Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is on track to be the longest installment in the remake trilogy, with director Naoki Hamaguchi estimating that a full completion encompassing campaign, side activities, and endgame content could demand up to 100 hours. Hamaguchi himself has experienced this extensive playtime multiple times during development, aiming to ensure a polished player experience.
"In a standard playthrough from beginning to end, if I were to review and check every single asset and element in the game, it'll easily take over a hundred hours," Hamaguchi told GameSpot. He detailed his rigorous testing approach, which involves dedicating specific playthroughs to focus on different elements, such as the main story or specific mechanics, sometimes even skipping combat to expedite the process. By the time of his interview, Hamaguchi had completed 46 playthroughs of the game.
His dedication to playtesting extends to his current press tour, where he has utilized any downtime, including between interviews, to test the latest builds of the game on a PlayStation 5. Hamaguchi emphasized his commitment to checking for issues, stating, "Even on business trips, if there's even a small amount of time that I have available, I'll try to check the latest version of the game to see if there are any issues."
Despite the game's considerable length, Square Enix aims to respect players' time. The development team has structured Rebirth so that minigames are not mandatory for campaign progression, and players have the option to skip cutscenes. Pacing adjustments have also been made to maintain narrative momentum.
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is scheduled to launch for PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch 2 on April 8, 2027. The interview was conducted by Emma Fyffe.