern age — thank Jenova it has an awesome camera mode.

This theme of "overdelivering" to accommodate the lens of nostalgia runs through every aspect of the game's audio-visual delivery. Iconic music tracks are remixed and take on new life as part of dynamic crescendos that increase as battles get more intense. Classic comedic "silly" scenes from the original take on increased spectacle and luster, while the darker, more pivotal moments are all the more emotional and gripping.

I'd say all up that Square Enix has probably delivered its best ever sensory experience with Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth. But this is no walking simulator, how does this RPG play?

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth: Gameplay

Final Fantasy 7 Remake and Rebirth remain something of a bridge between the turn-based tactical gameplay style of the original, and a more "active" hack n' slash style that Square Enix at least perceives that players want. It's sometimes controversial, but I think Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth continues to thread the needle well between the "ATB" gameplay systems of its progenitor while adding some modern flair.

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth's combat is very similar to the original overall, with timers that give you access to abilities, enemies with stagger meters, atop stunning summonable entities and Limit Break attacks that are as satisfying to watch as they are spectacular. Rebirth adds some fresh complexity into the mix, though, giving skillful players new ways to express their combat creativity.

A variety of new socketable Materia abilities can produce new combo effects, helping reduce micromanagement on party members while synergizing up with enemy stagger burst damage windows. Square Enix also cleverly addressed the "necessity" to actually switch characters in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth.

In the original, you could practically just sit on Cloud for the entire game and never even bother switching to other playable characters. That's a bit more of an issue in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, since Square Enix sought to recreate the entire character roster of the original. What would be the point if players end up only controlling Cloud the entire time?

When you expend ATB charges on abilities in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, you gain points towards executing team attacks. It cleverly encourages switching between characters frequently, since building up the ATB meter to actually gain abilities can be quite slow if your party members are left to their own devices as AI companions. Once you have enough points, you can perform powerful Synergies between specific party members, which effectively function as mini Limit Breaks. These attacks are spectacular to watch play out, but are also incredibly powerful and potent. Some can give you extra ATB charges, some can extend an enemy's stagger meter, and some just do crazy damage.

As a result, in Rebirth, I found myself jumping between characters far more frequently than I did in Remake. Some of the optional side content, which often includes powerful mini bosses, really do ask players to think and strategize around their playstyles to achieve victory efficiently. You can in theory just brute force everything by spamming Phoenix Down revival items or potions, but it's far more rewarding and effective to play the game in the way it's asking. There's always an easy mode too, though, if you do fancy a pure hack n' slash narrative-style experience.

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth lays out the post-Midgar story from the original, contained on Disc 1 of the PlayStation version. After playing FF7 Remake, I was really doubtful that Square Enix would really try to recreate the entire Disc 1 experience, but shut my mouth, they actually went and did it.

With a variety of open world locations interconnected with wide-linear dungeons, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth is a truly huge game that will see completionists spend anywhere up to 150 hours combing every location. A typical story run that dabbles in side quests might see around 70 hours, while those who beeline through the story are probably looking at around 40.

My biggest criticism of Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth undoubtedly pertains to its open world gameplay, which learns from the Ubisoft world of tired game design, rather than more thoughtful design conventions learned from Elden Ring or Zelda. Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth as a result absolutely shines in its linear areas, where classic FF7 dungeoneering takes center stage. Here, the pacing is better, with areas culminating in cinematic boss battles, complete with explorative secrets hidden off the beaten path. The open world areas are disappointing icon-a-thons generally speaking, which hide some truly great optional gameplay beneath a buffet of immersion-busting handholding mechanics. Just 5 minutes stepping into the wide world after Kalm town, you'll be besieged by random hints that "something might be over there," complete with Ubisoft's choring tower puzzles that somehow Square Enix missed the memo on.

On the plus side, the side content is entirely optional. As soon as I got bored trying to figure out how to get to the next map marker, I just ignored the data requests from the mildly irritating Chadley and headed straight for the story content. The game is unfortunately far more enjoyable this way, even if I did occasionally happen upon some truly interesting optional bosses and side stories that added interesting context to existing lore and characters. I just would have preferred to have discovered it on my own terms, rather than be ushered there with patronizing icons and immersion-busting markers that only detract from the experience. After Elden Ring, I can't really enjoy open world games any other way — but realize this is wholly my subjective opinion. I just think it's better design if the points of interest actually look like points of interest while exploring, rather than being artificially forced there by some obnoxious UI mechanic. Many of those UI elements and animations are also far too irritatingly slow, and lock you out of control for unnecessary periods of time.

It's a shame, because it really is my only real criticism of the open world gameplay layout, because there really is some morsels of greatness hidden throughout. The way Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth retells the Fort Condor storyline, as an optional side quest, is absolutely amazing. There are tons of fun and engaging mini-games scattered throughout. Some of the mini bosses you'd find from grinding Chadley's "enemy data" collection events are really well-designed and interesting, and yield powerful and compelling rewards. The game didn't need to force players to jump through so many arbitrary hoops to get there, though. Why do I need to climb a Ubisoft tower before I can fight the cool monsters? It's time-wasting and annoying. I suspect FF7 Remake Part 3 will pull back on some of these game design choices, as they were probably made back when Ubisoft was the standard-bearer for open world design.

Indeed, like I noted, the game really shines in its more traditional linear segments. Square Enix's boss battle design is absolutely fantastic, and combines thoughtful tactical gameplay with cinematic spectacle in a way I've not really seen other studios achieve. It was strong in Final Fantasy 7 Remake, Final Fantasy 16, and is even stronger in Rebirth, and it's one trend I hope they keep iterating upon.

Square Enix maintains the theme of "overdelivering" on the original game's elements. Monsters and boss battles you might remember from the original end up being far more bombastic and awe-inspiring, oftentimes with more thoughtful positioning in the game's plot. The "Assess" Materia reveals enemy's weaknesses and gives tactical suggestions, while also revealing new lore and information about the game's world. Enemies and locations that seemed totally nonsensical in the original are given new backstories in Rebirth, offering something new to discover around every corner.

While I did skip a ton of the optional content to make embargo for this review, I'm already eager to go back to playing, which is the hallmark of a great game in my view. The huge character roster, ability Materia options, weapon varieties, and party compositions truly opens up millions of different playstyle combinations. Do I want Aerith to be more defensive or offensive? Should I build Cloud around melee or magic, or a combination? Who do I even want in my main party composition? What optional Materia from Chadley missions should I research to unlock? Which of Cloud's love interests should I pursue ...?

There's so much variety on offer in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, perhaps a little too much even at times — but thankfully you can set your own pace, and engage in the content you feel like engaging with. This is a game you can really well and truly sink your teeth into, more than earning its keep.

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth: Story Direction (No Spoilers)

It's always a bit tough writing around story beats for reviews, but Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth compounds the challenge. Imagine you're a developer on Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth. Not only do you have to appease fans of the original who have certain expectations, you also have to deliver a game for modern audiences, while acknowledging the fact that a large contingent of players likely not only didn't play FF7 Remake, but have most likely never played Final Fantasy 7 at all. The original game launched in 1997, a wholly different time, although I would argue that many of its themes are even more relevant in 2025.

Final Fantasy 7 is a uniquely bleak entry in the franchise's pantheon, while also being oddly poignant. The game revolves around the Shina Corporation destroying the planet for profit and power, in essence, and trampling upon anyone who dare get in the way. Meanwhile, a super soldier human-alien hybrid by the name of Sephiroth lurks in the background, seeking vengeance on the society responsible for his creation, on a path to cosmic godhood. Yet, the heroes of the story, mercenary Cloud, alongside ecoactivists Tifa and Barrett, and Shinra Corporation escapees Red XIII and Aerith, still find time to kick it back at the beach and hang out at a theme park.

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth like any self-respecting anime-style story is a roller coaster of silly and fun spectacles intertwined with deep pits of existential dread and paranoid rumination. It pays homage to the big moments of the original, while doubling down on both the weird and wacky and the dark and depressing elements. Some may find the story to feel a bit erratic as a result, and I would argue that sometimes the game does lean a bit too hard into its light-hearted elements at time, undermining the gravitas of some of gaming's most celebrated villains.

In a way, the issue with Rebirth is that it is "incomplete" without the third and final act, which, without spoiling, should be a far darker trajectory than what Rebirth offers. I think all three 7 Remake entries played as a single entity will probably pace out far better than all three as separate titles, but therein lies the challenge Square Enix set for itself. How do you rebuild such a timeless classic, while doing justice to the game's most iconic moments? You can't exactly change the entire story structure to accommodate the new pacing cadence, and import darker edges which are designed to appear far later on, for example. As such, I would say that you should see Final Fantasy VII Rebirth as the optimistic second act, before shit well and truly hits the fan.

