Final Fantasy Remake Intergrade + Final Fantasy VII Rebirth

Normally we’d just be adding Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, the second entry in Square Enix’s Remake trilogy, as a standalone game for this roundup. But Rebirth isn’t a game that you should play on its own. If you want to jump into the series’ latest action-RPG, you should probably go back and see the entire thing through first. Remake and Rebirth are spreading the original 1997 PlayStation RPG out into multiple, full-fledged games, and the sequel feels like a natural extension of Remake in a way that’s pretty unapologetic. While there’s some division about the direction these games are taking with the source material, this is easily the best version of Final Fantasy VII’s iconic cast. The action-based combat is top of its class, and Rebirth is chock full of stuff to do in its open-world recreation of this beloved world. There’s still one game to go before Square Enix wraps up this retelling, but between both existing entries and the Intergrade intermission DLC included in the PS5 version of Remake, you have a lot to dive into right now.

A good match for: Those who want a stylish action RPG with great character work.

Not a good match for: Anyone who doesn’t want to get caught up on the rest of the Final Fantasy VII story before jumping in.