Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth will offer Hard Mode from the start, allowing players to select it on their first playthrough without needing to complete the main story on another difficulty first. Director Naoki Hamaguchi confirmed this adjustment.
This design differs from Final Fantasy VII Remake and Final Fantasy VII Rebirth. The previous two titles required players to complete the game once before unlocking higher difficulties, whereas the third installment integrates the high-difficulty option directly into the initial playthrough.
Naoki Hamaguchi stated that Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth features a substantial amount of additional content after the main story concludes. The team therefore believed that requiring players to complete a full playthrough before accessing Hard Mode was not ideal, as the focus after finishing the story would shift to these extra contents.
Reports also state that the game is titled Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth and is confirmed to launch on Nintendo Switch 2 on April 8, 2027. Specific details regarding how Hard Mode affects combat balance, resource management, and post-game content have not yet been announced.