Final Fantasy VII Games in Order

33:33 To be ready for Final Fantasy VII Revelation you need two games: Final Fantasy VII Remake (2020, or its 2021 version Intergrade) and Final Fantasy VII Rebirth (2024), because Revelation, out Apr 8, 2027, is the third and last part of that one story. Everything else in the Final Fantasy VII family, from the 1997 original to the prequels and the film, is optional background. As GameSpot's timeline video explains at this moment, the remake games go back to the events of the original and retell them as a new strand of the timeline, so they stand on their own while rewarding anyone who knows the older games. Below are both orders (when each came out, and where each sits in the story), then our advice on what to play and the cheapest way to buy it.

Quick facts

Final Fantasy VII games in release order

This is the order the games and films came out, with the first release date of each. Ports and remasters are listed only where they are a separate product you would buy today.

Sources: Metacritic (1997 date); Square Enix (Remake); Gematsu, Jun 2022 (Intergrade); Gematsu, Sep 2022 (Reunion); Square Enix via Game Developer, Dec 7, 2023 (Ever Crisis); RPG Site, Jul 8, 2026 (Ever Crisis's end); the Compilation's dates are on its own page.

39:37 The pattern matters for Revelation. The original was a single game in 1997; as Digital Foundry recounts here, Square Enix announced the "Compilation of Final Fantasy VII" in 2003, with Advent Children planned first and the mobile game Before Crisis reaching players first, in 2004. The remake trilogy began in 2020. Revelation is the first game of the family to launch on every current platform on the same day, where Remake started on PS4 alone and Rebirth on PS5 alone.

Final Fantasy VII story order

The in-world order is different, because most spin-offs are prequels or sequels. This is the order of events, oldest first. Spoilers are kept to the setup of each game.

3:35 1. The First Soldier. GameSpot's timeline starts with the 2021 battle royale The First Soldier, set about two decades before the original game, when Shinra trains the first candidates for its elite SOLDIER program. The game itself is gone, but its story lived on.

4:14 2. Ever Crisis's "The First Soldier" story. Ever Crisis told a new story in the same era: young Sephiroth fighting in the Wutai war beside three recruits, Glenn Lodbrok, Matt and Lucia. Glenn returns in Revelation as a Wutai operative (see Wutai), which is why this obscure story suddenly matters. It is told on the Final Fantasy VII Ever Crisis page.

5:38 3. Before Crisis. The Turks' story, set about six years before the original, right after the Wutai war. GameSpot notes it overlaps with Crisis Core and was a Japan-only mobile game, so almost no one outside Japan has played it.

7:06 4. Crisis Core. Zack Fair's story, from the last battle of the Wutai war to the eve of the original game. It ends where Final Fantasy VII begins, which makes it the most useful prequel by far (Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Reunion).

17:21 5. Final Fantasy VII, and the remake trilogy. The original game "follows on right after" Crisis Core: Cloud joins the rebels of Avalanche against Shinra in Midgar. Remake, Rebirth and Revelation retell this same span in three games, with the changes covered on Final Fantasy VII Remake and Rebirth Story So Far.

27:46 6. Advent Children. The CG film jumps two years past the original's ending, to a world sick with a new disease, Geostigma.

30:41 7. Dirge of Cerberus. Vincent Valentine's shooter opens during the original game's climax but mostly takes place three years after it, against Deepground, a secret Shinra force. The second Revelation Story DLC is named "Vincent & the Turks", so this game is worth knowing about too.

The remake games break from this list in one way: they are a new strand, not a straight retelling, so the sequels above (Advent Children and Dirge of Cerberus) follow the original 1997 ending, and nobody yet knows whether they will follow Revelation's.

Which Final Fantasy VII games to play before Revelation

37:06 The short list has two entries: Remake and Rebirth. Revelation picks up straight after Rebirth's ending, which GameSpot's timeline describes at this moment as charting "the middle act of the original game" and then breaking from it. Without Rebirth, Revelation's first hours will not make sense; without Remake, Rebirth's will not.

Our advice, in the order we would spend time:

0:37 If you have no time to play Remake, PlayStation's official recap of the story so far covers its setup in three minutes, starting here with Cloud joining Avalanche. We think a recap is a poor substitute for Rebirth in particular, whose ending is the hinge of the whole trilogy; the full plot is on Final Fantasy VII Remake and Rebirth Story So Far.

