Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth finally shown off at Summer Game Fest

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth E3 2023
(Image credit: Square Enix)

Summer Game Fest closed with a veritable bang. As part of the E3 2023 announcement period, Square Enix graced us with a Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth trailer.

The sequel to Final Fantasy 7 Remake will cover the post-Midgar section of the original game, opening up the world beyond the walled city for a higher level of exploration.

Judging from the footage shown, the world looks far less linear than in the first game, and just like Remake, appears like it'll take the original's story in some interesting new directions.

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth will be available for PS5 in Early 2024. That's pushed back a bit from its original "Late 2023" release window, but it hopefully means we'll finally have our hands on the RPG between the months of January and April next year.

The Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth trailer confirms that Red XIII will now be playable as a party member, whereas he was relegated to a supporting role in Final Fantasy 7 Remake. Yuffie Kisaragi also returns, first making her Remake debut in the Intergrade DLC.

Now might be a good time to complete Final Fantasy 7 Remake if you haven't, as well as Final Fantasy 7 Crisis Core Reunion, which touches up the PSP original with updated visuals and much-improved combat. While Square Enix has stated that you won't need to play either to enjoy Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, we'd recommend it just so you have the full context going into the new RPG.

Final Fantasy 7 Remake is certainly one of the best PS5 games out there, largely thanks to its upscaled visuals and sharper framerate. The inclusion of the Intergrade DLC helps flesh it out to be a nice full package, too. It's also available to play on PS Plus via the Game Catalog, if you're subscribed to the Extra tier.

Rhys Wood
Hardware Editor

Rhys is TRG's Hardware Editor, and has been part of the TechRadar team for more than two years. Particularly passionate about high-quality third-party controllers and headsets, as well as the latest and greatest in fight sticks and VR, Rhys strives to provide easy-to-read, informative coverage on gaming hardware of all kinds. As for the games themselves, Rhys is especially keen on fighting and racing games, as well as soulslikes and RPGs.