You've probably seen the countdowns. The social media posts. The "leaks" from some guy on a forum who swears his uncle works at Square Enix. We are all desperate to know when Cloud and the gang are coming back to finish what they started, especially after that wild, brain-melting ending in Rebirth.
But here’s the thing. Predicting the final fantasy 7 remake part 3 release date isn't actually as much of a guessing game as it used to be. Square Enix has been surprisingly chatty lately. If you look at the patterns—and the actual words coming out of Naoki Hamaguchi’s mouth—the timeline starts looking a lot less like a mystery and a lot more like a mathematical certainty.
Honestly? It's closer than you think, but there’s a massive catch involving a certain flying machine.
The 3-Year Window is the Magic Number
Let’s look at the cold, hard facts.
Final Fantasy VII Remake launched in April 2020. Final Fantasy VII Rebirth hit shelves in February 2024. That is roughly a four-year gap. Sounds long, right? Well, Square Enix producer Yoshinori Kitase pointed out in the Rebirth Ultimania that the game actually only took about three years of "active" development. One whole year was swallowed up by the Intermission DLC (the Yuffie chapters) and getting the PS5 port ready.
Square has explicitly stated they aren't doing DLC for Rebirth. No "Intermission 2." No side stories. They are putting every single ounce of energy into Part 3.
If they stick to that three-year dev cycle, we are looking at 2027.
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January 31, 2027, to be precise. Why that date? It is the 30th anniversary of the original 1997 Japanese release. Square Enix loves an anniversary. They live for them. Releasing the final chapter of the most ambitious remake in history on the exact day the original turned 30? It is too perfect for a marketing department to ignore.
Why 2026 is Probably a Pipe Dream
I know. You want it now. 2026 sounds better. There have been some headlines lately saying "Development is 50% done" or "The script is finished."
That is great news, but it doesn’t mean the game is coming next year.
Right now, in 2026, Square Enix is busy. They just pushed Remake and Rebirth onto Xbox and the "Nintendo Switch 2." They want those new players to buy the first two games before they drop the finale. If they launch Part 3 too early, they cannibalize the sales of the ports they just spent millions of dollars moving to other consoles.
Director Naoki Hamaguchi mentioned in a 2026 New Year's message that they are in the "final stretch" of core production and moving into the polishing phase. Polishing a game this big—especially one that has to include the Highwind—takes forever.
The Highwind Problem
Everyone wants the airship. It was the best part of the original game. But it is a nightmare to build in a modern AAA engine.
In Rebirth, the "open world" was actually a series of very large, very beautiful zones. You couldn't just fly from one end of the planet to the other without a loading screen or a fast-travel point. Part 3 changes that.
The developers have confirmed that the Highwind is a core part of the experience. They aren't just making it a cutscene. They are trying to give you that 1997 feeling of flying over the world map, but with 2027 graphics. That requires a complete overhaul of how the game loads data. If you fly too fast and the ground textures haven't loaded yet, the game crashes.
This is likely what is eating up the most time. They have to rebuild the world—not just the new areas like Rocket Town or Wutai—but the entire world from the previous games so you can fly over it.
What We Actually Know About Progress
During the G-STAR 2024 event in South Korea, and subsequent updates into 2025, the team confirmed a few vital things:
- The Script is Done: The main scenario is finished. Voice actors are already in the booths recording lines. This is huge because it means the "what happens" part of the game is locked in. No more rewrites.
- The Combat is Evolving: They’ve hinted at a "new experience" that builds on the synergy system from Rebirth.
- The Multi-Platform Shift: Square Enix officially moved away from PlayStation exclusivity. Part 3 is almost certainly going to be a multi-platform launch. This adds time to QA and bug-fixing because they have to make it work on PC, PS5, and likely the next generation of consoles simultaneously.
Don't Fall for the "Early 2026" Rumors
Every few months, a "retailer leak" or a placeholder date on a website suggests we’re getting the game in late 2025 or early 2026. Ignore them.
Square Enix is a public company. They have to report to shareholders. Their current "Mid-term Business Plan" (covering 2025 through early 2027) focuses on "rebooting" the brand. They are looking for stability, not rushed releases. Pushing Part 3 into the 2027 fiscal year makes their financial books look incredible for that period.
The "Final Fantasy 7 Remake Part 3 Release Date" Reality Check
So, where does that leave us?
If you are placing bets, put your money on Spring 2027.
Specifically, the window between January and April 2027. This hits the 30th anniversary, gives them enough time to polish the airship mechanics, and lets the new Xbox and Switch 2 players finish Rebirth before the hype train for the finale leaves the station.
What you should do now:
- Ignore "Inside Leakers" on Reddit: Most are just extrapolating the same data we have. Unless it comes from a Famitsu interview or a Square Enix press release, it’s just noise.
- Watch the 2026 Summer Game Fest: If we’re getting a 2027 release, the first teaser trailer—probably just a title reveal like "Final Fantasy VII Reunion" or "Revival"—will drop in June 2026.
- Finish your Rebirth Plat: You’re going to want that save data ready. While they haven't confirmed exactly what carries over, they’ve hinted that players who finished the first two games will get "something special" in the third.
The wait is painful. I get it. We've been on this journey since 2015. But Square has a rhythm now. They aren't the company that took ten years to make FF15 anymore. They are a machine. And that machine is currently aiming straight for the 30th anniversary.
Stick to the 2027 plan. If it comes earlier, it's a miracle. If it comes then, it's a masterpiece.
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The development of the final chapter is currently in the polishing phase, with the main scenario fully written and voice recording well underway as of early 2026. While fans hope for a surprise, all technical and marketing indicators point toward a launch that coincides with the 30th-anniversary celebrations of the original title.