We think the original 1997 game is the one to skip if you have to choose, and the one to play afterwards if you can. Revelation adapts its final third, so playing the original first means knowing many of Revelation's big moments in advance.

The cheapest way to buy the Final Fantasy VII remake trilogy

0:07 Square Enix sells the whole remake trilogy in one bundle, the Final Fantasy VII Remake Series Trilogy Edition, for $84.99 digital on PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC: Remake Intergrade, Rebirth and a Revelation pre-order, plus the Mecha-Chocobo & Moogle summon. It is not offered on Switch 2, even though Nintendo's Direct trailer, at this moment, sells Revelation as the conclusion of the series on Switch 2.

Our own sum of the alternatives, at US list prices as of Nov 7, 2026:

The Trilogy Edition saves $44.99 over buying the Twin Pack and Revelation separately. For anyone who owns neither earlier game, we think it is the obvious purchase on PlayStation, Xbox or PC. Owners of the earlier games should keep their save files instead: a Remake Intergrade save unlocks a Chocobo & Moogle summon and weapon skins in Revelation, and a Rebirth save unlocks the Phoenix summon and its own skin set (Square Enix, Sep 3, 2026). Edition details are on Final Fantasy VII Revelation Editions and Price.

Why the spin-offs matter more this time

7:00 Square Enix's Deep Dive trailer says plainly that Revelation "includes stories and characters from titles within the Final Fantasy VII compilation", naming Cissnei, who first appeared in Before Crisis and Crisis Core. The Revelation Story Expansion Pass adds two story DLCs named "Sephiroth" and "Vincent & the Turks" (Square Enix, Sep 3, 2026), which point at Ever Crisis's young Sephiroth and at Dirge of Cerberus. We think a player who has seen Crisis Core Reunion and read the Ever Crisis and Dirge summaries on this viki will catch every reference without playing anything that no longer exists. What each spin-off adds is on Compilation of Final Fantasy VII; what we expect the DLCs to contain is on Predictions.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need to play Remake and Rebirth before Revelation?

Yes. Revelation is the third part of one story that starts in Remake and continues in Rebirth, and it begins right after Rebirth's ending. Both are in the $84.99 Trilogy Edition on PS5, Xbox and PC.

Do I need to play the original Final Fantasy VII first?

No. The remake games explain everything they need. We suggest playing the 1997 game after Revelation, because Revelation adapts its last third and you would otherwise know the big moments in advance.

Is Crisis Core required?

No, but it is the most useful extra. It is Zack Fair's story, which ends where Final Fantasy VII begins, and Zack has a bigger playable role in Revelation (Inven Global, Sep 10, 2026).

What order should I play the Final Fantasy VII remake games in?

Remake (Intergrade includes the INTERmission episode with Yuffie), then Rebirth, then Revelation on Apr 8, 2027.

Can I still play Ever Crisis or Before Crisis?

No. Ever Crisis ended service on Oct 6, 2026, and Before Crisis and The First Soldier closed earlier. Their stories survive only in recaps and videos.

Where do Advent Children and Dirge of Cerberus fit?

After the original game: Advent Children two years later, Dirge of Cerberus three years later. They follow the 1997 ending, not the remake's.

Sources

• Square Enix, Sep 3, 2026: Final Fantasy VII Revelation releases April 8, 2027
• PlayStation Store: Final Fantasy VII Revelation
• Square Enix: Final Fantasy VII Remake shipments and sales
• Metacritic: Final Fantasy VII
• Gematsu, Jun 2022: Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade coming to Steam on June 17
• Gematsu, Sep 2022: Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Reunion launches December 13
• Square Enix via Game Developer, Dec 7, 2023: Final Fantasy VII Ever Crisis now available on Steam
• RPG Site, Jul 8, 2026: Final Fantasy VII Ever Crisis is shutting down on October 6
• RPG Site, Jun 5, 2026: Final Fantasy VII Revelation announced
• Inven Global, Sep 10, 2026: Final Fantasy VII Revelation includes everything we wanted to tell
• GameSpot, Mar 5, 2024: The Complete Final Fantasy 7 Timeline Explained
• Digital Foundry, Apr 26, 2020: DF Retro: Final Fantasy 7