I would say given the difficulties of reproducing something like this, Square Enix overall does a fantastic job, especially if you're a fan of the original. Some of the iconic scenes from the previous game are elevated to new heights in Rebirth, with fresh insights into the game's characters and their motivations. Even some oddities from the original gain fresh context, which add to the original narrative rather than detract. That can't be said for every new story beat, though.

Without spoiling, I will say that Rebirth continues some of the more controversial "meta" plot points of Remake, and they still don't really pay off. I'm holding out final judgement until I play Part 3, in potentially vain hope that they will have some kind of clever unforeseen payload. But I'm worried that Square Enix "overthought" the need to try new things with Rebirth — a straight retelling with extra context would have been my preferred route here. But I admit it's subjective a bit, which is why I'm reserving final judgement on that until Part 3.

What we do have is a fun and engaging melodrama with unique and iconic characters, hitting that fantastical soap opera vibe like few other franchises can boast. It's funny and silly when it wants to be, but harrowingly dark when necessary as well. The comedy bits land well, and the nuggets of nostalgia may bring a tear to the eye of wistful long-time fans.

It's hard for me to extract all memories of the original and say for sure how modern audiences will feel about it. Those who have zero nostalgia for Final Fantasy 7 may find it a little too wacky, and even non-sequitur at times. The sheer volume of characters to track and events to remember might be quite dizzying, I can imagine. But like I said, given the needle Square Enix had to thread here between satisfying fans both old and new, I'd say they did a truly stellar job.

I played the game mostly with Japanese audio, but the English dub is quite good. The character work and facial mocap is expressive and evocative, and Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth retains some of the best villains the industry has ever seen.

I would argue that playing through Final Fantasy 7 Remake is absolutely necessary to truly enjoy Rebirth, given that it's a very direct sequel. There is a recap cutscene you can watch from the main menu, but I don't think it really conveys the underlying horror that is Sephiroth, as he manipulates and stalks the heroes from the shadows.

Long time fans will adore revisiting the game's iconic locations and events regardless, and newcomers may end up falling in love with the character roster like millions did back in the 90s.

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth: Conclusion

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth is, at its core, a fantastic action RPG with tactical leanings, giving fans of the original a drip feed of nostalgic joy while adapting a classic with modern flair for newcomers. Square Enix balances serving fans of the original game quite well, while injecting enough modernity to bring the game up to par with contemporary expectations. The firm clearly learned a lot developing Final Fantasy 7 Remake and Final Fantasy 16 for PC, and has poured those learnings into Rebirth, which for my money seems like a capable PC port with decent configurability.

The fact Square Enix managed to squeeze practically everything from the original "Disc 1" Final Fantasy 7 experience, characters, locales, and all, with a modern AAA quality bar is nothing short of remarkable. The game does trip up with its open world game design, and I think some of its new story beats are potentially the result of overthinking rather than creativity, but they're ultimately small blemishes on an otherwise grand tapestry.

While Rebirth has its flaws, it's a welcome iteration for a franchise that used to be known for consistently delivering generational experiences. In a world increasingly dominated by shallow free-to-play brain rot, RPGs of this size and scope and quality are becoming a rarity. It's not without a degree of general gratitude that I extend my love for the Final Fantasy 7 Remake project, and the accomplishments of the team. I never thought I'd live to experience a modern take on Final Fantasy 7, which remains one of, if not, my favorite video game of all time. It's not perfect by any means, but the fact it even exists feels like nothing short of a miracle.

If Square Enix iterates on Final Fantasy 7 Remake "Part 3" the same way they iterated on Rebirth, I'm more optimistic than ever for the franchise's future.

We're only one week away from the grand launch of Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth on PC via Steam. In light of this, Square Enix has decided to fuel the fans' already high expectations further by announcing that Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth has been Steam Deck Verified.

Square Enix has even shown off a small video demonstration of the game running on the Steam Deck on their official X account.

While it is difficult to dissect from the live footage, it appears that Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth is capable of running smoothly on the Steam Deck with no framerate drops. Though we will have to wait until it the game is released on January 23, 2025, to see how far players can push the graphical fidelity and framerates of Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth.

Additionally, Square Enix has also demonstrated Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth on Steam Deck with a custom-built, Chocobo-themed Steam Deck — Complete with a fluffy, yellow casing and feathery plumage. For those unaware, Chocobos are the giant cute birds you ride on to travel fast in Final Fantasy games, and this fluffy, custom Steam Deck made in homage to them is just as adorable.

The YouTube video description for the Chocobo-themed Steam Deck refers to it as a "specially crafted Fluffy Chocobo Steam Deck," basically clarifying that this unique Steam Deck is definitely not coming to market. The description further clarifies that "we don't advise trying to wrap high-tech gaming gear in fur at home." Regardless, I'm betting that hardcore Final Fantasy fans would be dying to get ahold of one of these.

Only a week left until Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth comes to PC and Steam Deck

Just under a week ago, Square Enix divulged the PC-exclusive features for Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, ranging from framerate/graphical improvements, NVIDIA DLSS Functionality, DualSense controller support, and more. However, this upcoming PC game getting confirmation of being Steam Deck Verified trumps all those features in my opinion.

This means I'll get to play one of the biggest games in the Final Fantasy franchise in recent years, wherever and whenever I want now. This isn't unlike how my colleague, Jez Corden, is enjoying the Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster Collection on the go via Xbox Cloud Gaming, thanks to the underrated Xbox Play Anywhere feature.

With the imminent release of Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth on PC and rumors circulating that an Xbox port of Final Fantasy 7 Remake for 2025 is in the works along with an alleged Xbox port of Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth for 2026, Final Fantasy 7 fans have a lot to look forward to in the future.

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth is currently available on PlayStation 5, and is slated to launch on Windows PC via Steam on January 23, 2025.

It's a new year for Xbox, and that means new games.

Just earlier this week, Microsoft revealed that its upcoming Developer_Direct stream will showcase DOOM: The Dark Ages, South of Midnight, and a mysterious fourth game that has yet to be revealed. On January 23rd, we'll catch a glimpse of what Microsoft is planning to offer its Xbox platform gamers throughout the year, which also boasts Avowed, The Outer Worlds 2, and Fable, if none end up delayed, at least.

Indeed, this year should prove to be something of a blockbuster for Microsoft, with more game launches in a single calendar year than they've ever had previously. We should also see a new Call of Duty later in the year, as well as other surprises both from first and third party publishers across Xbox and PC.

As is well-known by now, Microsoft is also making an effort to put its Xbox games onto other platforms. Today, credible tipster NateTheHate shared some rumors on his podcast (via Knoebel) for games we can expect to see hit PlayStation 5 and the unannounced Nintendo Switch 2 later this year. For Xbox fans, NateTheHate suggested that Final Fantasy 7 Remake is hitting Xbox in 2025, with Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth aiming for 2026. According to Mr. Hate, Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024, and Halo: The Master Chief Collection are both slated for the multiplatform treatment, with each game launching on PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch 2. I can corroborate independently with our own sources that all of the above is most likely true. It seems that Microsoft isn't stopping there, though.

As previously noted by Xbox CEO Phil Spencer, there are no "red lines" when it comes to the games Microsoft aims to bring to other platforms. I noted in an analysis late last year that any Xbox game that is capable of making a good return on investment from going multiplatform absolutely will do so. To that end, I've heard that in addition to the above Hellblade 2, Age of Mythology, and potentially Gears of War 1 Ultimate Edition are all also slated for PlayStation 5 this year too, although I'm unsure if that includes the Nintendo Switch 2. I would expect that it most likely does, if I had to guess that part.

If all of this is true — and always take rumors with a pinch of salt, as plans can change — Microsoft will probably make more money from content this year than it ever has. Microsoft has a vast mountain of first-party content in development, with further unannounced titles for 2025 slated for the Xbox Showcase which typically airs in June. The majority of Xbox's upcoming games slate, if not all of it, will at least be timed exclusive to Xbox and Windows. For most games, PlayStation and Nintendo Switch versions will either be ready to go on launch day or some months after the fact. The studios building these games will enjoy the sorts of income and investment that will help them get to the next level.

What remains to be seen is how Xbox hardware can survive no longer having exclusive games as a selling point. Xbox's unique features like Xbox Game Pass have so far not proven to be the system-seller Microsoft might have hoped for. You could argue that competition from free-to-play games and other non-gaming time sinks have reduced many people's need to own "hundreds" of games that make up the service. Microsoft has sought to offer perks like blanket access to characters in games like Valorant and League of Legends to give value even for free-to-play service game players, but I'd argue it doesn't go far enough to entice that cohort.

RELATED: Inside the risky strategy that will define Xbox's next decade

Without exclusive games, it's easy to argue that the reasons to own an Xbox console have become diminished. Xbox Cloud Gaming may be a saving grace, though, as the service recently hit new milestones according to our sources. Xbox Cloud Gaming shares a development environment with Xbox consoles after all. As the service grows, more and more developers will be able to offer content directly on devices like TVs and low-power laptops. "Buy to own" cloud games will potentially keep Xbox relevant enough to keep developers interested, even if retail console sales continue to flag.

