When Square Enix announced that they would be releasing Final Fantasy VII Rebirth on Switch 2, I had some reservations. While it’s true that the previous game in the trilogy, Final Fantasy VII Remake, ran smoothly on Switch 2, this title introduced much larger areas to explore and elevated the series’ visuals, two factors that would surely affect performance.
However, after some hands-on time with the game, I’m confident that Final Fantasy VII Rebirth on Switch 2 will provide a worthwhile and comparable experience to its original release on PlayStation 5, albeit on the go.
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The entirety of my time with Final Fantasy VII Rebirth was in handheld mode, so I can’t speak to its performance in docked mode. With that said, I never noticed any dips in frame rate as I explored the Grasslands both on foot and while riding a Chocobo, the large bird-like mounts that have been a staple of Final Fantasy since the series’ inception.
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth holds up on Nintendo Switch 2, even during combat.
In an attempt to really test the game’s performance, I sought the nearest enemy to engage in combat. I did eventually ascertain that the game holds up even during combat, but the fights reminded me of one of the new features coming to the Switch 2 version at launch.
Much like the previous game, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is coming to Switch 2 with a plethora of options to circumvent some of the game’s many challenges. The first time I entered a battle, I was automatically in control of Barret, the eco-terrorist leader with a gun acting as a prosthetic for his missing forearm. With a rapid spray of bullets, I inadvertently ended the fight as quickly as it had begun.
A short dive into the settings menu revealed that damage was maxed out with each attack, which in Barret’s case meant I could inflict massive damage several times per second, once for each bullet fired. This—and other Streamlined Progression Features—are all intended to make the game a little less daunting to complete, both for new and returning players.
Streamlined Progression Features let players speed through certain parts of the game, if they choose.
In addition to maximizing damage, players can also immediately max out any materia they obtain, orbs that contain spells, skills, and stat boosts. This setting, along with maximizing the Gil in your wallet, can’t truly be deactivated once they’re turned on, so it’s up to the player to exercise restraint if they do wish to partake in some of these features.
Other augmentations, like max damage, always maintaining maximum health and mana, or receiving increased rewards from combat, can be toggled on and off freely. Some of these features don’t even affect combat, instead making it easier to complete mini-games.
All these features will make playing or replaying Final Fantasy VII Rebirth a less time-intensive journey, but for those who don’t want to repurchase the game, or buy a Switch 2 for that matter, they’re in luck. As with Final Fantasy VII Remake, Rebirth will receive an update across all existing platforms, making these Streamlined Progression Features available to everyone.
The Final Fantasy VII Rebirth demo carries progress over if you buy the full game.
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth runs very smoothly on Switch 2, but it doesn’t always look its absolute best. Again, my time in the game was spent with handheld mode, where the very occasional texture looked a little rough, but the most glaring issue was with hair, which often took on a fuzzy look.
This has been explained in the past as an issue attributed to the Switch 2’s handheld resolution and the game’s temporal anti-aliasing. It’s honestly nothing that should detract from the experience, but it’s definitely worth knowing about going in.
If you’re on the fence, a demo for Switch 2 is now available, allowing players to experience the first two chapters of Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, with progress carrying over to the full release. Given the trade-off, though, fuzzy hair for being able to take a 50+ hour journey on the go seems well worth it.
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth releases June 3, 2026 on Nintendo Switch 2 and Xbox Series X|S
