Final Fantasy 7 is one of the most iconic games of all time and ever since its release in 1997 fans have been demanding that the universe be expanded with more stories and events being told. Over the years, Square Enix has released numerous spinoff games, as well as a movie and anime. More recently the studio has been remaking the original game with it being split into a three-part series.
The next part, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, is due to be released on February 29, 2024, so now is a perfect time to check out all of the many Final Fantasy 7 spinoff games. As this list will be focusing on the games, the Advent Children movie and Last Order anime won’t be included
Before Crisis (2004)
Before Crisis was a Japanese exclusive mobile game released in 2004 that served as a prequel to the main Final Fantasy 7 story. In Before Crisis, the player takes on the role of the Turks as they fight against AVALANCHE, switching the roles of the main game.
Despite being a Japanese exclusive, Before Crisis has received praise among fans for its story and high quality, something that was lacking in many mobile games of the time. A fan-made remake of Before Crisis can be found online, but the original game was shut down in 2018 and Square Enix has since taken many of its concepts and story points and reused them in the more recent Ever Crisis.
Dirge of Cerberus (2006)
Dirge of Cerberus served as the first sequel to Final Fantasy 7 and followed Vincent Valentine three years after the events of the main game. Vincent has to take down an offshoot of Shrina called Deepground, who are trying to revive Omega Weapon to destroy the planet. Dirge of Cerberus became the first shooter in the series, diverting away from the traditional turn-based RPG mechanics that the series was known for.
Unfortunately, Dirge of Cerberus received mixed reviews from critics and flopped in terms of sales. Dirge of Cerberus has never been ported to any other platform and there is no way to officially play the game today on modern hardware.
Crisis Core (2007)
Crisis Core was the third game in a trilogy of titles to be released to complement the release of Advent Children to expand the Final Fantasy 7 universe. The game serves as a prequel to the main game and focuses on Zack Fair and the events surrounding the Kalm flashback sequence from the main game. Many of Final Fantasy 7’s key characters make an appearance, including Cloud, Aerith, Sephiroth, Hojo, and various members of the Turks and Shinra.
Following the release of Final Fantasy 7 Remake, a remaster of Crisis Core was released to bring the story to new players, as the original was a PSP exclusive. This was done to expand the character of Zack and allow him to be integrated into the main story with a more prominent role.
G-Bike (2014)
G-Bike was a mobile game that turned the iconic sequence that saw Cloud and his group be chased by Shinra on a highway as they escape Midgar into a fully-fledged game. With it being the first new game released in the Final Fantasy 7 series since Crisis Core, G-Bike left many fans disappointed and the game was shut down in 2015.
The First Soldier (2021)
The success of Final Fantasy 7 Remake has led Square Enix to work on many projects relating to the series, which has even included collaborations with Apex Legends. On the subject of battle royale games, Square Enix decided to release a Final Fantasy 7 battle royale game set 18 years before the events of the main game. Players took control of a member of SOLDIER in a survival simulation.
Despite the popularity of the battle royale genre, The First Soldier never really took off due to it being too much of a departure from what Final Fantasy is known for. The game was shut down less than two years later in January 2023.
Ever Crisis (2022)
Final Fantasy 7: Ever Crisis serves as a complete recap of the Final Fantasy 7 story and all of its spin-off games. The free-to-play mobile game retells the events of Final Fantasy 7, Before Crisis, Dirge of Cerberus, Crisis Core, and Advent Children through episodic releases. This is a great concept by Square Enix as many of its titles are no longer able to be played such as Before Crisis, and Dirge of Cerberus, meaning that Ever Crisis can help to fill in many of the gaps this has left.
Due to Ever Crisis being a free-to-play game, it is plagued by loot boxes and microtransactions which lowers the overall experience. The gacha mechanics have led to the game receiving backlash from players, with Ever Crisis currently having a 54% rating on Steam.
