Which is the best version of Final Fantasy VII Remake? PS5, Xbox, Switch 2, PC, Steam Deck, and PS4 Compared

It feels both weird and funny looking back at 2015 when we had the legendary E3 of dreams featuring the initial reveal for Final Fantasy VII Remake. We wouldn't be able to play the first part of that series of projects until 2020 when it hit PS4, but it has been fascinating revisiting it across different releases with Square Enix's staggered platform expansion. Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade is now available on Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC platforms.

Ahead of the Nintendo Switch 2 and Xbox launch, I've been taking a look at the full game and revisiting it in the case of some platforms across Switch 2, Xbox Series X, Steam Deck, ROG Ally (both Steam and Xbox PC versions), PS4 Pro, and PS5 (for both the native and PS4 versions) to see how it feels across hardware today, comparing versions, and more to help you find the best version to play today.

Today's Final Fantasy VII Remake comparison feature joins my other Square Enix-focused ones covering Final Fantasy IX for its 25th anniversary going over every version, the Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster series, Chrono Trigger for its 30th anniversary, Triangle Strategy, and also the Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake and Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake. This comparison feature is based on the full retail game and not the demo build. 

Final Fantasy VII Remake release timeline

Before getting to the versions and other differences, Final Fantasy VII Remake has had an interesting release timeline across platforms with new features and DLC.

• June 2015: Final Fantasy VII Remake is announced for release first on PlayStation 4.
• April 2020: Final Fantasy VII Remake finally launches on PlayStation 4 worldwide as the first part of the Final Fantasy VII remake project.
• June 2021: Final Fantasy VII Remake launches for PlayStation 5 as Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade featuring Final Fantasy VII Remake Episode Intermission included and a plethora of visual improvements and fixes.
• December 2021: Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade launches for PC via the Epic Games Store.
• June 2022: Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade launches for PC via Steam with full Steam Deck Verification.
• January 2026: Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade launches for Nintendo Switch 2 and Xbox Series X|S with Xbox Play Anywhere support.

Final Fantasy VII Remake feature differences across platforms

Final Fantasy VII Remake on PS4 includes the base game only. The Intergrade visual improvements and also the Yuffie-focused FF7R EPISODE INTERmission DLC were exclusive to the PS5 and future ports of the game. Speaking of future ports of the game, Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade for PS5 not only brought in the excellent Yuffie DLC and visual improvements, but it added a new performance mode option and fixed many of the game's texture issues like the awful ones for door in chapter 3 and many of the ground and sky textures.

Final Fantasy VII Remake on PS4 did not get any of the head start mode and fast forward cutscene options added to PS5 and PC or the Streamlined Progression included in the Nintendo Switch 2 and Xbox versions. The PS5 and PC versions are being patched with the Streamlined Progression feature from the Switch 2 and Xbox port launch day bringing all current platforms up to speed when it comes to features. As it stands, the PS4 version is the only one lacking when it comes to gameplay features and content compared to other platforms. 

Final Fantasy VII Remake visuals and performance differences across PS5, Xbox, Switch 2, PC, and PS4

Final Fantasy VII Remake on PS4 and PS4 Pro features the original experience with the base game lighting and textures. While the game was good looking in general, issues like floor textures or even areas like the door or parts of the sky looked awful on both PS4 and PS4 Pro back then. The Pro's boost to resolution definitely helped with the overall visuals, but the issues stuck out. When Final Fantasy VII Remake was brought over to PS5 as Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade, it addressed the texture issues and was a massive boost in clarity over the PS4 versions. 

In addition to the added volumetric lighting and fog with textures fixed, Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade also offered a 60fps performance mode that dropped the resolution to deliver a smoother frame rate. I played Final Fantasy VII Remake on PS4 Pro completely and then again on PS5 in the game's performance mode. Even in its 30fps mode, Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade never felt bad to play, but the real upgrade in my opinion with Intergrade was addressing the texture issues and the new lighting. 

