I’ve been waiting for this one: Square Enix is bringing Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade to Nintendo Switch 2 and Xbox Series X|S (with Xbox on PC via Xbox Play Anywhere) on January 22, 2026. After years of timed exclusivity and platform hopscotch, the best version of Remake plus the Yuffie “Intermission” episode is finally landing where more players can actually touch it. That’s the headline. The twist? Square is also adding a full-blown “Streamlined Progression” option-basically a story-first, god-mode toggle-that will stir up debate for a combat system built on timing, resource management, and ATB juggling.
Intergrade is the definitive edition of FF7 Remake: the visual and performance upgrade and the Yuffie-centric Episode Intermission bundled in. If you skipped it on PS5 or PC because you wanted to see where Square’s multiplatform strategy landed, this is your opening. The Xbox Play Anywhere part is a rare, unambiguously pro-consumer move—buy once, play on Series X|S and Windows PC. If you bounce between couch and desk, that flexibility matters.
Square’s pre-order offers are… eclectic. Digital pre-orders get the original 1997 Final Fantasy VII for a limited window through January 31, 2026. On Xbox, you can start playing it right after you pre-order; on Switch 2, access starts on launch day. It’s a smart on-ramp for newcomers who want to compare the reimagining to the PS1 classic. The physical Switch 2 bonus is a Magic: The Gathering—Final Fantasy Play Booster: 15 random cards, strictly while supplies last. That’s a neat collectible crossover, but let’s be honest—it’s more FOMO bait than gaming value.
This caught my attention because Remake’s hybrid combat is the point—swapping characters to build ATB, deciding when to burn abilities, and picking the perfect stagger window. The new toggle throws the training wheels, the bike, and the road in for good measure: infinite HP/MP, always-filled ATB and Limit, guaranteed 9,999-damage hits, and simpler weapon ability acquisition. For players who want to coast through for the story—or need accessibility options—this is a win. For everyone else, it risks flattening one of the best-designed systems of the last generation.
Key question Square hasn’t answered yet: will enabling Streamlined Progression affect trophies/achievements or difficulty settings? I hope they let us fine-tune it (e.g., just faster ability unlocks without god mode), because the combat sings when you’re forced to plan. Either way, it’s optional—so veterans can keep their classic challenge runs intact.
Zooming out, this release is the clearest signal yet that Square is serious about getting big JRPGs on more systems. We’ve heard the “aggressive multiplatform” line before; this is the delivery. Intergrade launching on Switch 2 and Xbox alongside Xbox on PC, and the promise that the whole Remake trilogy is headed to those platforms, is the kind of follow-through fans have been begging for since the first game arrived in 2020.
The technical elephant in the room is the Switch 2 version. Unreal Engine 4 can scale, sure, but Remake’s particle-heavy battles and dense Midgar scenes are demanding. Will Switch 2 offer performance and quality modes? Can it hold steady frame rates without aggressive resolution dips? Square isn’t saying yet. After a generation of cloud versions and compromised ports on the original Switch, cautious optimism is the healthy stance here.
If you’ve never played Remake, this is a great jumping-in point. You’re getting Intergrade plus the excellent Yuffie episode, and the original FF7 as a bonus if you go digital before the cutoff. On Xbox, the Play Anywhere angle sweetens the deal. On Switch 2, I’d wait for performance impressions unless the MTG booster collectible speaks to you—because “while supplies last” is doing a lot of heavy lifting in that sentence.
For returning players, the new mode doesn’t justify a double dip on its own. The meaningful question is platform fit: do you want Remake on a handheld-capable system with (hopefully) solid performance, or on Xbox with Play Anywhere convenience? If Square nails the ports, having the trilogy line up across platforms as Part 3 arrives could be the real win.
Square says the third game in the trilogy is “diligently being produced,” and the plan is to bring the entire saga to Switch 2 and Xbox in addition to PS5 and PC. If they can time future releases tighter across platforms, it’ll finally put an end to the staggered-release headache that’s dogged FF fans for years. For now, January 22, 2026 is the date to watch—and the day Midgar gets a lot more crowded.
FF7 Remake Intergrade lands on Switch 2 and Xbox with a story-first god mode, Play Anywhere on Xbox/PC, and a couple of pre-order carrots. The big questions are Switch 2 performance and whether Streamlined Progression is flexible enough to preserve the combat’s bite. Cautiously excited, with an eye on the port quality.
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