With Microsoft's next-gen consoles currently in development, Xbox's future as a content provider has never been stronger. Big questions remain over its long-term mileage as a platform holder, though. Questions Xbox may be unable to answer.

On January 9, 2025, Square Enix unveiled a new trailer for the upcoming and highly-anticipated PC version of Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, which is set to be released on Steam on January 23, 2025. Aside from a grand montage of the game's cinematic set pieces and action-packed gameplay, the trailer showcases technical features that will be exclusive to this upcoming PC title compared to the PlayStation version of Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth.

These exclusive features coming to the PC version of Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth include:

• Improved lighting.
• Enhanced visuals and textures.
• DualSense Wireless Controller Support.
• NVIDIA DLSS Functionality (which will upscale the image quality and improve the framerate).
• Three graphical pre-set options (Low, Medium, and High).
• 4K resolutions and 120fps framerates.
• Customizable on-screen NPC count to best suit the specs of your PC rig.
• Mouse and keyboard support.

If you want to see if your PC rig has what it takes to run the game and take full advantage of its PC-exclusive features, check out our Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth PC requirements and specs guide.

Continue the journey to stop Sephiroth in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth was originally released on February 29, 2024, for the PlayStation 5. Then during the 2024 Game Awards in December 2024, a PC port for Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth was announced as a part of Square Enix's newfound goal to bring more of its titles to more platforms.

Despite failing to meet Square Enix's sales expectations, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth still received a ton of critical acclaim from both critics and fans for improving upon the foundations of Final Fantasy 7 Remake. It has a much more advanced combat system, bigger boss fights, a grander story with more twists and turns, a mountain of easter eggs for longtime Final Fantasy fans, and a large, gorgeous-looking world to explore.

If the improved graphics and framerates shown in this trailer meet up to expectations, then Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth has a good chance of receiving a standing ovation from PC players and becoming one of the best PC games of 2025.

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth is currently available on PlayStation 5, and is slated to launch on Windows PC via Steam on January 23, 2025.

On December 26, 2024, IGN Brasil interviewed two big name developers from Square Enix regarding the sales of Final Fantasy VII Rebirth. These individuals are Naoki Hamaguchi, the director of Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, and Yoshinori Kitase, the director of the original PlayStation One version of Final Fantasy and producer of Final Fantasy franchise.

During this interview, Yoshinori Kitase mentions that Final Fantasy VII Rebirth sales have been "satisfactory and safe," a stark contrast to Square Enix's previous financial reports, which stated that Final Fantasy VII Rebirth and Final Fantasy XVI failed to meet the company's expectations. He then goes on to say, and I quote,

"While we are confident and pleased that we are reaching a certain level of sales, it is clear that with the modernity of gaming, we cannot be exclusive to a single platform." Kitase then says, "I think we need to offer the game to as many players as possible."

This statement implies that in addition to Final Fantasy VII Rebirth's upcoming PC port, we could potentially see an Xbox port of Final Fantasy VII Rebirth (and by proxy, Final Fantasy VII Remake) in the future. There's a high chance of this happening as Square Enix has been releasing more of its games onto Xbox lately.

These include the long-awaited Xbox ports of Final Fantasy XIV and the Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster Collection (which has seen massive worldwide success on Xbox Stores). Not to mention several titles from the Mana series and the Dragon Quest HD-2D Remake have been released on Xbox to name a few.

Additionally, a couple of developers at Square Enix have shown a growing interest in the Xbox platform. This includes Final Fantasy XIV's director, Naoki Yoshida, who desires to bring Final Fantasy XVI to Xbox, and Naoki Hamaguchi, who during an interview with GamesRadar, has stated he's an Xbox fan and that he wants and I quote, "to bring Final Fantasy VII and the Remake series to as many players out there as possible."

In a separate interview (via Stellar Blade aficionado Genki_JPN), Hamaguchi echoed the same sentiments, stating that FFVII Remake and Rebirth will come to more players in 2025, while following up with a reminder about the PC version. It stands to reason that he could be referring to the Nintendo Switch 2, and hopefully, Xbox Series X|S.

"We are currently working on the final game in the FFVII REMAKE series, and the entire development team is working hard to make it a suitable finale. Next year, we will continue to take on the challenge of making the FFVII REMAKE series available for more gamers to play, so please continue to support us!"

Will the Final Fantasy VII Remake series finally come to Xbox?

It would certainly be a dream come true for Xbox fans to finally experience the Final Fantasy VII Remake series. Despite controversial changes made to the original Final Fantasy VII's story, Final Fantasy VII Remake and Rebirth have been touted by critics and fans as some of the best PC titles in the Final Fantasy franchise. They feature extremely high production values, adrenaline-pumping combat, incredibly diverse soundtracks, and larger-than-life boss fights. Rebirth reviewed well enough on PlayStation to be considered for the top accolade at The Game Awards 2024 as well.

Will Xbox ports of Final Fantasy VII Remake and Rebirth become a reality or will they be another dead fantasy? We will have to wait to find out. In the meantime, Final Fantasy VII Remake's PC port and the upcoming PC port for Final Fantasy VII Rebirth which is scheduled to release on January 23, 2025, will keep you company.

Be sure to check out our Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth PC system requirements guide to see if your PC rig has what it takes to run this upcoming PC title.

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth is currently available on PlayStation 5, and is slated to launch on Windows PC on Jan. 23, 2025.

Take some time to check your computer and ensure you're ready for the next PC-bound JRPG.

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth is coming to Windows PC, and ahead of launch, developer and publisher Square Enix published the expected minimum and recommended requirements, ensuring players have a chance to double-check their specs. I've gathered the details you need right here.

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth: PC requirements

Broadly speaking, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth definitely doesn't skimp out on its requirements, and you'll want to have somewhat recent hardware if you want to really crank the settings. That said, as long as your rig was built (or heavily upgraded) at some point in the last three years, you should be able to play without issue. Continuing an annoying trend we've seen across many recent games, however, you'll want to make sure you have a lot of space free on your internal SSD.

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth minimum requirements

Per Square Enix, the minimum requirements will be enough to play the game with the settings at "Low" while running the game at 1080p 30 FPS.

• OS: Windows 10 64-bit
• CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 1400 OR Intel Core i3-8100
• GPU: 16 GB RAM
• RAM: AMD Radeon RX 6600 OR Intel Arc A580 OR NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060
• STORAGE: 155 GB available space
• NOTES: An SSD is required. Square Enix recommends 12GB of VRAM (or more) if you intend to play at 4K resolution.

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth recommended requirements

The recommended requirements should be enough to play Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth at "Medium" settings while running at 1080p 60 FPS.

• OS: Windows 10 64-bit
• CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 5600 or Ryzen 7 3700X OR Intel Core i7-8700 or Core i5-10400
• GPU: AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT OR NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070
• RAM: 16 GB RAM
• STORAGE: 155 GB available space
• NOTES: An SSD is required. Square Enix recommends 12GB of VRAM (or more) if you intend to play at 4K resolution.

While Square Enix has not detailed what players should have in order to push the settings even higher, I'd definitely recommend an even higher-end CPU and GPU combination, while also running on an NVMe SSD storage solution.

How to check your PC specs

If you aren't exactly sure what you've got running with your PC, don't fret, as it's easy to check. Just follow these steps:

• Click the Windows button (the Windows icon) on the taskbar.
• Type dxdiag into the search bar.
• Click on dxdiag to see your PC's specs.
• Select the System tab to see the components within your PC.
• For GPU details, click on the Display tab.

How to upgrade your PC

Depending on exactly where your computer sits, it may be easy to upgrade, or you might want to consider starting a new build entirely. This'll depend largely on how out of date any specs are, if at all. Are you simply missing some RAM? It's easy enough to add some more. Is your CPU far below the minimum requirement? It's time to consider building or buying a new computer. Below, you'll find a variety of helpful starting information, depending on your needs.

Recommendations: Best pre-built gaming PCs | Best gaming laptops

Memory: How to upgrade and install RAM in a laptop | How to upgrade and install RAM in a desktop

Storage: Best SSD for PC | How to upgrade laptop HDD to SSD | Tips to free up space on Windows 11

CPU: Best CPU for your PC | How to install an Intel CPU in your PC

GPU: Best graphics cards | How to install a new graphics card

Overall tips: How to build your PC the right way

Will Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth run on gaming handhelds?

As time goes on, more and more players are choosing to experience PC games through different gaming handheld platforms, including Valve's Steam Deck and the ASUS ROG Ally. These handhelds allow you to take PC versions of games on the go, trading upgradeability and high-end specs for convenience and portability.

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth is currently available on PlayStation 5, and is slated to launch on Windows PC on Jan. 23, 2025.

