Lightning Returns: FFXIII gets release date and system requirements

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It's taken quite a bit longer than expected for Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII to wend its sweet way to the PC. Final Fantasy XIII and XIII-2 hit Steam a couple months apart in late 2014, but the final entry in the trilogy, which was supposed to be ready by spring, still hasn't arrived. But it will be here soon.

Confirming the October report that it would launch "around December," the Lightning Returns listing on Steam now says the game will be out on December 10. The PC edition will include all the DLC released for the console version of the game, including costumes, shields, weapons, and even Japanese voiceovers—except the FFVII Aerith Costume, which for some reason isn't included, and won't be added in the future.

The PC release "has had no changes or additions made to the story of the original Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII," Steam says, it doesn't support Dolby Digital sound, the bonus items that were awarded for having saves from the previous games in the trilogy on consoles won't be given out on the PC, and there is no social networking or Square Enix Members functionality. It will, however, offer Steam achievements, trading cards, cloud saves, and "partial controller support," whatever that means.

And now, since I have your attention, let's peruse the system requirements.

Minimum:

OS: Windows® XP SP2 or later
Processor: 2GHz Dual Core CPU
Memory: 1500 MB RAM
Graphics: NVIDIA® Geforce® 8800GT / ATI Radeon™ HD 4770 VRAM 512MB or later
DirectX: Version 9.0c
Hard Drive: 22 GB available space
Sound Card: Sound card compatible with DirectX® 9.0c

Recommended:

OS: Windows® Vista/ 7/ 8
Processor: Intel® Core™ 2 Quad (2.66 GHz)/ AMD Phenom™ II X4 (2.8 GHz) processor
Memory: 2 GB RAM
Graphics: NVIDIA® Geforce® GTX™ 460/ ATI Radeon™ HD 5770
DirectX: Version 9.0c
Hard Drive: 22 GB available space
Sound Card: Sound card compatible with DirectX® 9.0c

Steam also notes that the game will run at 60 fps, and that Steam Cloud must be active in order to play. There's currently no price, but given what the previous games cost I wouldn't expect it to exceed $20.

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Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.