Switch 2 Hands-On

When Final Fantasy VII Rebirth released on the PS5 back in 2024, I instantly fell in love with the game. As I wrote in my review, I felt it surpassed Remake in every way and fulfilled that fantasy of updating the classics’ overworld in the form of large regions to explore. After fully devouring every piece of content in the game, I’ve had no reason to return to the game. Until now, that is.

I recently got the chance to go hands-on with the Switch 2 version of Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, and based on the evidence of what I was able to check out, it looks like another playthrough is in order shortly.

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Final Fantasy VII Rebirth on the Switch 2 looks as good as ever.

Portable Marvel

My entire time with the game was in handheld mode, and my initial thoughts were just how impressed I was with how the game both ran and looked. If you’ve played Final Fantasy VII Remake earlier in the year on the Switch 2, you’ll have a rough idea of what to expect in terms of quality, but it’s clear to see that Rebirth is a massive step-up.

We took control of Cloud in Chapter 1, exploring the idealistic town of Kalm for the first time after an awkward night going over the history between him and Sephiroth. At first glance, it looks remarkably close to other versions of the game, even if the textures may be a bit less consistent. Performance seemed silky smooth, and I spent the vast majority of my time exclaiming about how good it felt playing this in a portable capacity.

I made the time to get out into the Grasslands for the first time, and performance seemed to hold up well enough in combat, too. Of course, it remains to be seen if there are any dips during some of the game’s more technically demanding sections further in the adventure, but for now, the early signs are impressive for how well the Switch 2 seems to run Rebirth.

Still, there were a few areas where it did struggle a bit more. Most of the hair on the character models had a slight blur to it, and I did notice that the lighting can be a bit too dark when going in and out of interiors. The Switch 2 version of Rebirth also had some slight pop-in (although not as bad as I was expecting in handheld mode) when I got into the Grasslands. With all of that in mind, however, I was still left impressed at how this game looked and ran, especially in both cutscenes and the fact that combat still felt snappy.

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(1 of 2) Combat felt snappy and smooth on the Switch 2 version.

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Combat felt snappy and smooth on the Switch 2 version. (left), Outside of a little pop-in, Kalm still looks fantastic on the Switch 2 in handheld mode. (right)

Accessibility For All

Just like the previous entry, the Switch 2 version of Final Fantasy VII Rebirth features a whole host of accessibility options and cheats to make getting through this version of the game a lot smoother. You’ll find a ton of cheats you can turn on and off, such as the HP and MP cheats found in Remake, along with always having your Limits available.

Rebirth, however, takes this a step further and offers options to grant Constant Max Synergy, Max Damage: Minigames, and More Materials Collected. While first-time players may want to avoid these, Rebirth is a monster of a game, and Square Enix offering players the ability to streamline it a bit is a welcome one. Even more so for players who may be picking up the Switch 2 version to revisit the story ahead of the final part of the remake series.

While I only got a small bite of this exceedingly juicy cherry for now, all of the signs were positive and served enough to get me to revisit the world of Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, only this time, in a portable fashion.

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There is a slight blurriness to the hair on most of the character models.

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth releases on the Nintendo Switch 2 and Xbox Series X/S on June 3rd, 2026.