| Final Fantasy VII Remake | |||
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| Release Date | Gameplay & Story | DLC & Pre-Order | Review |
FF7 Remake Intergrade finally made its way to Nintendo’s hybrid console. Read on to learn everything we know, our initial impressions of the Switch 2 port, and more.
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Everything We Know About Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade
Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade Plot
Final Fantasy 7 Remake reimagines the opening portion of the original Final Fantasy 7, primarily focusing on the events in the city of Midgar. The game follows Cloud Strife, a former soldier turned mercenary, who is recruited by an eco-terrorist group called Avalanche fighting against Shinra’s exploitation of the planet’s life force, known as Mako energy. As the group’s operations escalate, however, they draw the attention of Shinra’s forces and Sephiroth, a former war hero turned antagonist whose motives are deeply intertwined with Cloud’s past and the fate of the planet.
Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade Gameplay
Final Fantasy 7 Remake does away with the original game’s gameplay mechanics. The Active Time Battle (ATB) system has been reworked to fill over time or through attacks. To emulate the turn-based combat of the PS1 game, players can slow down time to a crawl and execute special abilities, magic, or use items. Each action, however, consumes a segment of the ATB bar.
Players can switch between party members mid-battle, and leverage each character’s specialties like Cloud’s melee combat prowess and Barret’s ranged attacks. Additional systems include magic, summons, and the Limit Break gauge, which unlocks powerful attacks when fully charged.
Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade Release Date
Launched on January 22, 2026 for the Switch 2 and Xbox Series X|S
Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade is officially coming to the Nintendo Switch 2 and Xbox Series X|S on January 22, 2026. The game was released at midnight local time.
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| $39.99 Intergrade |
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Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade Review (Switch 2 First Impressions)
A Limit Break for Nintendo Hardware
It’s been a long wait, but seeing a modern, numbered Final Fantasy game running on a Nintendo console still feels unreal. The last time Nintendo players got a mainline 3D Final Fantasy was with Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age on Switch back in 2019, a fantastic game. However, I wouldn't say that FFXII was a "modern" Final Fantasy game in the way we think of the series today. For me, the real transition into the modern era belongs to Final Fantasy XIII, and that series never touched Nintendo hardware at all.
There was a reason for that. As Square Enix focused on high-end cinematics and massive game worlds, Nintendo consoles simply weren’t built to keep up. PlayStation and Xbox pushed for more power every generation, but Nintendo’s hardware mostly lagged behind in terms of graphical prowess. If one of these titles were to be ported to, say, the Nintendo Switch, it had to make huge sacrifices. We saw the result of those limitations with Final Fantasy XV Pocket Edition, which is an overly simplified version of the 2016 PS4 game. It was fine for what it was, but it also made it apparent that these games weren’t built with Nintendo systems in mind.
This makes seeing Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade running on the Nintendo Switch 2 feel like such a massive win. This is a game originally designed for the PlayStation 4, later enhanced for PlayStation 5 and PC, now playing on Nintendo hardware without being reimagined or heavily compromised. Square Enix’s more recent push toward releasing games across more platforms has clearly helped, but none of it would matter if the hardware couldn’t keep up. For the first time in a long while, Nintendo has a system that can handle this kind of production.
Of course, this is still running on a Nintendo console, even in 2026, so expectations need to be set accordingly. This isn’t going to match a high-end PC or a PlayStation 5 in terms of performance or visual options. However, what’s here is far more confident than I anticipated. Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade on Switch 2 feels like a genuine way to experience the game, especially for players like me who enjoy having big JRPGs on the go.
For anyone who missed it the first time around, whether by choice or circumstance, this version is a well-handled port that makes a strong case for itself, even knowing its limits.
Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade Switch 2 vs. PS4 vs. PS5
Compromises are to be Expected
When I first booted up Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade on the Nintendo Switch 2, doubt came naturally. I’ve seen enough ports to underpowered consoles to know how brutal they can be. I remember games where the resolution was so low it felt like you were peering through a screen door, and every edge was jagged because anti-aliasing wasn’t even a thought. The question when porting a giant like this to the Switch 2 is no longer whether the Remake can impress on a big screen at maximum fidelity, but whether its ambition survives translation to a hybrid system without compromising too much of itself.
Fortunately, it does. Not perfectly, not without some compromises, but well enough that the doubts fade faster than expected. The Switch 2 port is somewhere in between the original 2020 PS4 release and the enhanced PS5 version, yet closer to the latter than I ever thought it would be. It doesn’t have the raw, unbridled power of newer hardware, but it also avoids many of the rough edges that made the PS4 version feel dated.
⚫︎ Note: Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade on (1) Switch 2, (2) PS4, and (3) PS5.
The PS4 release was always pushing uphill. Even then, it was evident that the game was straining against the limits of the hardware. Texture streaming was inconsistent, environments often snapped into clarity too late, load times dragged just enough to chip away at the game’s pacing. These issues were largely forgiven because the game’s presentation everywhere else is just too good that they felt worth the hassle.
