Square Enix Says You Don't Need To Play Final Fantasy 7 Remake Before Rebirth

You don’t need to play 2020’s Final Fantasy VII Remake to enjoy its sequel, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, according to the game’s co-director Motuma Toriyama. 

Last week, Square Enix and the official Final Fantasy VII Twitter account began releasing new details about the upcoming sequel, answering one question each day. On day one, we learned Rebirth is “progressing smoothly.” Day 2 and Day 3 were less exciting, teasing that players will have a “high degree of freedom, experiencing a myriad of different stories” and that players “will witness a chain of narrative events that lie at the very heart of the Final Fantasy VII story.” 

For Day 4, the question is: Do I need to play Final Fantasy VII Remake to enjoy Final Fantasy VII Rebirth? And here’s Toriyama’s answer: “No – we have made preparations so that players who did not get a chance to play the first game can fully enjoy Final Fantasy VII Rebirth.” 

If I had to guess, Rebirth will feature an introductory cutscene or minimovie that summarizes the events of the first game but only time will tell.

Rebirth is slated to release this winter, although an official release date has not yet been revealed. Considering it’s Final Fantasy “7,” many are speculating that Square Enix’s daily QA will end on Day 7, which would be this Thursday, June 8. That’s also the same day Geoff Keighley’s Summer Game Fest presentation will air so perhaps we’ll be seeing some footage of Rebirth during that, or at least maybe learning when we can play this game.

For more, check out Game Informer’s June Summer Game Fest 2023 schedule, and then read our Final Fantasy VII Remake review to find out why you probably should play it before Rebirth. Check out our thoughts on Final Fantasy VII Remake’s Episode Intermission DLC after that. 

Are you excited for Final Fantasy VII Rebirth? Let us know in the comments below!