With the new year underway, one of the most-anticipated PC ports of the year is almost here. Square Enix's Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth is one of the best-reviewed games of 2024, but it's already available at an awesome discount. At this time, you can preorder Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth on PC for just $40.89 at CDKeys, a nice discount compared to the $70 price tag it'll command at launch.

A great way to save as Square Enix focuses on more multiplatform launches

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth is a huge game, continuing the retelling of the iconic story while vastly expanding the playable areas with new quests and backstories. It's not just a remake though, and there's more going on in the story than is clear at first glance. Cloud, Tifa, Aerith, Barret, and Red XIII are joined by Yuffie and Caith Sith as they fight Shinra's forces or just relax and have fun at the beach.

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth is hitting PC faster than its precursor, Final Fantasy 7 Remake. That's likely in part due to how Square Enix is focusing on launching its games across more and more platforms now, eschewing its prior tactics of console exclusivity.

The publisher even went so far as to admit that Final Fantasy 16 and Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth (both of which launched as PlayStation 5 exclusives) failed to meet expectations. Square Enix has since brought Final Fantasy 16 to Windows PC, and is now doing the same with Rebirth, which is slated to launch across Steam and the Epic Games Store on Jan. 23, 2025.

To encourage preorders, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth is discounted to just $48 right now on both platforms, but using CDKeys brings that price down even further to just $43. That's a steal compared to the $70 launch price. If you're interested in some digital extras like an art book, you can also grab the Deluxe Edition for just $54.79, which will cost $90 at launch directly through Steam or the Epic Games Store.

What you need to know

• Xbox has been doing well getting Japanese publishers to support Xbox, but there are some notable gaps in its line-up.
• While Yakuza and Persona have arrived on Xbox and continue to perform well, major mainline Final Fantasy entries like FF16 and FF7 are still missing, and remain PlayStation exclusive.
• In a new interview with our colleagues at GamesRadar, new comments seem to increase the chances of getting Final Fantasy 7 Remake onto Xbox some day.

Microsoft's Xbox platform is doing incredibly well as it closes out 2024. Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 beat previous engagement records, timed exclusive STALKER 2 hit 1 million in sales and found even more players on Xbox Game Pass, and Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is incredibly promising, set to drop in December. But it hasn't all be rosy.

Xbox hardware sales continue to decline, and a common narrative online points to the console's content gap. Many major franchises have been historically missing from the Xbox platform, although the situation has improved over time. Franchises like Yakuza, Genshin Impact, and Persona have made the leap across to team green, but there's one nostalgic and glaring omission that has many users of a certain age feeling left out.

The Final Fantasy franchise is not the powerhouse it once was, for a variety of reasons. Inconsistent quality and wildly diverging gameplay experiments game-over-game have divided up the fanbase and undermined the franchise's nostalgia. But also, the fact that Final Fantasy games generally only ship on one platform at a time. Without full multi-platform might, Final Fantasy as a brand struggles to find its voice in a crowded, and increasingly algorithmic discovery market, and publisher Square Enix knows it. As such, Square Enix has pledged to move to multi-platform game development, Xbox included. It started with Final Fantasy 14 and Final Fantasy Pixel Remasters for Xbox players, but Final Fantasy 7 Remake and Final Fantasy 16 are still missing as of writing. There's hope, though.

I previously wrote that I'd heard the "full" slate of Final Fantasy games are on the table for Xbox ports, and that seems at least tentatively confirmed by a new interview in our sister site GamesRadar. Naoki Hamaguchi, game director on Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, confirmed himself as an Xbox fan, while discussing Square Enix's move to multi-platform game development.

"In terms of Final Fantasy 7, there's nothing really we can say at the moment, but certainly I do want to bring Final Fantasy 7 and the Remake series to as many players out there as possible. So we want to create that situation, that environment, where more players can play the games in future, and we want to look in that direction."

Naoki Hamaguchi reflected that the game industry has become multi-polar by nature, and that more and more games will seek multi-platform status in the future, beyond Square Enix's. "I think this goes beyond Final Fantasy 7," he said, "It really is a change in the industry, and I think certainly we're feeling right now that the industry has changed in terms of there being so many different platforms and environments that people play games on these days.

He noted that the endpoints for accessing games were far more numerous in today's times, compared to the past, while also giving a shout out to Xbox in the process. "It's so much more diversified now, so I think that's that's probably why our CEO, Mr. [Takashi] Kiryu, made that decision to move more in the direction of multiplatform – that's just the way that the industry is going. [...] This is just a personal opinion now, but I've got an Xbox myself. I think it's a great hardware platform. I do like Xbox."

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More Final Fantasy for Xbox

Microsoft has done well to court interest from publishers that historically eschewed Xbox, although there is work to be done. Some of 2024's biggest games, such as Black Myth Wukong and Stellar Blade have sadly side-stepped Xbox so far, and Microsoft was years behind capitalizing on the gatcha craze with Genshin Impact only launching on Xbox this month. It hasn't all been losses, though. I already mentioned STALKER 2, which has given Xbox a strong timed console exclusive of its own this month. There was also the massive Palworld craze last year, both of which shows that Xbox can pick winners from time to time. Microsoft also managed to land Hideo Kojima's high-profile PlayStation exclusive Death Stranding for Xbox only recently.

Naoki Hamaguchi is correct in suggesting that we're moving to a more multi-platform gaming landscape. Xbox CEO Phil Spencer himself emphasized that even more Xbox games could launch on PlayStation in the future. There's more competition for consumer's attention than ever before, and if you're not hitting every available endpoint, the likelihood you can get your product into a "trending" state is diminished. While that universe may hurt Xbox hardware sales on paper, things like Xbox Cloud Gaming (which now includes buy-to-own games) will ensure the Microsoft game development environment remains lucrative for creators long term. Indeed, both Phil Spencer and Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella reported to investors repeatedly that Xbox has more active console users than ever, and continues to grow.

Hopefully, those users will also be playing Final Fantasy 7 Remake, Rebirth, and its upcoming third iteration as soon as possible. Perhaps we can also convince Square Enix to make Final Fantasy 17 turn-based too ...

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What you need to know

• A week after being announced and released during the 2024 Tokyo Game Show, Square Enix's long-awaited Xbox port of the Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster Collection has been seen jumping up high on the Top Paid charts on Xbox stores worldwide.
• Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster Collection is a compilation of the first six entries of Square Enix's Final Fantasy franchise, all remastered with upgraded pixel-art graphics and re-arranged soundtracks, and includes quality-of-life improvements to smooth out the gameplay experience for newcomers to the series.
• Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster Collection is available for purchase digitally on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Xbox Cloud via Xbox Play Anywhere, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and PC via Windows and Steam.

Original article (October 4, 2024):

On September 26, 2024, Square Enix has started making good on its promise to bring more of its JRPGs to Xbox consoles by releasing the long-awaited Xbox port of the Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster Collection during the 2024 Tokyo Game Show (along with releasing several Mana games to Xbox). 

Demand for this grand compilation of classic Final Fantasy games has shown to be very high as a week after it launched on Xbox platforms, the Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster Collection has been seen rising up to the 12th spot on the Top Paid list on the Xbox Store in the U.S. (as sighted on Reddit via @HazzadorGamin at X).

We at Windows Central also checked the game's position on the Xbox Store in other countries. While the Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster Collection only holds the 20th spot in the UK, it has hit a high 13th spot in Xbox stores in Germany, and has been riding high in other countries we've been able to check as well.

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Classic Final Fantasy has finally come to Xbox and it is glorious

As a long-time fan of the Final Fantasy series since playing the original Final Fantasy 7 on the PlayStation One during the 1990s, it warms my heart to see so many Xbox players come together and show their love for the 2D-era Final Fantasy titles. 

Some of the games in the Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster Collection like Final Fantasy 1, 4, 5 (my personal favorite of the collection), and 6 have stood the test of time and are still widely regarded as some of the best JRPGs ever made. And now, Xbox fans can finally experience these excellent Xbox JRPGs on Xbox Series X|S for themselves and see how they helped shape the JRPG genre into what it is today. 

On top of that, these games are also available on Windows PC and are compatible with Xbox Play Anywhere. This means you can use some of the best gaming handhelds like the Lenovo Legion Go and play some of the best Xbox JRPGs while traveling abroad or visiting a friend's house as these games are a perfect fit for them.

With the recent revelation that Square Enix confirming its plans to bring Final Fantasy 16 to Xbox, I believe it's only a matter of time before we see the once-thought-impossible Xbox ports of Final Fantasy 16 and Final Fantasy 7 Remake become a reality next.

What you need to know

• Square Enix is a major Japanese publisher, known for the Final Fantasy series among others. 
• In recent years, Final Fantasy began skipping the entire Xbox platform, opting for PlayStation exclusivity. 
• Subsequently, Square Enix has denounced its exclusivity plans blaming declining sales, with aims to launch games on Steam for Windows more regularly. 
• As an extension, the firm has also pledged support for Microsoft's Xbox console, with games like Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster, Legend of Mana, and Dragon Quest all slated for the console. 
• Now, Square Enix has confirmed aims to bring flagship titles like Final Fantasy 16 across as well. 