When Intergrade released a year later on the PS5, it reframed those compromises. The option for 60 frames-per-second (FPS) performance mode alone felt like a gift from god. Faster load times fixed much of the game’s pacing, while improved lighting and better textures made it look even better. Intergrade looked like the game Square Enix had wanted to ship all along. The Switch 2 version enters this lineage by translating a game that benefited enormously from next-gen headroom back onto a hybrid platform without reducing it to a novelty.
Visually, this is not the massive downgrade from the PS5 release one might expect. In many scenes, especially character-focused moments, the game holds up beautifully. Character models retain strong facial detail to the point where you can actually see the pores on Cloud’s face, and the animation quality remains entirely intact. The game’s cinematic framing survives the transition almost untouched, and when Cloud lunges mid-fight with his sword raised, particle effects litter the screen like fireworks.
However, when you stop looking at the sweat on a character’s brow and start looking at the world they inhabit, the technical cost of portability is laid bare. Compared to the PS5, the lighting here feels flatter. The city loses some of its oppressive density; shadows are less dynamic and often appear dithered or jagged at the edges.
Texture pop-in is frequent. You can be standing perfectly still next to an NPC and watch as a high-detail layer snaps into place a second too late. These aren’t dramatic failures, but they accumulate, especially if you’ve played the game on the PS5 before.
The textures themselves are still a bit muddy. Certainly not as distracting as the low-res backgrounds of the PS4 version, as the Switch 2 port uses the higher-quality assets introduced with Intergrade, but it’s not pristine either. They still look thin when viewed up close.
This, though, makes it so that you aren’t forced to endure the forty-second load times required by the PS4’s aging hard drive. They don’t match the near-instantaneous transitions of the PS5, but it only takes, more or less, ten seconds to load into a new area.
30 FPS, DLSS, Handheld Mode
Performance remains the most contentious point of the experience. It is the weight in the scales that determines if you can live with this version of the game. When docked, the game stays locked at 30 FPS. This stability is bolstered by the Switch 2’s use of NVIDIA’s DLSS technology, which upscales the lower-resolution image without sacrificing performance. It is a pragmatic choice, a necessary concession for a hybrid console, and while it is a more consistent 30 than what the base PS4 ever offered, it is hard to ignore the loss of the 60 FPS found on the PS5.
Unlike the PS4, which often looked soft or blurry on modern displays, the Switch 2 output still looks sharp at 1080p. However, the DLSS can occasionally struggle during combat. Here, you can sometimes spot shimmering or faint ghosting around quick movements or bright effects, especially when characters like Tifa or Yuffie are darting across the screen. It’s noticeable, but rarely enough to pull you out of the moment.
If you are playing in handheld mode, the situation becomes more precarious. The game occasionally dips into the 20s. It doesn’t happen constantly, but it’s pretty noticeable, especially when it happens during cutscenes.
At least many of these shortcomings are easy to forgive when you’re on the go. The smaller screen of the Switch 2 acts as a kind of mercy; it hides a multitude of sins that smooth over the dithered textures. The simple fact that a game of this scale is running at all in the palms of your hands feels impressive. It brings back that same sense of disbelief I felt seeing Cyberpunk 2077 somehow run insanely well on a handheld.
On a TV, though, the gap between this and the PS5’s performance mode is undeniable. You are consciously trading away the fluidity of combat and visual polish for the sheer convenience of taking Midgar with you to, say, the comfort of your bed or the park.
An Amazing Evolution of the ATB System
Despite everything I’ve said above, it’s still something of a wonder that Final Fantasy 7 Remake plays as well as it does. Square Enix has taken what was once a purely turn-based RPG and translated it into something much closer to the modern action-adventure style the company has been exploring in recent Final Fantasy games. At first glance, you might expect the shift from turn-based to real-time combat to be a jarring change, but the game manages it well.
The ebb and flow of the Active Time Battle (ATB) system is still present, but it now happens in real time. You directly control one character at a time, swapping between characters on the fly, while the other party members act semi-autonomously unless you intervene. The ATB gauge fills as you land attacks and defend. You’re given two bars to work with. Once a bar is full, you can pause or slow down time to spend it on an ability, a spell, or on an item.
These actions are often fueled or enhanced by Materia, orbs slotted into your equipment that allow you to customize how spells, buffs, and summons work in combat. Here, you are essentially building their deck of options. You can link Materia together to make spells hit multiple enemies or grant elemental properties to your attacks.
However, the gameplay is not without its frustrations. The game is extremely linear, which is the same kind of design choice that immediately brings to mind the backlash that Final Fantasy XIII received back in 2009. People used to mock that game as a "hallway simulator," and even though Remake has more interactable towns and more opportunities to explore some areas, it fundamentally follows that same restricted pathing. You, more often than not, are being funneled through the industrial guts of a city. There’s very little room to wander off the beaten path, and when the game does let you loose in open hubs, they often feel small and contained compared to the grand scale the visuals suggest.