Note: The image above was captured using a 4K capture card with the PS5 and Xbox Series X versions in their 60fps mode alongside the Switch 2 version docked. The captured images were then cropped to show the differences. View the full image and not in this article as a thumbnail to see the differences.

Moving over to PC, Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade's PC port is sadly pretty bad. Even today, it is lacking with bare-bones or negligible options, stutter issues, and forced dynamic resolution scaling with no option to use any sort of upscaling. Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade on PC was a marked step back from the excellent Final Fantasy XV PC release. Following its Epic Games Store release, Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade was brought to Steam and it played a lot better on Steam Deck than Windows thanks to less stuttering in my experience. I ended up playing the whole game on Steam Deck back then and it delivered an excellent portable experience, but it couldn't do a locked 60fps. The forced dynamic resolution scaling was also annoying as the game could still easily run at 30fps with it disabled thanks to a mod.

Note: The image above was captured using the Steam screenshot functionality for Steam Deck and ROG Ally alongside the Switch 2 capture handheld since there is no other way to get handheld capture right now. The captured images were then cropped to show the differences. View the full image and not in this article as a thumbnail to see the differences. DRS indicates forced dynamic resolution scaling enabled in the PC port.

At that point, the PS5 version was still the best way to play Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade despite the PC release being able to scale above 60fps to 120fps out of the box. Even today, the PC version has not been fixed, and while Final Fantasy VII Rebirth saw a more featured PC release, it wasn't great. It has just basic resolution and frame rate options with no arbitrary resolution rendering. It is basically still capped to 16:9, has no shader compiling at launch causing stuttering, and basically does not offer any visual upgrade over the PS5 release.

I was hoping Rebirth's port offering more features and DLSS would mean Square Enix fixes the PC port of Remake, but that has not happened yet. In fact, the Switch 2 version is the only version of Final Fantasy VII Remake that officially has DLSS. 

The PC version of Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade on PC handhelds is still quite good though. On ROG Ally, I was able to play at a native 1080p target (I say target because the PC version has forced dynamic resolution scaling) and get a solid 40-50fps without using the 30W mode even in the DLC areas with it running well above that indoors and in less demanding parts. On Steam Deck, a 40fps experience with drops is possible at a 720p target, but the most stable experience is manually capping the frame rate to 30fps and playing on an OLED Steam Deck with excellent HDR. In fact, the HDR on Steam Deck OLED is the only reason I would even play the PC version over Switch 2 when thinking about handhelds since the latter has awful battery life while playing Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade. 

As the newest ports, Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade on Switch 2 and Xbox Series X|S are out this week. While there is a demo, it doesn't actually cover the areas of the game that were problematic on PS4 with textures and it didn't offer a glimpse at how the PS5-exclusive (at the time) Yuffie DLC would look and play. I'm pleased to report that Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade even in its DLC episode based on my testing, plays great on both Switch 2 and Xbox Series X. The Xbox Series X release is pretty similar to the PS5 version with the same graphics and performance modes included.

There isn't much else to say about that console release so I want to focus on the Switch 2 release here. Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade on Switch 2 is an excellent version of a great game. Its use of DLSS is almost amazing. I say almost because of character hair issues and also there are some dithered or grainy elements left in the image. It only is present in parts of the image and varies depending on the scene. This is very noticeable docked and even handheld when you start Yuffie's DLC and gain control of the character, you see it on the posters and the wall on the left. Barring this and the UI looking blurry when playing docked on my 1440p display, I have no complaints with Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade on Switch 2. 

Note: The image above was captured using a 4K capture card with the PS5 and Xbox Series X versions in their 60fps mode alongside the Switch 2 version docked. The captured images were then cropped to show the differences. View the full image and not in this article as a thumbnail to see the differences. This is to show the grainy elements in the environment and in certain assets that are very pronounced on Switch 2 compared to PS5 and Xbox even in their 60fps modes.

