Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is out now, but it’s only available on PlayStation 5.
As is the case with Helldivers 2, Xbox players might be feeling left out of the fun as one of the year’s most critically acclaimed games isn’t on their platform. Although the original Final Fantasy VII is no longer on Xbox Game Pass, quite a few other fantastic RPGs from or inspired by Japanese developers are. If you’re looking for a great RPG on Game Pass that’ll fill the void, try these titles, listed in no particular order, this weekend. They won’t fully replace the Rebirth-sized hole in your heart, but they’re all killer games in their own right.
Tales of Arise
A recent addition to Xbox Game Pass, Tales of Arise is a solid alternative to Final Fantasy VII Rebirth. It’s the latest game in the Tales series, an RPG franchise only eight years younger than Final Fantasy. As another 3D RPG where players engage in real-time combat with a full party of characters, it’s the closest game to Final Fantasy VII Rebirth in terms of of experience on this list. Tales of Arise still stands on its own, though, thanks to an engaging story and a beautiful, cel-shaded anime and manga-influenced art style. It even garnered a five-star review from Digital Trends. After spending dozens of hours in Tales of Arise, you’ll forget all about Final Fantasy VII Rebirth … or at least you’ll be able to pretend like you did.
Yakuza: Like a Dragon
One of Digital Trends’ favorite games of all time, 2020’s Yakuza: Like a Dragon is available on Xbox Game Pass. Deep turn-based combat and an excellent story livened up what was a long-running action game franchise from Sega. Ichiban Kasuga may be the best RPG protagonist since Cloud Strife, and its cast of older characters feels much different than your typical RPG party. Yakuza: Like a Dragon is just a solid game all-around, so you’ll have a great time if you decide to give it a shot on Xbox Game Pass.
Sea of Stars
If you’re in a nostalgic mood and want a game that feels like old-school Final Fantasy, then I’d recommend Sea of Stars, the only Western-developed game on this list. Sea of Stars is a throwback to 16-bit era Square Enix RPGs like Final Fantasy VI and Chrono Trigger, offering a take on what these kinds of games would be like had the genre not gotten infatuated with 3D. Gorgeous pixel art and a satisfying-to-learn combat system made Sea of Stars a surprise hit in 2023. If you missed out on it then, playing Sea of Stars now will get your mind off Final Fantasy VII Rebirth.
Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising
Although its sequel and full-fledged Suikoden successor, Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes, doesn’t hit Xbox Game Pass until April, Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising is already on the subscription service. It serves as a prequel to that upcoming game and plays as a side-scrolling action RPG. It’s meant to introduce players to some important characters and world lore that they’ll need to know, kind of like how playing Final Fantasy VII Remake and Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Reunion before Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is recommended. It’s the shortest game on this list, as it can be beaten in under 15 hours, so if a series inspired by Suikoden sounds intriguing to you, give Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising a shot.
Persona 3: Reload
Persona is one of the few Japanese RPGs that can give Final Fantasy a run for its money nowadays. Its latest release, Persona 3: Reload, was a day one Xbox Game Pass title upon its release in February. It’s a very different kind of RPG experience than Final Fantasy as it follows modern-day high school students as they take on supernatural threats. Being a flagship Xbox Game Pass 2024 title, it’s the closest thing Xbox has to a new Final Fantasy VII Rebirth competitor right now.
Ni no Kuni and Ni no Kuni II
Developed by Level-5 and published by Bandai Namco Entertainment, both Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch Remastered and its sequel, Ni no Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom — Prince’s Edition, are on Xbox Game Pass. Both games offer up engaging third-person RPG adventures that look and play beautifully; Studio Ghibli even collaborated with Level-5 on animated cutscenes for the first game. Although the Ni no Kuni series hasn’t reached the heights of popularity that franchises like Final Fantasy, Persona, or Tales have, these RPGs are still well worth a shot if you haven’t played them before.
Final Fantasy XIV Online — Free Trial
If you truly need to get your Final Fantasy fix in on Xbox, but don’t want to spend any money outside of Xbox Game Pass, then Final Fantasy XIV Online — Free Trial is your best option. This beta for the Xbox version of Square’s popular MMO technically requires a subscription to at least Xbox Game Pass Core to access. Although you’ll also need to create a new Square Enix account to play it, this is a great way to check out Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn, Havensword, and Stormblood on Xbox and get your fill of Final Fantasy in lieu of Rebirth. Let’s cross our fingers and hope the full release of Final Fantasy XIV on Xbox comes to Game Pass as well.
