Final Fantasy 7 Revelation Lets You Pick Hard Mode From the Start

Final Fantasy 7 Revelation will let you pick Hard Mode from the very first moment of a new game. Director Naoki Hamaguchi confirmed it in an interview with Hardcore Gamer at Tokyo Game Show 2026, and it is a big shift from Final Fantasy 7 Remake and Rebirth, where Hard Mode only opened after you beat the story. The final chapter of the trilogy launches April 8, 2027 on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch 2 and PC.

What is new about Hard Mode

In the first two games, Hard Mode was a reward. You had to finish the game once, then replay chapters through Chapter Select with items switched off. Revelation drops that path. Kotaku, Noisy Pixel and PlayFront, all citing the interview, report that you can select Hard Mode from the start without finishing the story first. TheGamer and GAMINGbible quote Hamaguchi saying Hard Mode is selectable from the very start of this game.

He also said it will not work in exactly the same way as before. The team reimagined the high difficulty experience to fit the new design, so do not expect a simple copy of the old rules.

Why Square Enix changed it

According to Kotaku, the reason is the amount of endgame content waiting after the main story. Players are no longer tied to the old plan of beating the game, then trying Hard Mode on a second run. Hamaguchi also said that simply banning items would not create the challenge hardcore fans want anymore, because cooperative abilities and the FITS system have given players far more options than before.

Wccftech adds that Hard Mode will not disable mechanics just to raise the difficulty artificially. PlayFront reads the plan the same way: Square Enix wants to build the challenge from complex enemy variations and the FITS system instead of artificial limits. If you want to see how Vincent and Cid fight, we covered it here: Final Fantasy VII Revelation: Vincent and Cid Combat Details.

Watch the official Combat and Exploration Deep Dive trailer below.

VideoWatch directly inside the article

Dynamic Mode comes back

Dynamic Mode from Rebirth returns too. It scales the challenge to your party, so a team of high level characters does not flatten every fight. GamesRadar reports an Enemy Strength option that lets you choose between dynamic and static enemies. Kotaku and Wccftech describe it as a way to keep fights challenging and strategic no matter how strong your characters get.

What we still do not know

Square Enix has not published the actual rules yet. Nobody has detailed enemy stats, MP and resting rules or rewards for Hard Mode. Outlets also disagree on whether the dropped item restriction belongs to Hard Mode or to Dynamic Mode, and the full interview was not readable for us, so treat the details as reported, not final. Wccftech notes that Hard Mode was not in the gamescom 2026 open world demo.

The news also contradicts earlier chatter. In September, an insider report claimed there would be no Hard Mode at launch, and in June Hamaguchi pointed players toward endgame content instead of a restart. Separately, Push Square reported, citing RPG Site, that the optional Streamlined Progression settings from Remake and Rebirth will not be available at launch.

What fans are saying

We could not find a roundup of fan reactions, so we read the threads on the GameFAQs board for the game. It is a small sample and not representative of every player. Before the news, many posters disliked the item ban and the New Game Plus lock and wanted difficulty from day one, while others said the endgame would make Hard Mode unnecessary if it was balanced well.

After the confirmation, the mood was mostly positive. Posters liked that Hard Mode opens at the start and said the developers listened, and several plan to play with Hard Mode and Dynamic Mode together. One player said the old no items Hard Mode was never especially hard or fun. The dropped item ban split the thread: some feel items make the game easier unless you restrict yourself, while others are fine with it and point out that you can set your own no items rule. Many are still asking whether Hard Mode changes more than enemy stats.

The game at a glance

Revelation is the third and final game in the Remake series. The party takes the airship Highwind to stop Meteor while Sephiroth nears godhood. Square Enix says the whole planet is explorable, with places like Mideel, Wutai and the Northern Continent, and you can parachute in from above. Combat mixes real time action with Tactical Mode, Vincent and Cid join as playable characters, and FITS outfits such as Warrior, Knight, Black Mage and Summoner change how each hero plays.

Hamaguchi has said the game is about 200 GB, so physical copies will need an extra download. On PS5 Pro, he has said a mode with 4K image quality and 60 frames per second is planned. More here: Final Fantasy VII Revelation Will Run at 4K and 60 FPS on PS5 Pro, Director Confirms, and the launch story: Final Fantasy VII Revelation Launches on PS5 April 8, 2027.

Release date, platforms and price

• Release date: April 8, 2027
• Platforms: PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch 2, PC (Steam, Epic Games Store and Xbox on PC)
• Price: 69.99 US dollars standard, 99.99 US dollars Premium (digital, with the Story Expansion Pass and 24 hour early access), 349.99 US dollars Collector’s Edition (Square Enix Store)
• Developer and publisher: Square Enix
• View on Steam
• Official release date news from Square Enix

Based on Square Enix’s official announcements, Naoki Hamaguchi’s Tokyo Game Show 2026 interview with Hardcore Gamer as reported by Kotaku, Noisy Pixel, PlayFront, GamesRadar and Wccftech, and fan threads on GameFAQs. Details can change before launch.

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