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Aerith staring into the distance in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth
Image via Square Enix

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth countdown: Exact start time and release date

A new destiny is approaching.

The second installment in Square Enix’s big Final Fantasy 7 remake project, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, is set to be even bigger than its predecessor. So we’re counting down to exactly when we’ll get our hands on it. 

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Cloud and his companions are leaving the city of Midgar behind and entering a massive open world to get lost in, with many iconic locations and scenes from the original game getting a fancy overhaul thanks to the power of the PlayStation 5. Combined with entirely new story elements, it seems part two of the critically acclaimed remake will be an emotional rollercoaster, especially for die-hard Final Fantasy 7 fans. So, here’s when you can start playing Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth.

When will Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth release?

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth launches on Thursday, Feb. 29, aka leap day. That’s going to make celebrating its future anniversaries a tad awkward (it’ll arguably only be a year old by 2028). But if you can ensure you’re not busy on the Friday after, that’s three straight days of playtime to enjoy.

If you’ve pre-ordered the game digitally, Square Enix has confirmed Rebirth will go live and become available to play at midnight local time. So, this is one of those instances where people living in New Zealand and Japan can start playing earlier than those in the U.S. and the U.K. For the record, our countdown below is set for midnight CT.

Anyone buying the game physically should be aware that it comes on two discs because it’s just that big. As director Naoki Hamaguchi explained in a Game Informer interview in September 2023, you’ll need to insert both discs to install all 150 GB of data. Fortunately, once that’s done, you’ll only need one disc to play the game.

If you never played the previous entry, Final Fantasy 7 Remake, Square Enix is selling a Twin Pack Edition, which bundles it with its Episode Intermission DLC and Rebirth for $69.99—the same price as buying Rebirth on its own. You can even start playing Remake immediately after pre-ordering the pack.


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Author
Image of Michael Beckwith
Michael Beckwith
Staff writer at Dot Esports covering all kinds of gaming news. A graduate in Computer Games Design and Creative Writing from Brunel University who's been writing about games since 2014. Nintendo fan and Sonic the Hedgehog apologist. Knows a worrying amount of Kingdom Hearts lore. Has previously written for Metro, TechRadar, and Game Rant.