Oh hell yeah, that Final Fantasy Tactics remaster is real, and it's out later this year

Final Fantasy Tactics protagonists
(Image credit: Square Enix)

I've lost track of how many times a Final Fantasy Tactics rumor sent me down a desperate rabbit hole, but those days are no more. During today's PlayStation event, Square Enix revealed Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles, a remaster of the classic RPG that includes two distinct versions.

In a post on the PlayStation Blog, Square Enix detailed the classic and enhanced versions of Final Fantasy Tactics arriving in The Ivalice Chronicles. Classic isn't a straight port of any older versions, but "stays true to the original in almost every aspect." It both looks and plays like the 1997 RPG, but instead uses the War of the Lions translation from its updated PSP era.

FINAL FANTASY TACTICS - The Ivalice Chronicles | Announcement Trailer - YouTube FINAL FANTASY TACTICS - The Ivalice Chronicles | Announcement Trailer - YouTube
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Enhanced adds an updated UI, fully voiced dialogue, graphical improvements, and "a number of other quality of life features." I'm eager to see what those mystery tweaks include, and the added Squire difficulty aimed at new players has me hopeful it'll deliver a version of Tactics that doesn't seem so impenetrable.

Final Fantasy Tactics made its Western debut in 1998, and is responsible for a whole generation of grid-obsessed RPG players still yapping about Yasumi Matsuno's passionate war drama and the world of Ivalice—myself included.

We've seen rumor after rumor spin up over the years, though more recent teases from folks like Final Fantasy 14's Naoki Yoshida and a retweet from Matsuno pointed all signs to yes, it's for real this time.

The new take on Final Fantasy Tactics will release September 30 on Steam.

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Andrea Shearon
Evergreen Writer

Andrea has been covering games for nearly a decade, picking up bylines at IGN, USA Today, Fanbyte, and Destructoid before joining the PC Gamer team in 2025. She's got a soft spot for older RPGs and is willing to try just about anything with a lovey-dovey "I can fix them" romance element. Her weekly to-do always includes a bit of MMO time, endlessly achievement hunting and raiding in Final Fantasy 14. Outside of those staples, she's often got a few survival-crafting games on rotation and loves a good scare in co-op horror games.

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