A short while ago, I shared on my XB2 Podcast that I'd heard Square Enix was looking to bring its entire slate of Final Fantasy games to Xbox, including Final Fantasy 16. Now, we have some confirmation that that is indeed the plan. 

Speaking in a new interview (via HazzadorGamin), Square Enix legend Naoki Yoshida (often known affectionately by fans as Yoshi-P), confirmed that Final Fantasy 16 is slated for Xbox, although stopped short of offering a timeframe. 

Final Fantasy 16 took the franchise into more of an action hack n' slash direction, riffing on games like Devil May Cry. While some fans lamented the lack of tactical combat prevalent in previous games, the game's spectacular combat visuals won over many new and returning fans regardless. However, the game was up until recently, fully exclusive to PlayStation 5. Final Fantasy 16 has since launched on Steam for PC, however, and managed to hit 27,000~ concurrent players at peak. Although you'd have to wonder how much more it might've done if it had launched simultaneously with its PlayStation version, taking advantage of the marketing cycle from its initial launch. 

RELATED: Will Final Fantasy 16 come to Xbox?

Indeed, Square Enix has commented repeatedly about its recent Final Fantasy games, saying that they've "missed targets" (via IGN). To that end, Square Enix has begun adopting more of a multi-platform approach, with games like Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster launching on Xbox, as well as the World of Warcraft MMORPG competitor Final Fantasy 14. "Now we are moving towards the policy of releasing our games on a multiplatform basis, and we really want as many players as possible to play our titles," Naoki Yoshida previously said. 

In the new interview, Naoki Yoshida emphasized that Square Enix is planning to bring flagship titles like Final Fantasy 16 to Xbox as well, although it seems more like an aspirational plan right now, given the firm's growing pains as it moves towards multi-platform game development. 

"Of course we did announce the PC version of the game, so looking towards the Xbox version, we do want to release it on Xbox," Yoshida said. "But when it comes to the specifics such as when the game would be available and such, we are not in a position to be able to share anything. But of course, I want to say that it’s not as if there’s zero hope, and we very much do want to achieve that. So players should not give up in terms of their hopes."

I've heard via trusted sources that Microsoft is working heavily with Square Enix to make games like Final Fantasy 16 and even Final Fantasy 7 Remake on Xbox a reality. Microsoft has made a prolific effort to repair its relationships with Japanese and Asia-region developers in recent years, with a large Xbox outreach presence at the Tokyo Game Show to meet publishers and teams of all shapes and sizes. 

Microsoft worked hard to bring games like Genshin Impact, Yakuza, and Persona to Xbox, finally, and developers like Koei Tecmo and Square Enix have also begun to support the platform a little more in recent months too. 

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Square Enix's support of Xbox is very welcome

Elsewhere in the interview, Yoshida mentions fan's requests to remake Final Fantasy 9, heralded by many as one of the franchise's brightest spots. He laments that the size of the game would mean the remake would have to make up several parts, and thus be incredibly costly and risky. Final Fantasy 7, for example, has been an incredibly huge and unwieldy project for Square Enix, with the firm claiming both FF7 Remake and Rebirth missed their sales projections. 

I wrote on Twitter earlier today that I'd love to see Square Enix revive classics like Parasite Eve with a Capcom-like flair, but not every game needs to have a massive AAA budget remake in order to be good. Would the PlayStation 1 version of Final Fantasy 9 benefit from a multi-part Unreal Engine 5 AAA extravaganza? Or could it still thrill new audiences in similar fashion to the modern Persona games, with text-based dialogue and more simplistic, albeit stylish visuals? 

It has been interesting watching Final Fantasy evolve as a long time fan. I wasn't initially enamoured with the switch to hack n' slash gameplay, but I felt it worked quite well in Final Fantasy 7 Remake when I did my review, striking a good balance between the old and the new. Wider audiences didn't seem too interested, though, judging by Square's comments on sales. Younger cohorts seem more interested in the heavily anime-styled JRPGs in recent years, such as Genshin Impact. Persona 5 Royal almost doubled Final Fantasy 16's maximum player count on Steam, although Final Fantasy 16's lofty PC requirements don't exactly open it up to a broad audience.

Hopefully, bringing Final Fantasy to Xbox helps Square Enix recoup some of its costs there, while it searches for what the future of Final Fantasy looks like. I suspect Final Fantasy's future success may hinge on making its visual requirements less intensive to target a broader subset of PC users, while also simultaneously launching across all platforms. 

What you need to know

• Square Enix has revealed several new Xbox ports for the Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster Collection, Legend of Mana, and Trials of Mana during Microsoft's livestream presentation at Tokyo Game Show 2024.
• In addition, it showed more gameplay footage for the upcoming HD-2D remake of Dragon Quest 3, which is set to launch on Xbox Series X|S and PC via Windows and Steam on November 14, 2024.
• Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster, Legend of Mana, and Trials of Mana will be available for purchase later today for Xbox Series X|S and Windows PC. In addition, Legend of Mana and Trials of Mana will also be available to download via Xbox Game Pass.

On September 26, 2024, during the finale of Microsoft's Tokyo Game Show 2024 presentation, Square Enix made an appearance to make several startling announcements sure to please long-time fans of its classic JRPGs. Later today, Square Enix will be releasing the highly-requested Xbox port of Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster, along with two unexpected Xbox ports of two classic titles from the Mana franchise — Legend of Mana and Trials of Mana.

In addition, Square Enix also showcased new gameplay footage for the upcoming 2D-HD remake of the legendary JRPG, Dragon Quest 3. Here is everything you need to know from these announcements.

Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster Collection

First off on this list of major announcements is the Xbox port of the Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster Collection has finally been confirmed after many months of rumors. For those unaware, Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster Collection is a compilation featuring the first six entries of Square Enix's critically-acclaimed Final Fantasy series. 

Several games in this compilation are often regarded by critics and fans (myself included) as some of the most influential and best games in the JRPG genre, such as Final Fantasy 6, Final Fantasy 4, and even the original Final Fantasy. But this isn't just a normal compilation port of the original games, all six titles have been remastered for modern consoles with new pixel-art graphics and rearranged soundtracks.

In addition, the Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster Collection will include quality-of-life improvements such as an optional experience point booster so you can level up faster, an auto-battle option, and the ability to turn off random encounters.

The Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster Collection is now available for purchase on Xbox Series X|S and Windows PC.

Trials of Mana

Next up on our list of Square Enix JRPGs coming to Xbox is the surprising announcement of Xbox ports for Legend of Mana and Trials of Mana from the Mana series. Trials of Mana is a remake of the once Japanese-exclusive third entry in the Mana series (also known as Seiken Densetsu 3) and has the player embark on an epic adventure to stop evil villains from freeing monstrous beings known as Benevodons, and save the world.

In this game, you will form a team of three out of six heroes and use their powerful abilities to vanquish monsters and evildoers in fast-paced real-time action-RPG combat. When this game was released back in 2020 for PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, and PC via Steam, it received wide acclaim for its in-depth character class customization system, compelling characters, and beautiful music. 

Now Xbox fans will be able to experience this highly-praised entry in the Mana series for themselves as it is now available to purchase on Xbox Series X|S and Windows.

Legend of Mana

Legend of Mana meanwhile is the fourth title in the Mana series that was only once released only in Japan during the 1990s before being re-released as a HD remaster for PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, and PC via Steam in 2021. This JRPG has a rather unique premise that instead of going off on a journey to travel the world, you are instead tasked to build one from scratch.

This is because the world map is completely empty, and it's up to you to fill the gaps by completing a series of quests that tie together to form compelling story arcs and unlock new locations to explore. You can tackle these quests in any order you desire and depending on the order you complete them, you will create your own world map with secrets and challenges unique to each playthrough. 

In addition, like the rest of the Mana series, Legend of Mana features a real-time action-RPG combat system and a complex character customization system to help over the various beasties that will impede your adventure.

This remastered edition of Legend of Mana features gorgeously redrawn pre-rendered background art and a memorable soundtrack composed by the legendary Yoko Shimomura known for composing tracks for Kingdom Hearts, Final Fantasy XV, Mario & Luigi, Street Fighter 2, Live a Live, and many more.

Legend of Mana will be available for purchase later today for Xbox Series X|S and PC via Windows. On top of that, both Legend of Mana and Trials of Mana will be added to Xbox Game Pass's library today as well, so Xbox Game Pass subscribers can download them for free.

With the addition of the recently released Visions of Mana, it's safe to say that the Mana series is back and here to stay on Xbox consoles.

Dragon Quest 3 2D-HD Remake

The last announcement from Square Enix for this showcase is a montage of new gameplay footage for Dragon Quest 3 2D-HD Remake. This game is a remake of 1988's Dragon Quest 3, one of the most influential and critically-acclaimed JRPGs of all time that set the standard for future JRPGs to come. 

