I’ve been playing ‘Final Fantasy 7 Remake’ on Xbox — it’s officially the best version

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For more than five years, Xbox fans have been disappointed by the lack of Final Fantasy 7 Remake on their platform, but that changes on January 22, 2026.

After being exclusive for a while, Final Fantasy 7 Remake is now available on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox PC, and through Xbox Cloud Gaming with Xbox Play Anywhere. You can also play it on the Xbox Ally! It’s great to see it available on so many Xbox platforms.

Square Enix gave me a chance to play the game early, and I’m pleased to say the port to this platform is very well done.

Final Fantasy is a series I’m very fond of. I especially remember connecting with Final Fantasy 7 when I was younger – it was one of the first games that really moved me. I’ll always be grateful to the store employee who convinced me to buy it instead of ‘Men in Black’ for PlayStation – that decision had a huge impact on my life.

I originally reviewed Final Fantasy 7 for Android Central when they briefly covered PlayStation games, and it’s still the only PS4 review I’ve ever written. After playing through it on PS4, Steam Deck, and PC, and soon on Xbox Series X and Ally, my opinion hasn’t changed. I’m particularly impressed by how well it runs on handheld devices, how smoothly it plays through Xbox Cloud Gaming, and how this version feels like the best way to experience the game. It was definitely worth the wait.

Final Fantasy 7 Remake on Xbox is the definitive version

I recently started playing Final Fantasy 7 Remake on Xbox Series X, and it looks fantastic. The game lets you choose between two modes: one prioritizes visual clarity with a steady 30 frames per second, and the other focuses on smoother gameplay at 60 frames per second, though with a slightly less sharp image. Both options provide a good experience depending on what you prefer.

The Xbox Ally offers a similar experience. Even though it’s a PC, it has easy-to-use graphics settings like a console, with a few extra features. Like other devices, it has quality and performance modes, but it can run games up to 120 frames per second. You can get even better performance by plugging it in and using turbo mode, but I was most impressed by how well it runs in low-power, silent mode.

I really focus on getting the most out of my Xbox Ally’s battery. I usually choose games that run well on lower power settings without sacrificing too much visual quality, and Final Fantasy 7 is perfect for that.

I was really impressed with how well the game ran on the Xbox Ally X. Even with high graphics settings at 1080p, I consistently got between 30 and 50 frames per second, and sometimes even higher, all while keeping the power settings low. I played for over three hours on a single charge, and I think I could have gone even longer if I’d made a few adjustments like lowering the resolution or brightness, or setting a fixed frame rate. The standard Xbox Ally performed similarly, though I did have to make a few more compromises to account for its slightly less powerful processor. Even so, it was still very playable at 30 FPS and the battery life was surprisingly good.

Honestly, I’m not surprised Final Fantasy 7 is running so well after all these years of tweaking. But huge props to Square Enix for continuing to support it – it really paid off! They’ve even managed to build a solid Xbox development process that feels perfectly suited to the platform, which is awesome.

The ability to easily continue your game on different devices within the Windows and Xbox family – whether it’s on your PC or Xbox console – with just one purchase and one save file makes Final Fantasy 7 Remake a perfect illustration of Microsoft’s goals for the Xbox platform. Hopefully, we’ll see more games offering this kind of seamless experience in the future.

Square Enix is back on Xbox with a vengeance

Final Fantasy 7 Remake is the latest addition to the growing collection of Xbox Play Anywhere games offered by developers other than Microsoft. Recently, Resident Evil 8: Village also became a Play Anywhere title, and Death Stranding has been improved for Xbox Series X|S, Xbox PC, and the Xbox Ally, returning to Xbox Game Pass as part of the celebration.

Under its new CEO, Square Enix has been strongly supporting Xbox Play Anywhere. Final Fantasy 16 launched on the platform last summer with excellent performance, and there are reports that Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth will also be available on Xbox this year. This has led to optimism that the third part of Final Fantasy 7 Remake will be released on Xbox at the same time as other platforms, unlike the previous games which were exclusive for a period.

Last year, I was completely immersed in the world of Final Fantasy on Xbox. I played through the Pixel Remaster Collection over the Christmas holidays, then spent the summer enjoying Final Fantasy 16 on various Xbox devices. Most of the fall, I played Final Fantasy Tactics using Xbox Cloud Gaming. For a long time, Xbox fans had hoped to see this level of Final Fantasy support, and it was amazing to finally have it.

Final Fantasy and Xbox haven’t always been a great match, but that’s changing now. Whether this comes too late to make a big impact is debatable. I even bought a PS4 Pro specifically to play Final Fantasy 7 Remake, and then played it again on PC. Most fans likely already experienced the game on PlayStation or PC. However, if you’re like me and absolutely love the game, the Xbox Play Anywhere version of Final Fantasy 7 Remake is easily the best way to play it – even for a third time.

While I didn’t completely agree with some of the story choices Square Enix made in Final Fantasy 7 Remake, and I would have preferred a challenging difficulty option from the start instead of so many easier ones, these issues didn’t ruin the experience for me. I also realize my fondness for the original game might be influencing my opinion.

If you enjoy fast-paced action games with a strategic twist, epic boss fights, a dramatic anime style, and a story that’s both funny and heartbreaking, then Final Fantasy 7 is one of the greatest remakes ever made.

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2026-01-21 15:40