While I would have loved a performance mode with say 40fps at 120hz handheld, I think this is one of the best Switch 2 ports yet. You might think that isn't impressive considering the game's PS4 origins, but seeing how other titles like Street Fighter 6 ended up on Switch 2 in a less than ideal state, Square Enix has gone above and beyond with the Switch 2 version to not only deliver an excellent handheld experience, but also one that loads faster than I expected based on other Switch 2 ports. 

Final Fantasy VII Remake door comparison across Switch 2, PS4 Pro, PS5, Xbox, PC, and Steam Deck

Yes, I've done a full section in this article just to talk about that door in Final Fantasy VII Remake. If you haven't played it yet on any platform, you are probably wondering why I keep bringing up a door, something you might not even remember from other games. The reason it is notable here is because it never loaded correctly on PS4 or PS4 Pro and you had this door that looked like it belonged in a game from a generation or two prior in front of Cloud on PS4.

Note: The image above was captured using a 4K capture card with the PS5 and Xbox Series X versions in their 60fps mode alongside the Switch 2 version docked and the PS4 version on PS4 Pro. The captured images were then cropped to show the differences. View the full image and not in this article as a thumbnail to see the differences.

Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade on PS5 and PC fixed this, and I'm glad that the door issue is not present on Nintendo Switch 2 or Xbox Series X either. While there are some cuts to resolution being the most noticeable downgrade on Switch 2 compared to PS5, Final Fantasy VII Remake's door and other problematic areas load correctly on Switch 2 even in handheld. I've included a comparison of the Final Fantasy VII Remake door on PS4 Pro, PS5, Xbox Series X, and Switch 2 docked above with the image below covering how the door looks on Steam Deck, Switch 2 handheld, and ROG Ally.

Note: The image above was captured using the Steam screenshot functionality for Steam Deck and ROG Ally alongside the Switch 2 capture handheld since there is no other way to get handheld capture right now. The captured images were then cropped to show the differences. View the full image and not in this article as a thumbnail to see the differences. DRS indicates forced dynamic resolution scaling enabled in the PC port.

Final Fantasy VII Remake load times across Switch 2, PS5, Steam Deck, Xbox, Xbox on PC, and PS4 Pro

Final Fantasy VII Remake's load times on PS4 varied quite a bit based on what chapter you were loading. When checking different saves on cold boots, I decided to use a chapter 3 save file on all platforms to measure load times. In addition to measuring the time taken to load a save file in the same location across platforms, I also did the usual test of checking how long it takes to get to the title screen from the platform dashboard. This is with mashing A/X/confirm to skip any logos and get to the menu as fast as possible. 

For this test, I used Final Fantasy VII Remake for PS4 on PS4 Pro, the PS4 version on PS5, the PS4 version on the PS5 internal storage, Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade on PS5 internal storage, Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade on Switch 2 internal storage, Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade for Xbox on the Xbox Series X internal storage, Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade on Steam Deck LCD internal SSD (SteamOS preview), Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade on Steam Deck OLED internal SSD (SteamOS public build), Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade for Steam on the ROG Ally internal SSD, and Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade for Xbox on PC (Windows Store) on the ROG Ally internal SSD. All load times below are in seconds and if you see a range, it is because I got both extremes for the result when testing multiple times through the week.

As you can see, the PS5 version is by far the fastest at everything. The Switch 2 version is no slouch though, and the Xbox Series X version loads the save 2nd fastest out of all the platforms and versions I tested. The initial load on Xbox and Xbox on PC will vary based on the sync time, but the latter is slower than the Steam version regardless. This is quite normal at this point, but I hope Microsoft can improve the syncing and startup time compared to the Steam versions of the same games. The PS4 version is the slowest as expected, but it does see a nice upgrade via backward compatibility on the PS5 SSD. Overall, I'm most impressed with the PS5 and Switch 2 versions here. Very few Switch 2 versions of third party games load this fast. 

Which version of Final Fantasy VII Remake is the best?