In this game, you are given the daunting quest of saving the world from being conquered by the vile Archfield Baramos and avenging your father Ortega, who fell in battle trying to slay Baramos. To complete your quest, you will need to recruit powerful heroes to your party and strengthen your gear and abilities if you hope to stand a chance of defeating Baramos and his army of monsters.

RELATED: Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake preview: A beautiful game with smart improvements

The remake reimagines the original Dragon Quest 3 with a gorgeous HD-2D art style seen in other Square Enix titles like the Octopath Traveler series and the Live a Live remake. However, this game doesn't just include new visual enhancements, it will also feature a new Vocation class for members of your party to learn called the Monster Wrangler. 

The Monster Wrangler Vocation has the power to use the abilities of monsters you encounter in battle and can even tame them so you can use them to fight in the arena and earn some extra money.

Dragon Quest 3 2D-HD Remake is scheduled to be released for Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, and PC via Windows and Steam later this year on November 14, 2024.

Xbox JRPG fans are eating good in 2024

2024 has been an incredible year so far for Xbox JRPG fans. This year we had high-quality JRPGs from SEGA such as Persona 3 Reload and Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth. Several cult-classic titles from the 1990s are coming back and being ported onto modern consoles, like Suikoden and Grandia. 

And to top it off, Square Enix is finally bringing the Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster Collection to Xbox along with, Xbox ports for Legend of Mana and Trials of Mana, and an HD-2D remake of one of the best entries in the Dragon Quest series.

While we're still a ways off from getting Xbox ports of Final Fantasy 7 Remake, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, and Final Fantasy 16, the chances of those ports happening are looking more likely than ever before.

With more upcoming Xbox JRPGs to look forward to such as Atelier's Xbox debut title, Atelier Yumia: The Alchemist of Memories & the Envisioned Land, Atlus' Metaphor: ReFantazio, the recently announced indie title Threads of Time, and many others, I'd say the future of JRPGs on Xbox is on the path to a bright future.

What you need to know

• Xbox Tokyo Game Show just aired with a bunch of announcements of new Game Pass games, and new trailers for upcoming titles.
• Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster has been confirmed and is available on Xbox right now. 
• Trials of Mana and Legend of Mana are now available on Xbox Game Pass.
• StarCraft: Remastered and StarCraft II: Campaign Collection are coming to PC Game Pass, and we got a new trailer for Indiana Jones, as well as news of Fallout 76 Pets!

Xbox returned to the Tokyo Game Show today, packed with new gameplay footage, announcements, and reveals, the showcase highlighted games from across Asia and beyond, coming soon to Xbox consoles and PC.

Xbox Game Studios, Blizzard, and Bethesda delivered exciting updates on several games. We learned that the legendary RTS games StarCraft: Remastered and StarCraft II: Campaign Collection are joining PC Game Pass, saw a first look at new content for Age of Mythology: Retold, and got a sneak peek at a My Hero Academia crossover event for Overwatch 2. In super exciting news, Fallout 76 introduced C.A.M.P. pets for the dog and cat lovers amongst us, and we were treated to more footage from Indiana Jones and the Great Circle. What's more the Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster was confirmed and is available right now on Xbox. 

New trailer for Metal Gear Solid: Snake Eater

Not only did we get a brand-new trailer for Indiana Jones and The Great Circle, but it was also confirmed that the game will be fully localized in Japanese. Game Director Jerk Gustafsson and Creative Director Axel Torvenius made an appearance during the Xbox Broadcast to share insights about the story. They also showcased gameplay footage, giving us a preview of the impressive Japanese voice acting featured in the game.

Overwatch 2: My Hero Academia crossover

A new event dropping into Overwatch 2 on October 17, 2024 — My Hero Academia! From October 17 to 28, players can step into the shoes of their favorite anime heroes and villains with exclusive legendary skins.

This limited-time event features iconic characters, with Tracer embodying the determined Deku, Juno as the optimistic Uraraka, and Reinhardt as the mighty All Might, squaring off against villains like Kiriko as the sinister Toga and Reaper as the ruthless Shigaraki. 

Age of Mythology Retold: Immortal Pillars 

Age of Mythology: Retold | Immortal Pillars will be the first expansion for the game. This new expansion brings the rich myths and grandeur of ancient China to life, introducing a brand-new pantheon of gods, mythological units, divine powers, and an immersive campaign inspired by Chinese mythology.

In Immortal Pillars, players can earn the favor of 12 new gods, including Nüwa, the goddess of creation, Chiyou, the bull-headed god of war, and Nüba, the goddess of drought. They can also summon powerful god powers, like the mighty Yinglong, the rain-bringing dragon of Chinese legend. Fans can now add the expansion to their wish list as they await its release.

Starcraft Remastered and Starcraft 2 coming to PC Game Pass 

If you've been asking for more Activision Blizzard titles on Xbox Game Pass, well this news is for you.  Announced by Phil Spencer, StarCraft: Remastered and StarCraft II: Campaign Collection are coming to PC Game Pass  on November 5, 2024. While StarCraft and StarCraft II’s multiplayer modes remain free-to-play for all, Game Pass members will be able to access StarCraft: Remastered and the StarCraft II: Campaign Collection as part of their subscription.

Tanuki

Take on the role of an adorable, BMX-ing mailman racoon dog in Tanuki: Pon's Summer, coming to Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One and PC. Tanuki: Pon’s Summer offers a cozy adventure perfect for the whole family, featuring a delightful mix of lovable characters, fun and unique activities, all set in a charming world. Players can fall in love with Pon, just like the townsfolk do, while exploring the game’s heartwarming quests.

Threads of Time

Threads of Time is now available to wishlist on Xbox and PC. Threads of Time is a beautiful 2.5D JRPG inspired by the genre’s classics. Guided by the Watcher of Time, you’ll journey through different time periods, from prehistoric lands filled with dinosaurs to a far-future world dominated by advanced technology, and beyond.

This first look reveals Threads of Time as a charming, party-based, time-traveling adventure, showcasing cinematic turn-based, combo-driven combat. Players will face legendary enemies such as Fenrir, the mythical wolf, and Ruin, a colossal robotic behemoth from the future, as they navigate through different epochs in time.

We Love Katamari: Reroll+ Royal Reverie

We Love Katamari: Reroll+ Royal Reverie is now available on Xbox Game Pass. It is a remaster of one of the most beloved titles in the Katamari Damacy series, offering enhanced visuals and exciting new content. This version introduces a brand-new story where players can roll around as The King of All Cosmos during his boyhood. 

Metaphor Re Fantazio 

Metaphor: ReFantazio, an exciting new fantasy RPG from the creators of Persona 3, Persona 4, and Persona 5, is set to launch on October 11, with a demo available now. Progress will carry over into the full game upon release.

In Metaphor: ReFantazio, the protagonist awakens the power of the 'Archetype,' enabling him to battle enemies using a variety of abilities, including those of a Warrior or a Mage. Players can unlock different Archetypes, build their ultimate party, and take on a range of formidable foes. The newly released trailer provides an overview of the game while introducing powerful Archetypes and various Synthesis skills for the first time.

Atelier Yumia: The Alchemist of Memories & the Envisioned Land

Atelier Yumia is the first game in the beloved RPG series to come to Xbox. Coming to Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One on March 21, 2025. Read more at Xbox Wire. 

Bleach: Rebirth of Souls

BLEACH: Rebirth of Souls is set to launch on Xbox Series X|S in early 2025. The release window was announced in a brand-new trailer showcasing the climactic battle between Ichigo Kurosaki and Ulquiorra Schiffer, and fans can follow the Bleach game X account to stay updated on the latest character reveals and gameplay details.

Synduality: Echo of Ada

Synduality: Echo of Ada coming to Xbox Series X|S on 24, January 2025. In this sci-fi, PvPvE extraction shooter, you and your A.I. partner must survive the surface by gathering resources to thrive in a harsh world. The release date was unveiled in a brand-new trailer, offering a glimpse of various A.I. Magus partners, customizable Cradlecoffin Mechs, and a treacherous environment teeming with hostile enemies. Compete for resources against or alongside other players, each with unpredictable loyalties.

Pre-order the Deluxe Edition or Ultimate Edition to play up to seven days early.

Fallout 76 gets pets!

What truly makes a C.A.M.P. feel like a home? Pets! Pets are coming to Fallout 76 by the end of 2024. Get ready to prepare your personal corner of the wasteland for your new furry friends!

Suikoden Remastered

Suikoden 1 & 2 HD Remaster coming March 6. 2025. This beloved Konami RPG franchise, which first debuted in 1995, is making a comeback on current consoles with a remastered user interface, enhanced visual effects, and high-definition redrawn backgrounds.

