Square Enix brings FF7’s celebrated remake to Switch 2 and Xbox
Cloud Strife’s modern comeback is finally breaking out of its old lanes. Square Enix confirmed during the September 2025 Nintendo Direct that Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade lands on Nintendo Switch 2, Xbox Series X|S, and Xbox on PC on January 22, 2026. It’s the first time this reimagined classic hits Nintendo and Xbox hardware, nearly six years after the original remake debuted.
This package is the full Intergrade release—the enhanced version of the 2020 remake—bundling the base game’s Midgar arc with the Yuffie-led Episode INTERmission. Expect the hybrid battle system that mixes real-time action and command-based strategy, the Materia customization that defines your build, and the cinematic flair that turned a PlayStation-era legend into a modern blockbuster.
For players who’ve been waiting on Xbox or planning to start fresh on Nintendo’s next console, this rollout widens the audience for a series that helped define the JRPG genre. It also sets the table for the rest of Square Enix’s planned remake trilogy, giving new players a clear starting point before the story stretches beyond Midgar.
Square Enix isn’t talking raw specs for Switch 2 or exact performance targets on Xbox just yet. What they are promising is the Intergrade-level presentation—improved textures and lighting, faster loading, and the quality-of-life tuning that smoothed out the PS5-era upgrade—now extended to these new platforms.
What’s included, what’s new, and why it matters
The Switch 2 and Xbox versions ship with the complete Intergrade feature set and a few platform-forward perks. If you’re curious what you’re getting on day one, here’s the quick version:
- Platforms and date: Nintendo Switch 2, Xbox Series X|S, and Xbox on PC on January 22, 2026.
- Content: The full Midgar chapter of the remake through the escape sequence, plus FF7R Episode INTERmission starring Yuffie Kisaragi and Wutai operative Sonon Kusakabe.
- Combat: Real-time action blends with tactical slow-mo command inputs; ATB segments fuel abilities, spells, and items; Limit Breaks return with modern spectacle.
- RPG systems: Materia socketing still drives builds and synergies, with weapon upgrades and role-focused party loadouts encouraging experimentation.
The headline addition unique to these releases is Streamlined Progression. This optional mode is aimed at newcomers who want to focus on story and set-piece combat without grinding. The toggle includes:
- Unlimited HP and MP.
- Permanent full ATB and Limit gauges in battle.
- 9,999 damage output for quick encounters.
- Accelerated weapon ability acquisition and other progression boosts.
It’s a safety net, not a requirement. If you want the standard tuning, it’s still there, along with Classic-style assist that automates basic attacks while you focus on commands. The result: first-timers can tour Midgar at their own pace, while veterans can keep the traditional challenge intact.
There’s also a smart bonus for anyone jumping in early. Pre-orders are live now, and a limited early purchase offer runs through January 31, 2026: buyers get the original 1997 Final Fantasy VII at no extra charge. On Xbox, the classic unlocks right away for pre-orders; on Nintendo Switch 2, it becomes available on launch day alongside the remake.
On the Microsoft side, the game supports Xbox Play Anywhere. That means if you buy it digitally, you can play on Xbox Series X|S and on Xbox on PC with a single purchase, carrying progress and achievements across both. For a long, story-driven RPG, that flexibility matters. Commute on console, continue at a desk—it’s seamless inside the Xbox ecosystem.
Why bring this to new platforms now? Reach, for one. Final Fantasy is still a global draw, and Switch 2’s early momentum plus Xbox’s push to court more Japanese hits gives Square Enix a larger, more diverse audience. Timing also helps: expanding the base for Part One in 2026 keeps the remake project in the conversation as the trilogy moves forward.
Story-wise, the remake zooms in on Midgar and the people caught in Shinra’s chokehold on the planet’s lifeblood. You’re in Cloud’s boots—an ex-SOLDIER turned mercenary—joining AVALANCHE on sabotage runs that spiral into a larger fight over fate itself. The retelling doesn’t just re-skin scenes; it reframes characters, extends arcs, and lingers on neighborhoods and relationships the 1997 game could only sketch.
Intergrade’s Yuffie episode slots into that framework as a parallel caper. It’s faster, flashier, and gives Wutai’s ninja room to show off a kinetic combat style built around rapid stance shifts and synergy with Sonon. For anyone who remembers stumbling into Yuffie as an optional recruit decades ago, seeing her integrated this tightly into Midgar’s timeline is part nostalgia, part fresh lore.
Expect a familiar rhythm—story chapters punctuated by boss showcases, weapon and Materia tinkering between missions, and exploration that peels back layers of Midgar’s sectors. The game rewards experimentation: stagger management, elemental pairings, and character swapping can turn a bruising boss into a clean victory. Even with Streamlined Progression available, the underlying systems are deep enough to satisfy tinkerers.
There are still a few blanks. Square Enix hasn’t detailed pricing, physical editions, or storage footprint. Resolution and frame-rate targets for Switch 2 and the exact performance modes on Xbox also weren’t specified in the announcement. Those details typically follow as platform storefronts update closer to launch.
What is clear is the strategic play: make the definitive version of Part One easy to access, easy to finish, and widely available. That means more players are caught up when the story heads beyond Midgar in the next installment. For a remake that’s as much about reinterpreting a classic as remastering it, broadening the audience isn’t just a sales move—it’s part of the creative bet.
For anyone sitting on the sidelines since 2020, this is the on-ramp. Switch 2 owners finally get a flagship, big-budget RPG on day one. Xbox players get cross-device flexibility with Play Anywhere and immediate access to the original classic as a pre-order perk. And for returning fans, Intergrade remains a showcase for how to modernize a genre touchstone without flattening what made it special.
Mark January 22, 2026. Midgar’s gates are opening wider than ever.