Final Fantasy VII Revelation will let players pick Hard Mode from the very first playthrough, director Naoki Hamaguchi has confirmed, ending the post-credits unlock used in Remake and Rebirth. The FF7 Revelation release date is unchanged: April 8, 2027, on PS5, Nintendo Switch 2, Xbox Series X|S and PC, the first time a game in the trilogy launches on every platform on the same day.
Hamaguchi explained the change to Hardcore Gamer in a Tokyo Game Show interview published on October 18. Early on October 19 (02:49 UTC) he followed up on X to say Dynamic Mode also returns, and attached a screenshot of the game’s difficulty menu.
Revelation's difficulty menu: Hard is a combat setting and Dynamic a separate enemy-strength setting, both changeable later. Image: Square Enix, posted by director Naoki Hamaguchi on X
Table of Contents
What changes in FF7 Revelation’s Hard Mode
In Remake and Rebirth, Hard Mode was a reward for finishing the story, and its defining rule was that items were banned. Revelation drops both. According to Hamaguchi, Hard Mode has been “reimagined” for the new game design and is selectable from the start, because Revelation has “a wide variety of end-game content” to keep players busy after the credits instead of a second run on Hard.
Items stay usable. Hamaguchi said the series has added so many options, such as cooperative abilities and the new FITS role system, that simply banning items “wouldn’t be enough” to create the high-difficulty experience the team wanted. Players who want something close to the old Hard Mode are pointed to Dynamic Mode, which he described as battles with “both enemies and your character fully leveled up”.
The screenshot he posted shows how the settings are split:
| Menu setting | Value shown | What the menu says |
|---|---|---|
| Combat Difficulty | Hard | “The most challenging difficulty level”; sets Combat Style to Active |
| Enemy Strength | Dynamic | Separate from combat difficulty |
| Combat Style | Active (locked) | Forced on with Hard |
| Minigame Difficulty | Normal | Its own setting |
| Main Scenario Level Sync | Disabled | Not explained yet |
The menu also notes that all of these “can be changed later from the Options screen on the main menu”, so starting on Hard is not a permanent commitment.
Why the endgame matters here
In June, Hamaguchi told Everything.it (via GamingBolt) that Revelation removes the level cap of the first two games so characters can reach level 99, and that optional bosses tougher than the final boss, including the WEAPONs and the Knights of the Round, wait on the world map after the story. In a September interview with Anime News Network, he and battle director Teruki Endo said the Platinum Trophy will be much easier than Rebirth’s, with the team expecting “twenty percent of players, or maybe even more” to earn it, as Insider Gaming reported.
Cid is one of two new playable characters, alongside Vincent. Image: Square Enix
FF7 Revelation release date, platforms and editions
Square Enix announced the April 8, 2027 date during PlayStation’s State of Play on September 3, 2026, and pre-orders opened the same day, apart from digital Switch 2 pre-orders, which followed later. PC versions are on Steam, the Epic Games Store and Xbox on PC. On Switch 2 the physical version is a Game-Key Card, as Nintendo Life spotted. The US eShop listing takes digital pre-orders at $69.99 and estimates the download at around 130 GB (checked October 19, 2026 UTC). The game is not yet rated.
The Highwind airship lets the party explore an open planet. Image: Square Enix
| Edition | Price (US) | Main extras |
|---|---|---|
| Standard (physical or digital) | $69.99 | Base game |
| Deluxe (physical) | $99.99 | Mini soundtrack, artbook, steelbook |
| Premium (digital) | $99.99 | Story Expansion Pass, in-game items, play 24 hours early |
| Premium Plus (digital) | $109.99 | Premium plus digital soundtrack and artbook, extra Materia and gear |
| Collector’s (Square Enix Store) | $349.99 | Deluxe contents, Cloud, Zack and Sephiroth statue, Story Expansion Pass |
Every pre-order gets the Mecha-Chocobo & Moogle Summon Materia. The Story Expansion Pass covers two story DLCs, one featuring Sephiroth and one featuring Vincent and the Turks, planned for release between winter 2027 and spring 2028. Save data from Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade unlocks a Chocobo & Moogle summon and weapon skins, and Rebirth saves add the Phoenix summon and another skin set. Newcomers can pre-order the $84.99 Remake Series Trilogy Edition (PS5, Xbox and PC), which includes Intergrade and Rebirth right away. Our guide to what to know before playing Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth covers the second part.
What’s next
Revelation closes the trilogy that began with Remake in 2020; back in 2021 we covered early hints about the story of FF7 Remake Part 2, which became Rebirth. With Hard Mode open from the start, the endgame becomes the main replay draw, but Square Enix has not yet detailed that post-game content or what Main Scenario Level Sync does. Square Enix’s nearer release is Final Fantasy Resonance on October 22.
Sources: Hardcore Gamer, Naoki Hamaguchi on X, Square Enix press release, official site, Steam, Nintendo eShop, Kotaku, GamingBolt, Insider Gaming, Nintendo Life.
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Featured image: Square Enix