All You Need is Help on Xbox Game Pass TODAY 

Get ready to put your friendships to the test, All You Need Is Help is a co-op puzzle game designed to be played with your friends - and it's out today, on Xbox Game Pass for Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and PC.

This four-player co-op game supports both local and online multiplayer, allowing players to connect regardless of their console thanks to cross-platform support and a robust lobby system.

Slitterhead

Slitterhead, the fascinating new horror-adventure from Silent Hill creator Keiichiro Toyama, opens pre-orders today and is set to release for Xbox Series X|S on November 8, 2024. Both digital Standard and Deluxe editions will be available – Deluxe owners will get early access, a digital artbook, and a soundtrack from Silent Hill composer Akira Yamaoka.

Slitterhead is a horror-themed action-adventure game from Bokeh Game Studio, marking the first title developed and published by this independent company led by Keiichiro Toyama, renowned for his work on Silent Hill, as well as the Siren and Gravity Rush series. In an exclusive video, Toyama discussed his influences and shared insights into the unique "Possession" system, which will play a crucial role in both gameplay and storytelling. 

The Starbites

Starbites is a sci-fi, turn-based RPG set on the deserted planet of Bitter, where the remnants of spaceships from past space wars litter the landscape. Players follow the story of Lukida, a debris collector who scavenges the wreckage to pay off his debts. Disillusioned by his bleak existence on Bitter, Lukida decides to embark on an epic journey with his friends to escape the planet.

The combat system in Starbites offers a unique blend of traditional turn-based strategy and innovative mechanics. We don't have a release date for this title yet. 

Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake

Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake adds updated features to an all-time classic, blending classic aesthetics with modern gameplay. This remake not only captures the essence of the original but also expands upon it with exciting new features, such as the Monster Wrangler vocation. This new class harnesses powerful monstrous abilities to damage foes, heal allies, and more. Players will also have the chance to scout friendly monsters and recruit them for battles in the Monster Arena, where they can participate in tournaments for fun and profit.


Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake launches for Xbox Series X|S on November 14, 2024.

The definitive versions of Final Fantasy 1-6 are out on Xbox consoles and Windows PC today!

In a not-so-surprise announcement that was leaked yesterday, the legendary first six games in the Final Fantasy series are now available on Xbox and Windows for the first time! It's the first of many Square Enix games coming to Xbox. Experience the six incredible stories that captivated a generation, all featuring universally updated 2D pixel graphics, a rearranged soundtrack, and various quality of life improvements.

The remasters include modernized gameplay elements such as an updated user interface, auto-battle options, and supplementary extras like a bestiary, illustration gallery, and music player. Players can enjoy Final Fantasy I-VI either individually or as part of a bundle.

Trials of Mana and Legends of Mana on Xbox Game Pass TODAY

Experience the magic of Legend of Mana and Trials of Mana, now available on Xbox and Xbox Game Pass for the first time. Legend of Mana features the unique 'Land Make' system, allowing you to build your own world map and shape your adventure by placing special artifacts. With a colorful cast of characters and exciting real-time combat, this HD remaster also includes a rearranged soundtrack and the mini-game Ring Ring Land, offering the ultimate way to enjoy this classic RPG.

Trials of Mana is a beloved classic reimagined in 3D, showcasing significant graphic improvements, voiceovers, and a remastered soundtrack. This RPG presents an overlapping story of interwoven destinies that changes based on your chosen main character and companions. 

Over and out

That's everything from the Xbox Tokyo Game Show this year! What was your favorite announcement? And why is it the Fallout 76 pets?

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What you need to know

• Microsoft has a 45 minute long presentation at the Tokyo Game Show this week, showcasing their continued efforts to promote Xbox gaming in Asia. 
• On my XB2 Podcast recently, I hinted that I'd heard more Final Fantasy games were slated to be revealed for Xbox at the event. 
• Now, it seems at least one of those has been confirmed, with a reddit user in Germany noting an advertising banner seems to have gone live prematurely. 
• The Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster collection comprises all the classic 2D Final Fantasy games, from Final Fantasy all the way to Final Fantasy VI, regarded by many as the peak of the franchise. 
• Final Fantasy 14 recently launched on Xbox and Final Fantasy 16 recently launched on Steam, but it could be a while before we see Final Fantasy 7 Remake hit Xbox. 
• (Update): Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster's Xbox port has been announced at the Tokyo Game Show and will be available to download later today on Xbox consoles and PC via Windows.

Original article (September 26, 2024):

Long suffering Final Fantasy fans on Xbox are about to get a reprieve, if this leak is accurate. 

A short while ago on our XB2 Podcast, I shared hints I received that Final Fantasy would feature in Microsoft's Xbox Tokyo Game Show presentation, slated for September 26, 2024, later today in fact. The show will go live on various platforms at 3 AM PST / 6 AM EST / 11 AM BST and 7 PM JST, and Microsoft may have just accidentally leaked one of the reveals. 

Shared via reddit, it seems some Xbox gamers in German-speaking regions of Europe received a banner ad for the Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster collection, reading "Now available" when translated. The banner links out to a dormant store page as of writing, but the verbiage seems to suggest that the game will be shadow dropped and become available instantaneously during the show. 

The Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster Collection comprises every Final Fantasy game up to Final Fantasy 6, which many regard as the franchises' high point of the classic era. These games were legendary in pushing the envelope for in-game music, story delivery, and the RPG genre in general, and remain nostalgic favorites for many. 

Up until now, the games have been exclusively unavailable on Xbox. You can play the Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster games on virtually every other platform imaginable, including Android and iOS, but for whatever reason, Square Enix didn't see fit to bring them across to Microsoft's home-grown console platform. 

At the most recent Final Fantasy Celebration, Xbox head Phil Spencer appeared on stage alongside Final Fantasy alumni to talk about the Final Fantasy 14 launch on Xbox. It was part of a broader partnership that Microsoft has been working to course correct, after various Final Fantasy games became PlayStation exclusive, including Final Fantasy 7 Remake, Rebirth, and Final Fantasy 16. 

The JRPGs are beloved by millions of older players across the globe, although they have struggled to find a modern audience among younger players by the firm's own admission. Final Fantasy 16 and Rebirth both missed Square Enix's own sales targets per filings with shareholders. In response, Square Enix has pledged to gun for simultaneous platform launches for future titles, targeting Xbox, PlayStation, and PC more closely than before. They may have their work cut out, though, as many users have complained about Final Fantasy 16's optimization on PC, which arguably still needs a fair bit of work. 

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A step in the right direction

Microsoft has worked incredibly hard to gain support of Asian developers in recent years. Microsoft has managed to land simultaneous treatment for long-standing outliers like Yakuza, as well as Atlus' Persona titles, including the upcoming Metaphor: ReFantazio. Microsoft has also finally landed the wildly popular global Chinese phenomenon Genshin Impact for Xbox, set for November 2024. 

It's not all wins, though. Microsoft has missed out on strong third-party Asian games like Phantom Zero, Stellar Blade, and Black Myth Wukong. It's had some exclusive wins of its own, though, including Palworld, which only just launched on PlayStation this past week. 

Final Fantasy remained a difficult one for Microsoft, though. Missing out on every Final Fantasy game since Final Fantasy XV, Microsoft has begun repairing the situation starting with Final Fantasy 14, which is Square Enix's answer to World of Warcraft in essence, and arguably remains the best alternative MMORPG. 

I've heard that the entire Final Fantasy slate is on the agenda for Xbox, too, including games like Final Fantasy 7 Remake and Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth. I'm told the Final Fantasy 7 Remake trilogy may be further out, though. It seems more likely we'll get Final Fantasy 16 ahead of those, although it's unclear for now. I'm sure we'll learn more about Square Enix's plans for Xbox, and Xbox's plans for Japanese and wider Asian region games at the Tokyo Game Show, later today. I'm personally hoping to see the Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster games hit Xbox Play Anywhere, so I can grab them on my Lenovo Legion Go as well. 

All of the summer's major gaming conventions, expos, and showcases are officially over, but as we move into autumn this week, we're kicking things off with a brand new presentation: the Mobile Gaming Show. Created by the folks behind the popular Future Games Show and hosted by none other than Ben Starr — the voice actor best known for his heartfelt and spirited performance as Clive Rosfield in 2023's Final Fantasy 16 — the Mobile Gaming Show is slated to give players a closer look at several of the biggest mobile games coming in 2024 and beyond.

“Great news folks! I am hosting the Mobile Gaming Show on September 26 when I will be bringing you exclusive reveals, developer interviews and all the latest news from the world of mobile," Starr said in a statement. "Join me then. I can’t wait!”

As Starr noted, the show is scheduled for Thursday, September 26 — and ahead of its arrival, the streaming platforms you can watch it live on and much of its planned schedule have been announced. You'll find all of that information below, so read on to learn everything there is to know about how to watch the Mobile Gaming Show and what to expect from it.

