FF9 Remake Seems Inevitable After The Latest Final Fantasy News

All signs point towards a Final Fantasy 9 remake coming soon – all that’s left is for Square Enix to officially announce it. Among the historically significant and largely excellent Final Fantasy series, FF9 is an outlier. It’s probably the simplest iteration of its characteristic Active Time Battle combat, and features a pretty traditional medieval fantasy story – a departure from the series’ more science fantasy slant in the PS1 era. It has an all-timer of a story, and an excellent cast of characters – it’s no surprise fans have been clamoring for a remake, or at least a port.

FF9 remake rumors have been circulating for the better part of a decade, but nothing has ever been officially confirmed. Despite constant reports of leaks, subtle nods, and new information, none of it has really led anywhere – in other words, if there is an FF9 remake, Square Enix has kept real quiet about it. However, I suspect that’s subject to change soon. I believe an FF9 remake could be announced as soon as next year, and all the evidence in Square’s current and recently upcoming work seems to agree with me, even though nothing’s official yet.

Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles Releases In 2025

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As you likely already know, Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles is Square Enix’s next big remake (or maybe remaster – the lines are a little blurred). This will be the first time the game has been available on a current-generation platform since the 2007 release of its PSP port. While fans have already pointed out numerous issues with the upcoming remake, it’s coming this September, whether we like it or not.

Cloud and Aerith from FF7 Remake and Celes and Locke from FF6

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FF Tactics, like FF9, has been high on many fans’ remake wishlists for a while now. Simply put, it’s a good game that’s as relevant today as when it first came out, but it’s hard to get access to these days. A modern port would fix that, allowing old fans to play it again without having to dig up their old, half-forgotten consoles, and potentially bringing it to a new generation of Final Fantasy fans. In choosing to remake it now, Square has clearly demonstrated that it’s in touch with player interests, at least as far as which remakes they want next.

After FF Tactics, Final Fantasy 9 Remake Is Probably Next In-Line

At Least I Hope It Is

A shocked Zidane looks on as Vivi casts a fireball in a collage of screenshots from FF9. — Custom Image by Lee D’Amato

And really, there’s no other game Final Fantasy fans want remastered (or remade) more than FF9 – well, okay, maybe FF6, but that one just got a remaster. It’s clear Square is just playing the hits when it comes to remakes: Chrono Trigger, FF7, FF Tactics – why not FF9 next? If Ben Starr is right and there’s no hope of an FF8 remake, Square might as well skip straight ahead to FF9.

Back in 2021, an alleged leak at NVIDIA showcased what appeared to be several games in production long before they were announced, many of which were Square Enix titles. Although NVIDIA disavowed the rumor that any of these games were real, many of them – at least, most of the Square Enix ones – have since been either announced or released. FF16, the Tomb Raider remasters, Kingdom Hearts 4, the Chrono Cross remaster, and, most recently, FF Tactics – those are all very much real.

Other correct predictions by the NVIDIA leak include GTA remasters, Dragon’s Dogma 2, and Helldivers 2.

But the sole outlier on the list is the Final Fantasy 9 remake, which hasn’t materialized yet in any form. Still, all the evidence suggests there might’ve been some truth to the NVIDIA leaks, which makes me hopeful that an FF9 remake still exists somewhere at Square Enix. Based on all its recent remakes and its previous leaks, it almost seems inevitable.

Why FF9 Remake Should Be The Next Final Fantasy Remake

What Makes FF9 So Great

But all rumors aside, FF9 needs a remake (or at least a remaster) simply because it’s one of the best games in the series. Unlike FF Tactics, you can play FF9 on modern platforms, but it’s hardly in its ideal form. It’s barely been changed: still in its original 4:3 aspect ratio, with black bars on either side of the screen, is no way to experience the epic drama of FF9.

And anyway, as fans clamor for the Final Fantasy series to return to its roots, there’s no better way to respond to that than an intact FF9 remake. After the flaws of FF15 and 16 and the open-world bloat of FF7 Rebirth, fans have called for a return to classic, turn-based, exploration-centric Final Fantasy. While a brand-new game in that style may be a long time coming, if it ever arrives, an FF9 remake would be a great way to satiate those demands.

It Certainly Sounds Like FF9 Remake Is Getting Announced Soon

With Final Fantasy 9 finally celebrating its 25th anniversary, it certainly seems like Square Enix is gearing up to create a remake.

FF9 was the original back-to-basics Final Fantasy game, with its medieval fantasy setting and massively simplified progression system. It could easily serve that role for the franchise again, demonstrating how much Square Enix values its roots and how innovative the original FF games were in their day.

That said, I don’t want too expansive a remake for FF9. I’d prefer to keep its core gameplay and aesthetics intact, maybe with a few adjustments to make it look like a modern triple-A release. A little voice acting and an orchestrated soundtrack never hurt anyone (unless you played through FFX with its remastered OST). But when it comes to the full FF7 Remake treatment, I’d rather leave well enough alone. It needs to be released as a single, complete game, without too much additional content to distract from the brilliant source material that’s already there.

Still, absolutely nothing has been confirmed by Square Enix. While an FF9 remake seems likely, we’re basically at the developer’s whims here – it could be announced next week, or it could never come true. That said, given everything we know about the possibility, a Final Fantasy 9 remake could very well be coming soon.