X

You can try Final Fantasy 7 Remake for free right now

Square Enix released a demo featuring Cloud Strife's first mission on PS4 early Monday.

Sean Keane Former Senior Writer
Sean knows far too much about Marvel, DC and Star Wars, and poured this knowledge into recaps and explainers on CNET. He also worked on breaking news, with a passion for tech, video game and culture.
Expertise Culture, Video Games, Breaking News
Sean Keane
ffvii-04

Pick up your Buster Swords, it's time to play Final Fantasy 7 Remake.

Square Enix/Screenshot by Gamespot

If you've been waiting to play Final Fantasy 7 Remake on your own PS4, today's the day. Square Enix released a demo of the 2020 update of its beloved RPG classic on PlayStation Network on Monday morning.

The demo covers the opening mission, in which beautiful-haired hero Cloud Strife joins eco-terrorist group Avalanche to blow up a reactor run by planet-destroying megacorporation Shinra. In addition to reuniting you with Cloud, Barret and the gang, this section gives you the chance to try out the excellent new combat system until you beat the game's first boss.

Watch this: Final Fantasy 7 Remake is utterly spectacular

Unlike the Dragon Quest 11 demo Square Enix released on Nintendo Switch last year, you won't be able to carry your progress over into the full game. 

If you download the demo before May 11, you'll be able to get an exclusive theme from April 10 -- the day the game itself hits PS4.  However, it won't give us the whole story -- the remake is being released episodically and the first part will only bring us up to the end of the Midgar section. Square Enix hasn't said when the next episode will come out, nor do we know how many episodes the adventure will be divided into.

The original game came out on the first PlayStation in 1997 and fans have been crying out for a remake since 2005.

First published March 3, 1:25 a.m. PT.
Updated 2:15 a.m. PT: Adds more detail.

32 of the best games on PS4

See all photos