If you’re thinking about diving into Final Fantasy 7 Remake, one of the first questions that hits is: how much time are we talking here? The answer isn’t straightforward because playtime varies dramatically depending on your approach. Whether you’re blitzing through the main story or hunting every treasure chest and side quest, Final Fantasy 7 Remake demands different commitments. This breakdown covers everything you need to know about how long the game takes across different playstyles, so you can decide if it fits your schedule before dropping $60-70 on it. We’ll also touch on New Game Plus, Hard Mode, and what’s changed since launch, because this game has evolved since its December 2020 release on PS4 (and later PS5 and PC).
Key Takeaways
- How long is Final Fantasy 7 Remake varies significantly by playstyle: expect 30-40 hours for the main story, 45-55 hours with side content, or 70-90 hours for complete 100% runs across multiple playthroughs.
- Final Fantasy 7 Remake covers only the Midgar section of the original game, dramatically expanded with new story beats and characters—not the full Final Fantasy 7 experience.
- New Game Plus unlocks Hard Mode, hidden superbosses, and alternate story content that adds 25-35 hours of replayability with previously unavailable challenges and narrative depth.
- Your playtime is directly shaped by combat engagement style, exploration habits, and dialogue preferences—tactical players on Hard Mode may take 50+ hours, while story-focused players can complete it in 35-40 hours.
- Compared to Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth’s 50-70 hour main story, the Remake is significantly shorter, making it an ideal entry point before tackling the larger sequel.
Main Campaign Playthrough Duration
Average Completion Time
The main story of Final Fantasy 7 Remake takes most players between 30-40 hours to complete. That’s based on data from completion sites, player reports across multiple platforms, and trophy/achievement tracking. For pure story progression without meaningful side content, expect closer to 30 hours. If you’re following the narrative at a comfortable pace, listening to dialogue, watching cutscenes, and not rushing through combat encounters, you’re landing in that 35-40 hour sweet spot.
This covers just Midgar, which is critical to remember. Final Fantasy 7 Remake (2020) isn’t the full game: it’s the Midgar section of the original, expanded dramatically with new story beats, characters, and lore.
Story Mode vs. Side Content
The difference between ignoring side content entirely and tackling most of it is usually 5-10 hours. Story-only runs strip out side quests, optional boss fights, treasure hunts, and exploration detours. You’ll still grab items off the ground and open some chests, but you’re not hunting for every last collectible.
Once you start incorporating side quests, and FF7R has roughly 25-30 side missions, you’re adding meaningful playtime. Not all are equal in length: some take 5 minutes, others eat 30. Doing most side content but not obsessing over 100% completion typically adds 8-12 hours.
Difficulty Impact On Playtime
Normal and Hard difficulties won’t add massive playtime, but they do slow you down. Hard Mode isn’t available on first playthrough: you unlock it via New Game Plus. On Normal, combat encounters play out faster once you’re familiar with mechanics and enemy patterns. Hard Mode forces you to think tactically, use materia effectively, and manage resources more carefully. A Hard Mode playthrough typically takes 35-50 hours depending on your combat engagement style, veterans might shorten this significantly.
Casual or Story difficulty (if selected at launch) actually speeds things up because encounters are easier, though you’re still watching the same cutscenes.
100% Completion Playtime
What Counts Toward Full Completion
True 100% completion in Final Fantasy 7 Remake means:
- All 25+ side quests completed
- Every chapter quest completed (including hidden objectives)
- All weapons obtained and upgraded
- All materia collected and leveled
- Every treasure chest opened
- All secret areas discovered
- All enemy types defeated for the Bestiary
- All cosmetic items (outfits, music tracks) unlocked
- Chocobo breeding sidequest fully explored (for PS5/PC versions)
The tricky part is that some of this content is gated behind difficulty. Hard Mode introduces new fight challenges and hidden bosses not available on Normal. Superbosses like Bahamut and Weapons require specific preparation and playstyle adjustments.
Estimated Hours for Completionists
Full 100% completion runs typically clock 70-90 hours. This includes:
- One full Normal playthrough (35-40 hours)
- One New Game Plus run to grab missable items and unlock Hard Mode content (25-35 hours)
- Grinding for specific materia combinations or weapon upgrade materials (5-15 hours depending on how much you already have)
Hard-mode speed runners who’ve already done everything can condense this, but for genuine 100% where you’re experiencing all story beats, dialogue, and optional encounters? You’re looking at the higher range. Completionists often use Final Fantasy community resources to cross-check what they’re missing, especially for hidden treasure locations.