Instead of just picking one best version, I'm going to cover what I think the best version is for TV play and handheld play. It makes sense for this because I know many who played the original or the game itself a few years ago, but want to replay it on a handheld. In its current state, the PS5 version followed by the modded PC version (it needs a lot of work for me to recommend it) and Xbox Series X versions deliver the best TV or monitor experience. The Switch 2 version is still excellent though if you play on a 1440p or below monitor. Don't get the wrong idea from me highlighting issues with the visuals because this is an excellent handheld experience and a very good docked experience. The PS4 version and the unmodded PC release are the worst ways to play Final Fantasy VII Remake right now. I'm shocked that the PC version hasn't seen any major improvements since launch. 

Note: The image above was captured using the Steam screenshot functionality for Steam Deck and ROG Ally alongside the Switch 2 capture handheld since there is no other way to get handheld capture right now. The captured images were then cropped to show the differences. View the full image and not in this article as a thumbnail to see the differences. DRS indicates forced dynamic resolution scaling enabled in the PC port.

Which is the best portable version of Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade?

As for the best portable version, a lot of my issues with the PC port are not present when playing on a handheld like the Steam Deck OLED, but the Switch 2 version delivers a more stable experience with better image quality on the handheld screen. You can play at a higher frame rate on Steam Deck or ROG Ally, but the forced dynamic resolution scaling isn't great. This again requires a mod to fix it. The PC version can be better on handhelds with tweaking, but I would still go with the Switch 2 version for the best out of the box and stable experience with greati image quality handheld even in the Yuffie DLC.

Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade is a great example of how a port for a specific platform can deliver fantastic results compared to a bad PC port. With Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade on PC, some of the problems like stuttering and bare-bones options aren't an issue when played on Steam Deck, but it is still lacking compared to quality PC ports let alone the best in class ones like we see with PH3's Trails releases. The more I played the Switch 2 version, it was obvious that this is not a rushed port, and one of the best ports to the platform so far when it comes to image quality. If you haven't played Final Fantasy VII Remake before and are considering what version to buy for the best portable experience, I recommend the Switch 2 version.

Which version of Final Fantasy VII Remake should you buy today?

To conclude this Final Fantasy VII Remake comparison, I'm going to list the advantages of each platform's version of Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergade.

• Final Fantasy VII Remake on PS4: Don't buy or play this unless you have no other option. The only advantage is the free PS5 upgrade option for the base game here and you likely owning it through PS+ or it being very cheap in general to buy now.
• Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade on PS5: If you want to play on your TV, want the fastest load times, and don't care about portable play (unless you stream to a PlayStation Portal or phone), this is the version to get and the best console version. Both the 60fps and 30fps quality modes are fantastic.
• Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade on Switch 2: If you want the most stable and best handheld experience right now, this is the one to get. Just note that the battery life playing in handheld is quite a bit worse than I expected even compared to demanding games. While it is not bad docked, this is the one to get if you see yourself mostly playing handheld with some docked play or purely handheld.
• Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade on PC: I don't recommend the PC version unless you are ok spending time modding it to fix the issues and lack of options. This is still one of Square Enix's weakest PC ports of the last five years. With mods on desktop or even to play on the go via Steam Deck OLED, this is an acceptable version of the game. I also recommend the Steam version over the Xbox on PC version for playing on PC since the Steam release has faster load times. I would only buy this if you want to play on Steam Deck. 
• Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade on Xbox: If you have access to a PC handheld or play on Xbox Series consoles and PC, the Play Anywhere feature is a big selling point in addition to the Quick Resume feature on Xbox for Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade. Unfortunately, the load times are longer here and vary depending on the syncing status and time like with other games on the platform. Both the 60fps and 30fps quality modes are fantastic on Xbox Series X.

Hopefully this helped you decide where you should get Final Fantasy VII Remake and if you already own it, got you to revisit it with the Streamlined Progression for a replay.

Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade is now available for Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 5, and PC. Final Fantasy VII Remake is now available on PS4.