As the wait lengthens for the continuation in part two,Final Fantasy 7 Remakefans will have another opportunity to re-experience the critically acclaimed reimagining.Final Fantasy 7 Remakewill be headed to the PS5 this June in the form ofFinal Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade, a mouthful that basically lays out the purpose of its re-release: This PS5 port is an upgrade of the originalFinal Fantasy 7 Remake, whilst also serving as an “intermission” of sorts for the next episode ofRemake, bolstered by a new story expansion.
Fans of Yuffie Kisaragi are excited to know that her character development is seemingly receiving an extensive overhaul withFinal Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade. With an entirely new expansion dedicated to the Wutai-Avalanche ninja, and her new counterpart Sonon Kusakabe, this PS5-exclusive DLC will hopefully bridge the narrative gap betweenRemakeand its second part. ConsideringFinal Fantasy 7 Remake’s “Part 2” is presumably still in very early development,Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergradeon PS5 will hopefully serve as a good way to bide time until the ambitious remake receives its next entry.
RELATED:Interview: Aerith VA Briana White Discusses Final Fantasy 7 Remake, Strange Rebel Gaming, and Her Iconic Role
Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade: Release Details and PS5 Exclusivity
Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergradeis a PS5 upgrade of the originalFinal Fantasy 7 Remake, featuring a ton of new enhancements, as well as additional story content. Retailing at $69.99,Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergradeincludes the full first game alongside the PS5-exclusive “Episode INTERmission” Yuffie DLC.TheFinal Fantasy 7Remake IntergradePS5 upgradewill be available on July 20, 2025, and like the PS4 previously, will retain its Sony/PlayStation exclusivity for “at least six months earlier than any other format.”
According to the game’s “final trailer,” that meansFinal Fantasy 7 Remake, at the earliest, can be released on additional platforms by June 15, 2025. However, Square Enix hasnot announced any plans for Xbox Series X/S or PC versions ofFinal Fantasy 7 Remakereleasing on or after that date.
PS5 Upgrades Coming to Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade
Firstly, as with most PS5 upgrades for any titles initially released on PS4,Final Fantasy 7 Remake’sIntergradeversion is receiving several graphical and performance upgradesexclusive to Sony’s new console. There are some obvious improvements, like the familiar dual-graphics modes seen on numerous other PS5 optimizations and upgrades: Players can set the game to render on “Performance Optimization Mode” to prioritize a stable 60 FPS framerate, or opt for “Graphics Optimization Mode” for much higher visual fidelity at 4K resolution.
On a more granular level, the trailer showcased some pretty significant updates compared to the original PS4 release ofFinal Fantasy 7 Remake. Improvements have been made to the game’s overall lighting, more realistic reflections and ray tracing, updates tocontroversial lower res textures in the originalFinal Fantasy 7 Remake, among other bells and whistles like volumetric fog. Loading times aresignificantlyreduced, similar to many other PS4-PS5 upgrades. Additionally, the game will feature a photo mode for those who want to celebrate such improvements with their artistic screenshots.
One aspect ofFinal Fantasy 7 Remake Intergradethat might be disappointing for players is that, outside of visual and performance upgrades, the game doesn’t take advantage of other PS5 upgrades. In particular, the DualSense controller’s impressive haptic feedback is only partially supported, while 3D audio is not supported,according to former game director Tetsuya Nomura.
RELATED:Final Fantasy 7 Remake is Officially One Year Old And Has Built a Strong Foundation
Yuffie’s Story in Final Fantasy 7 Remake: Episode INTERmission
The cherry on top forFinal Fantasy 7 Remake Intergradeis"Episode INTERmission," a new expansion onRemakefocused on Yuffie Kisaragi. Taking place in another portion of Midgar duringRemake’s Chapter 8, players take control of this iconicFinal Fantasy 7ninja in a place she’d never visited in the original game. Fans are particularly excited for this Yuffie-centric episode; not only because this is an unprecedented story new to theFinal Fantasy 7canon, but it’s also seemingly looping inCompilation of Final Fantasy 7content as well. Yuffie’s infiltration into Shinra, as an Avalanche operative, could open up a whole new can of worms forRemake.
Other than strictly new story content, there will be an additional optionalboss fight featuring Weiss fromDirge of Cerberus:Final Fantasy 7. Yuffie will also have access to a new team attack mechanic with her partner Sonon Kusakabe, as well as a new battle summon in the form of Ramuh, who wasn’t present in the originalFinal Fantasy 7. There also appears to be a “Fort Condor” minigame available in Episode INTERmission, in the form of a board game instead of the actual event fromFinal Fantasy 7.
Free PS4-PS5 Upgrade, But There’s a Catch
Like many other PS4 to PS5 upgrades, existing owners ofFinal Fantasy 7 Remakeon PS4 will be able to upgrade to the PS5’sIntergradeversion for free. Save data and progress will sync to the PS5 upon installation as well, so players don’thaveto restart the game just to check out the game’s enhancements. However, there’s a catch with the PS4-to-PS5 upgrade related specifically to Episode INTERmission: PS4 owners who upgrade to the PS5 version ofIntergradefor free will have to purchase Yuffie’s episode expansion separately as DLC.Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergradeas a brand new copy is $69.99, buta standalone purchase of the Yuffie DLC is $19.99.
At least until any news breaks on the next full release ofFinal Fantasy 7 Remake, hopefully fans will get enough of an inkling before then withIntergrade. Episode INTERmission and Yuffie’s new story seems to be teasing a whole lot of convergence inFinal Fantasy 7’s canon, perhaps hinting at what to expect in future entries.
Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergradereleases on June 08, 2025, for PS5.
MORE:Final Fantasy 7 Remake Part 2 Should Treat Vincent Very Differently From Yuffie