Side Quests And Optional Content
Available Side Quests Breakdown
Final Fantasy 7 Remake has roughly 26-28 named side quests scattered across Midgar’s nine chapters. Most are available after you unlock the sector (you can’t do Wall Market quests before Chapter 6, for example). They include:
- Combat encounters: New monsters, superbosses, arena challenges
- Fetch quests: Gather items for NPCs or traders
- Investigation missions: Follow leads and solve mysteries
- Character-specific quests: Story beats that expand on your party
Not all side quests are worth the same time investment. A quick delivery quest takes 5-10 minutes. The Corneo Colosseum quests, especially the superboss fights, can eat 30-60 minutes each if you’re tackling the higher difficulty tiers.
One thing to know: some side quests are permanently missable. If you progress past certain chapters without completing them, they vanish. Most players recommend completing accessible quests as you go rather than leaving them for “later.”
Secret Areas And Hidden Treasures
Beyond named quests, Midgar has hidden areas packed with loot. The Shinra Mansion basement holds powerful materia and weapons. Hidden boss fights like Queen Behemoth lurk in optional dungeons. Secret chocobo breeding routes (on PS5/PC versions) unlock rare encounters.
Treasure chests are scattered everywhere, corridors, side rooms, rooftops. Some are obvious: others require backtracking or solving environmental puzzles. The Drill Dungeon in particular has multiple layers and hidden passages that reward exploration. Completionists often spend 10-15 hours just hunting treasures and opening every chest, checking item descriptions, and talking to all NPCs for their hidden dialogue.
One solid resource for completionists tracking everything is GameSpot’s guides section, where comprehensive walkthroughs detail secret locations most players miss on first playthroughs.
Post-Game Content And Replay Value
New Game Plus Mode
New Game Plus is where FF7R gets real replay value. You restart the game with all your weapons, items, materia, and some stats carried over. The catch? Your level resets to 1, so early chapters feel surprisingly challenging even though having endgame gear. Enemies scale to your progress, so it’s not a complete faceroll even with top equipment.
NG+ opens new story content, alternate dialogue, and hidden superbosses unavailable on first playthrough. Weiss (from Dirge of Cerberus) appears as an optional superboss. New materia combinations become accessible. The mystery of the Whispers deepens through additional hints and cutscenes.
A typical NG+ run takes 25-35 hours depending on whether you’re rushing or exploring the new content. Many players speed through chapters they’ve seen before but slow down for genuinely new story beats. The final chapters of NG+ (especially Chapter 18) have noticeable differences worth experiencing.
Hard Mode Considerations
Hard Mode is exclusively unlocked through New Game Plus. It’s actually harder than New Game Plus difficulty, enemies have increased HP, more aggressive AI, and deal more damage. Healing items are less effective, and some enemy abilities hit harder. Limit Breaks recharge slower.
Hard Mode isn’t just a stat adjustment: it changes combat strategy entirely. Materia combinations matter exponentially more. Elemental resistance becomes critical. A Hard Mode playthrough of chapters you’ve mastered might take 30-40 hours, but if you’re learning mechanics on Hard, expect 50+ hours.
The good news? Hard Mode isn’t mandatory for 100% completion on most tracking sites, it’s considered an optional endgame challenge rather than required content. But, some of the best rewards (rare materia, weapon upgrades) are locked behind Hard Mode superboss fights.
Speedrun Records And Competitive Play
The Final Fantasy 7 Remake speedrunning community is smaller than other major RPGs but dedicated. World-record speedruns on the main campaign sit around 4-5 hours for Any% (beat the game with no restrictions). This requires tight optimization: skipping cutscenes where possible, executing combat flawlessly, and knowing routes through each chapter.
100% speedruns are genuinely impressive, clocking 15-20 hours to collect every item, complete every quest, and beat superbosses. These runners have memorized chest locations, ideal materia setups, and routing strategies refined over dozens of attempts.
Glitchless runs (no exploits, just optimization) fall somewhere in between at 6-8 hours. The community tracks times on Shacknews’ speedrun coverage, though most serious speedrunners post to Twitch and Discord communities. If you’re just curious about watching skilled play without attempting it yourself, speedrun VODs are widely available, they showcase combat mechanics and character builds in ways normal playthroughs don’t.
