Final Fantasy VII is undoubtedly the most iconic and beloved entry in the Final Fantasy franchise, as evidenced by how it spun out into its own sub-series of games and other media. Other Final Fantasy titles have seen direct follow-ups too (like Final Fantasy X and Final Fantasy XIII), but Final Fantasy VII’s legacy and popularity has led to Square Enix remaking/remastering/re-telling its entire chronology for modern audiences.

Getting into the series and trying to understand all of its lore can be overwhelming for new players. So, we’ve put together a mostly spoiler-free rundown of every important piece of the Final Fantasy VII timeline in chronological order, alongside some basic summations and how they can be best experienced.

Final Fantasy VII – The First Soldier

Funnily enough, the first piece of the timeline is one of the more recent Final Fantasy VII games to have been released. The First Soldier came out in 2021 and is a free-to-play battle royale for mobile devices set 30 years before the events of the original Final Fantasy VII.

It primarily focuses on the Shinra Electric Power Company (a major antagonistic force across the entire series) and its efforts to bolster its private military by establishing SOLDIER, an elite fighting force comprised of enhanced super soldiers. Despite being a prequel, it admittedly doesn’t have much in the way of story content so, while freely available, it can be skipped if battle royales aren’t your thing.

Final Fantasy VII – Before Crisis

Another mobile prequel that released in 2008, Before Crisis takes place six years before the original game and is also Shinra-focused. More specifically, it centers on the Turks, a covert group that works under Shinra and served as recurring antagonists in Final Fantasy VII. Although the majority of the Turks that appear in Before Crisis are wholly original and didn’t appear in Final Fantasy VII.

This one’s a more traditional action-RPG but, unfortunately, it was never released outside of Japan and is considered a lost piece of media. The good news is that Square Enix plans to retell Before Crisis in the Final Fantasy VII: Ever Crisis mobile game. Ever Crisis is slated for a 2022 release, but there’s no word on when it will cover the events of Before Crisis.

Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII

The third and final prequel in this timeline, Crisis Core released for the PlayStation Portable in 2007 (2008 in the West) and tells the story of Zack Fair, a member of SOLDIER and an important figure in the backstories of Cloud and Aerith, two of Final Fantasy VII’s main protagonists.

This action-RPG covers some major events that preceded the original game, so it’s arguably best experienced if you’ve already played Final Fantasy VII. Like Before Crisis, this will see a re-telling as part of Ever Crisis, but an HD remaster, titled Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Reunion, is releasing this December across every major platform.

Final Fantasy VII

We’re finally at the original game itself. If you’re somehow unfamiliar with Final Fantasy VII, this PlayStation RPG follows mercenary Cloud Strife as he embarks on a mission to save the planet from both Shinra, which is happy to drain the planet’s Mako (its very life source) dry, and Sephiroth, a former SOLDIER gone mad who wishes to wipe out humanity.

There’s no real excuse to not play this one as it’s seen re-releases across PC, iOS, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch. It will also see a re-telling as part of Ever Crisis.

Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children

Perhaps the closest thing there is to a Final Fantasy VII 2, this 3D animated movie from 2005 picks up two years after the events of the game and sees a mysterious trio kidnap children who have become infected with a strange disease. Cloud, who’s isolated himself from his friends and is suffering from the same disease, sets out to save the kidnapped children and foil whatever scheme these new villains have.

Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII

Chronologically the last entry in the timeline, Dirge of Cerberus is a third-person shooter spin-off for the PlayStation 2 from 2006. Set three years after Final Fantasy VII (so one year after Advent Children), this game stars Vincent Valentine, one of the original game’s optional party members, who battles an organization called Deepground that wishes to destroy the planet.

There are currently no plans to re-release, remake, or remaster this one, but it will, unsurprisingly, be adapted in Ever Crisis at some point.

Final Fantasy VII Remake

The first installment in Square Enix’s three-part project, Final Fantasy VII Remake released in 2020 for the PlayStation 4 and is pretty much what it says on the tin. More specifically, it remakes and expands the story, world, and characters of the original game, although it only covers the events that take place in the city of Midgar (essentially the equivalent of Final Fantasy VII’s first disc).

Since this is a remake, you might be wondering why we’re placing it after all the other games. Well, without spoiling too much, this isn’t a remake in the traditional sense. There’s clearly more going on than fans first assumed as the events from the original game play out slightly differently.

The game’s also available on PlayStation 5 and PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store, but make sure you get Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade as it comes with an extra DLC episode focused on ninja girl Yuffie (another optional party member from the original game), explaining what she was doing during the events of the main game.

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth

The second entry in the remake project, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth will continue the plot of Final Fantasy VII Remake as it sees Cloud and his party leave Midgar and enter the outside world. At the time of writing, we only have a teaser trailer and a release window of next winter, meaning Rebirth could release either late 2023 or early 2024. It’s also scheduled as a PS5 exclusive and will be followed by one more game to wrap up the remake project.