Back in February, it was announced that all PlayStation Plus subscribers would be getting the much-loved remake of Final Fantasy VII for free in the month of March. Shortly after that, the PS5 version of the game was announced with a free upgrade – except for those who purchased the game through PS Plus. Now, finally, the PS5 upgrade will also be available for free to those with the PS Plus version of Final Fantasy VII Remake.

Making the surprise announcement on Twitter, the official Final Fantasy VII account revealed that “Starting this Wednesday…

• PS Plus subscribers who previously redeemed @FinalFantasy VII Remake via @PlayStation Plus will be able to upgrade to the PS5 version of the game.
• Episode Intermission, the DLC featuring Yuffie Kisaragi, will be 25% off for a limited time!”

This is surprising especially as the previous decision not allowing those who redeemed the game through PS Plus to receive the free upgrade was an intentional one, with PlayStation themselves saying at the time “Please note the PS4 version of Final Fantasy VII Remake available to PlayStation Plus members is not eligible for the PS5 digital version upgrade.”

As such, the decision to give away the PS5 upgrade for free months later is an interesting one. No reason was given as to why there was a change of heart, but one possibility could be the fact that FFVII Remake Intergrade (the PS5 version) is now just over 6 months old. It is possible that following 6 months of exclusivity, Sony and Square Enix have decided to throw PS Plus subscribers a bone.

It is worth noting that if you did not redeem Final Fantasy VII Remake back in March, then you will not be able to obtain the PS5 upgrade. This upgrade is being backdated only to those who redeemed the PS4 version of the game. Even so, this is a positive move by both PlayStation and Square Enix – especially as this comes months after the controversy, meaning it cannot be simply damage control. Hopefully this bodes well for the future of PS5 games on PS Plus – especially with the rumoured revamp of the service said to be on its way.

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KitGuru says: Why do you think Sony did this? Do you own the PS Plus version of FFVII? Is this representative of something bigger?

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