How to watch the Mobile Gaming Show

The Mobile Gaming Show is scheduled to begin on September 26, 2024 at 10:00 a.m. PT / 1:00 p.m. ET / 6:00 p.m. BST / 7:00 p.m. CEST, at which point the presentation will be livestreamed to official Future Games Show channels on a number of different platforms. Seven of these have been confirmed so far, all of which are linked in the list below:

• YouTube
• Twitch
• X (Twitter)
• Facebook
• GamesRadar
• GameSpot
• NicoNico

Notably, content creators and streamers can co-stream the Mobile Gaming Show, though they'll need to complete a special sign-up process to do so. This can be done by filling out this official Mobile Gaming Show co-streamer form.

Mobile Gaming Show: Schedule and what to expect

While we don't know about everything that will appear at the Mobile Gaming Show, we do know that it will run for 30 minutes and that it will feature "exclusive reveals, developer interviews, studio visits, trailers and more." On top of that, several of the games that will be shown have been revealed. They've been included below, along with all relevant information.

What games will be at the Mobile Gaming Show?

• An interview with Digital Extremes; creative team behind Warframe Mobile. Rebecca Ford (creative director) and Megan Everett (community director) discuss bringing Warframe to iOS with Nitro Games and the path to Android ahead.
• A stunning new trailer for EVE Galaxy Conquest from CCP Games
• New trailer from the first street basketball mobile game licensed by the NBPA, Dunk City Dynasty, from NetEase Games
• New reveal from The Game Kitchen
• A new announcement from Coffee Stain Malmö
• Mobile trailer for the monster-fusing RPG Cassette Beasts
• A rundown of the best mobile games to play right now

Keep in mind that these are only some of the titles that're on the docket, so you'll definitely want to tune in for the full show if you're an avid mobile gamer. Frankly, I'm not much of one myself, but even I plan to tune in to see if there's anything going on with Cassette Beasts. First released in spring 2023 on PC and consoles and then on iOS and Android in June this year, it's one of the best Xbox games and best PC games to play if you're looking for a Pokémon-like RPG. It's also on Xbox Game Pass.

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To keep track of future announcements about and details for the Mobile Gaming Show, its showrunners say to search and follow the #MobileGamingShow hashtag on GamesRadar, X (Twitter), and Facebook.

What you need to know

• Final Fantasy 16 and Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, two large Square Enix games, both launched as PlayStation 5 exclusives. 
• According to a Square Enix financial results briefing from May 2024 that is now availably publicly, profits from Final Fantasy 16 and Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth failed to meet expectations. 
• Final Fantasy 16 recently launched on Windows PC through Steam and the Epic Games Store.
• Square Enix has committed to launching more games as multiplatform releases.

Some of the biggest games of the last two years haven't met expectations. 

Publisher Square Enix confirmed in a May 2024 financial results briefing (that is now available publicly) that after launching big games including Final Fantasy 16 and Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth "profits unfortunately did not meet our expectations." 

Final Fantasy 16 first arrived on June 22, 2023, while Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth launched back on Feb. 29, 2024. Both games first launched as timed PlayStation 5 exclusives, with Final Fantasy 16 recently arriving on Windows PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store. 

Final Fantasy 16 sold three million copies in its first week after launch. Square Enix has not yet publicized sales information for Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, but the title is currently the ninth best-selling game of the year in the U.S, per analytics group Circana.

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth's predecessor, Final Fantasy 7 Remake, first launched as a PlayStation 4 exclusive in 2020, receiving a PlayStation 5 version with new DLC in June 2021, with a PC version following in December 2021. As of September 2023, Final Fantasy 7 Remake has sold over 7 million copies.

Square Enix has announced plans to launch more multiplatform games, instead of consistently pursuing console exclusivity. Final Fantasy 14 producer Naoki Yoshida has noted that the company will be putting more games on Xbox, saying that "So with Final Fantasy 14 as the starting point, we do want to release more Square Enix games on Xbox, and there will be more of our titles released on Xbox. So I hope players will look forward to future things to come on the platform."

In addition to bringing the long-awaited Final Fantasy 14 to Xbox in 2024, Square Enix suddenly launched Octopath Traveler 2 on Xbox earlier this year. Looking ahead, Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D remake is launching in November 2024, with remakes of Dragon Quest and Dragon Quest 2 following in 2025. 

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Whether they're published by PlayStation Studios or a third-party developer, many games that were previously exclusive to Sony's consoles have made their way to the PC ecosystem in recent years. Horizon Forbidden West and Ghost of Tsushima are some recent examples that came earlier this year, and there's another from Square Enix that just dropped: the critically acclaimed action RPG Final Fantasy 16 (XVI). Its MSRP is $49.99, but thanks to a nice deal, you can actually pick it up for just $44.29 at CDKeys — a solid 11% discount. There's also a similar markdown for the $69.99 Complete Edition that knocks it down to $61.79 at CDKeys, allowing you to pick up both the game and its two DLC expansions for less.

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Experience Clive's quest for revenge for less

It's a rare thing to see deals on games and ports this early after their release, but CDKeys has been on a roll in recent months — and few of its discounts are more exciting than these ones. After all, Final Fantasy XVI is frequently thought of as one of the best games released in 2023, with the title picking up a Metascore of 87/100 on Metacritic based on 149 critic reviews, an 8.0 user score, and several awards across the industry. It didn't necessarily meet expectations for Square Enix from a financial standpoint, but it's still considered an excellent experience nonetheless.

Produced by Naoki Yoshida — best known for also producing and directing the massively popular MMO Final Fantasy 14 (XIV) — Final Fantasy XVI is the first mainline action RPG in the beloved franchise, and one that won over countless PlayStation fans when it first launched on the PS5 in June last year. It follows the tale of Clive Rosfield, a warrior that bears the title of the "First Shield of Rosaria" and is charged with protecting his brother Joshua. As the story unfolds over the course of the game, tragedy strikes, and Clive embarks on a quest for revenge against a vicious "Eikon" called Ifrit — a terrible god-like being known and feared for the devastation it brings.

Clive's journey takes him and his companions across the vast lands of the world of Valisthea, and sees players blend his expert swordplay with the magical powers of other Eikons as they pursue Ifrit. The single player adventure is largely a linear one that places a great emphasis on story and narrative, though many areas give opportunities to explore and players are free to upgrade Clive and his abilities as they see fit.

Admittedly, I haven't played Final Fantasy XVI yet myself, as I've been waiting for this PC port to check it out. I've absolutely fallen in love with Naoki Yoshida's Final Fantasy XIV this past year, however, and am eager to jump into this game now that it's finally come to my preferred platform. These reduced prices only make doing so easier, so if you're planning to play like I am, you should take advantage of them.

Something worth noting is that there's actually a free Final Fantasy XVI demo on the game's Steam page you can download and play now, which is a good way to get a taste of the experience and see if you like it. You can also use it to test how your system runs the game, which you may want to do even if you know your rig meets the Final Fantasy XVI PC system requirements.

Later this month, the voice actor behind one of the most popular video game characters from 2023 will host the debut of a brand new gaming showcase.

That voice actor is Ben Starr — best known by most gamers for his passionate and powerful performance as Clive Rosfield in last year's Final Fantasy 16 — and the showcase he's presenting is the Mobile Gaming Show. Put together by the same teams behind the popular Future Games Show and PC Gaming Show, this presentation will include 30 minutes of exclusive announcements, trailers, developer interviews, and more for some of the biggest mobile games coming in 2024 and beyond. Notably, several big-name mobile publishers like Digital Extremes, CCP Games, and NetEase Games will be at the show.

"Mobile is now the world's most popular gaming platform with billions of people playing games on their phone every day," commented Jake Tucker, editorial director of the Mobile Gaming Show, in the showcase's official reveal. "The Mobile Gaming Show will shine a spotlight on some of  the very best mobile games available and the people that make them. We'll also look at the most innovative and exciting titles coming soon that demand your attention. Join us on September 26 to discover the mobile games that everyone will be playing in 2024 and beyond!"

The Mobile Gaming Show is scheduled to run on Thursday, September 26 at 10:00 a.m. PT / 1:00 p.m. ET / 6:00 p.m. ET / 7:00 p.m. CEST, and will be available to watch live on official Future Games Show channels on YouTube, Twitch, X (Twitter), TikTok, Facebook, and GamesRadar.

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The Future Games Show itself is one of the largest quarterly gaming presentations in the world, with an overall average of 40 million viewers per show and a total viewership of 120 million views in 2023. Like many other high-profile showcases, the Future Games Show is frequently host to major world premieres, brand new trailers, live developer deep dives, and more. Over 500 games have appeared on it, including big titles like Lords of the Fallen and Warframe as well as indie darlings such as this year's Pacific Drive and the upcoming narrative-adventure RPG Resistor. It's worth noting that several of the games it's presented have appeared on Xbox Game Pass, Microsoft's all-you-can-eat gaming subscription service.

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