Competitive play isn’t really the focus for FF7R, but the combat system itself has depth that keeps players experimenting with builds and strategies long after beating the game.
How Long Is Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth Compared
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth (PS5 exclusive, released February 2024) is roughly 50-70 hours for the main story, nearly double FF7R’s length. This is a bigger game with more open-world exploration, additional side quests, and expanded character arcs. Rebirth continues from FF7R’s ending, so it’s assuming you’ve completed Remake first.
100% completion on Rebirth hits 100-120+ hours because it expands the formula significantly. There’s more to collect, more superbosses, more hidden areas. The world feels bigger. Playstyle choices have more impact on how quickly you move through content.
For planning purposes: if FF7R took you 40 hours, expect Rebirth to consume 60-80 hours depending on your completionist tendencies. The sequel has better quest pacing and more varied locations, so it doesn’t feel as repetitive even at higher playtime.
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth also introduces new characters and deepens existing character stories significantly, especially Cloud from Final Fantasy’s broader arc and Tifa Final Fantasy 7’s role in the narrative.
Factors That Affect Your Playtime
Exploration And Backtracking
If you’re the type who reads every in-game document, checks every corner of each map, and backtracks through completed areas hunting for missed items, you’ll land on the higher end of playtime estimates. FF7R isn’t an open-world game, but chapters have optional side paths and hidden areas worth exploring.
Backtracking isn’t required for 100% completion, the game’s map design is generally linear. But, some treasure chests are hidden in dead-end corridors you only discover by actively exploring. The difference between “rush through and hit story checkpoints” and “check every side room” is easily 5-10 hours across a full playthrough.
Players who enjoy the Final Fantasy World immersion tend to take longer because they’re soaking in environmental storytelling, eavesdropping on NPC conversations, and examining how the Remake interprets familiar locations.
Combat Engagement Style
How you fight directly impacts playtime. If you’re engaging tactically, pausing frequently, managing positioning, cycling through characters, adjusting materia on the fly, battles take longer than if you mash attack and let ATB fill naturally. On Normal difficulty, pure button-mashers can brute force through most encounters quickly. On Hard Mode, tactical players actually finish faster because they’re efficient, while button-mashers struggle.
Likewise, farming for materials, grinding levels, or testing different materia combinations adds hours. Some players beat the final boss at level 40: others are level 50+ and still farming. There’s no “required” level, so combat engagement style directly translates to playtime.
Story Pacing Preferences
If you skip cutscenes (you can, on repeat playthroughs), you shave 2-3 hours off any run. If you’re experiencing FF7R for the first time, skipping story content means you’re missing the point, dialogue and narrative are integral to understanding the Remake’s reimagining of the original.
Dialogue frequency varies by character. Some NPCs repeat dialogue if you talk to them multiple times: others have unique interactions. Completionists who talk to every NPC multiple times and read all optional documents add significant playtime. Speedrunners skip dialogue entirely once they’ve seen it, which explains how speedruns compress the game to 4-5 hours.
Your comfort with turn-based-style combat (FF7R uses an ATB system rather than pure action) also affects pacing. If you’re familiar with Final Fantasy’s Final Fantasy Timeline and ATB systems, you’re faster. If you’re new to the franchise, learning optimal tactics takes longer.
Conclusion
Final Fantasy 7 Remake’s playtime depends heavily on what you’re trying to accomplish. A focused story playthrough runs 30-40 hours, absolutely reasonable for a AAA RPG. Add side content and you’re hitting 40-50 hours. Go for 100% completion with all superbosses and collectibles, and budget 70-90 hours across multiple playthroughs.
The good news is that none of this feels bloated if you’re actually interested in the game. FF7R doesn’t pad playtime with tedious filler, exploration, quests, and optional fights are generally worth your time. The combat remains engaging across repeated playthroughs, and New Game Plus introduces enough new story content to justify a second run.
Before jumping in, ask yourself: Are you here for the story? Then 35-40 hours. Want most side content without obsessing? 45-55 hours. Chasing platinum trophy or full completion? Plan for 80+ hours across multiple runs. All of these are valid ways to experience the game, and FF7R supports all of them without feeling stretched thin.