Seeing Midgar on the Go
This restrictive structure, though, is largely a byproduct of the project’s scope. Final Fantasy 7 Remake only adapts the Midgar portion of the original 1997 classic—a section that took about five to ten hours to finish in the original three-disc saga. To turn that sliver into a 50-hour JRPG, Square Enix had to stretch every single moment.
This inevitably leads to a significant amount of filler. Some of this content is actually great; it fleshes out characters like Jessie, Biggs, and Wedge. You actually care about them now. On the other hand, you also get a fair amount of padding that feels like a chore to get through. There are sections when you’re forced to walk slowly through rubble, flip switches in repetitive sewers, or complete fetch quests that add very little to the world.
Despite this, the questionable parts rarely break immersion completely. Rather, expanding the Midgar section allows players to breathe in the world to an extent the original simply couldn’t. Even at its most indulgent, though, it rarely feels insulting or empty.
The story itself is probably the element of the game that will feel most familiar, yet also most divisive. Almost everyone who has picked up a controller in the last thirty years knows the basic beats of Final Fantasy 7. You play as Cloud Strife, an emo mercenary with a giant sword who joins an eco-terrorist group called Avalanche to stop the Shinra Electric Power Company from sucking the planet dry of its life force. Even if you haven't played the original, you’ve probably been spoiled on the major twists involving the villain Sephiroth or the fate of certain party members.
However, describing this game as just a "remake" is actually somewhat misleading. The game starts as a faithful recreation, but it quickly becomes clear that something else is going on. Tetsuya Nomura of Kingdom Hearts fame is its creative director, so you can expect it to become as convoluted as that series. This is largely due to ghostly entities that seem to be trying to keep the plot on its original tracks.
It’s a meta-narrative move that serves as a commentary on the very idea of remaking what many see as a masterpiece. By the time you reach the final hours, the game makes a choice that is incredibly contentious with long-time fans. I understand why some people find it needlessly messy. I personally enjoyed the direction, though explaining why would venture too far into spoiler territory.
Intergrade also includes the INTERmission DLC, which introduces the Materia hunter Yuffie Kisaragi earlier than her original debut. It takes place during one of the game’s middle chapters and follows Yuffie and her partner Sonon as they infiltrate Shinra to steal a rumored "Ultimate Materia." This bridges the gap between Remake and its sequel, FF7 Rebirth, while providing world-building for Wutai, a region previously mentioned only in passing. It gives Yuffie a personal stake in the conflict before she is even introduced to Cloud and the gang.
Midgar’s Not So Mid After All
I am not one to clutch pearls at the sight of a low polygon count or a muddy texture. I’ve lived through enough grief, through enough low-effort ports on the PSP or the Wii, in my youth to be desensitized to it. Compared to those dark days, the technical hiccups here are minor. Yes, 30 FPS feels slow in an era where people talk about 120 FPS like it’s a human right, and sure, the dithered textures look fuzzy, but you have to go looking for those problems for them to become a bother.
However, this port doesn’t add any new content or quality-of-life upgrades beyond what Intergrade already offered on PS5. There’s little technical reason to choose this over the PS5 version if you’re sitting on a couch in front of a 4K television. In fact, the console’s most powerful state—docked mode—is probably the least interesting way to play it, because it only makes what’s missing more noticeable. Aside from a limited-time bonus that gives you the original 1997 Final Fantasy 7 if you buy before January 31st, there isn’t much to lure in those who’ve played the game before.
You’d essentially be paying for the privilege of seeing the same world through slightly less capable eyes. Even so, I still find myself drawn to this version. The primary advantage of buying the Switch 2 port is the luxury of portability. There is something fundamentally different about playing in bed. The weight of the console in your hands changes the relationship you have with the world; it becomes a private thing you carry with you. It’s ideal for newcomers who own only a Switch 2 or for anyone who wants to take this massive game on the go, to revisit Midgar without being tethered to a living room.
With the Remake safely tucked into the Switch 2’s library, the question of the future looms large. My mind keeps drifting toward Rebirth. We know it can run on a Steam Deck if you’re willing to spend enough time in the settings menu, so the dream isn’t dead. If this hardware can handle the neon-soaked density of Cyberpunk 2077, surely it can handle the grasslands of Gaia.
I already fear for my storage space when that time comes, but I hope we see it happen before the third part of the trilogy is even announced. The prospect of the full trilogy on one portable system is hard to resist, even if the hardware has to sweat bullets just to make it happen.
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Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade Product Information
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| Title | FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE Intergrade |
|---|---|
| Release Date | REMAKE April 10, 2020 (PS4) INTERGRADE June 10, 2021 (PS5) December 16, 2021 (PC) January 22, 2026 (Switch 2; Xbox Series X|S) |
| Developer | square Enix Business Division 1 |
| Publisher | Square Enix |
| Supported Platforms | PC (Steam, Epic Games Store) PlayStation 4 PlayStation 5 Nintendo Switch 2 Xbox Series X|S |
| Genre | Action, Adventure, RPG |
| Number of Players | 1 |
| ESRB Rating | ESRB Teen |
| Official Website | Official Website for Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade |
