Those who claimed the PS4 version of Final Fantasy VII Remake on PlayStation Plus will soon be able to upgrade it to the PS5 version for free. FF7 Remake was added to PS Plus in March this year, but it was just the PS4 version of the game, and at the time, Square Enix made it clear that this version couldn't be upgraded to the new-gen version for free.
The PS Plus version of FF7 Remake launched a few months before FF7 Remake Intergrade, which is the PS5 version of the game that includes a number of technical upgrades, all of the DLC released up to that point, and the INTERmission DLC, which adds two new chapters of the game starring Yuffie from FF7. Players who have already purchased FF7 Remake on PS4 can upgrade to the PS5 version for free, but they need to pay if they want the DLC or INTERmission. Intergrade recently launched on PC, with all of the DLC released up to that point, but there have been a number of negative responses to FF7 Remake's performance.
The official Final Fantasy VII Twitter page has now announced that users who claimed the PS4 version of FF7 Remake via PlayStation Plus will be able to upgrade to the PS5 version as part of their subscription cost, beginning Wednesday, December 22. This is just the base version of the game and not Intergrade, which means that it won't include any of the DLC. However, those who upgrade will enjoy a host of enhancements, including improved visuals and quality-of-life updates. The INTERmission DLC will be 25% off for a limited time.
This free upgrade has come as a surprise to many fans. FF7 Remake hit PlayStation Plus less than a year after its release, which is an incredibly short period of time for such a high-profile game. Intergrade (as well as the base PS5 update version) released in June. It's somewhat peculiar that the incredibly popular game has been included on the PlayStation Plus platform so quickly, which might have to do with the exclusivity deal coming to an end. Initially, FF7 Remake was set for a timed exclusivity deal on PlayStation 4, which would have ended in April 2021, but the FF7 Intergrade release may have extended this arrangement.
Now that FF7 Remake is on PC, it's possible that the game will soon be coming to other consoles. It's unclear whether the free PS5 upgrade is due to Sony wanting to make the game more appealing to its userbase before it jumps to other systems, or whether this is Square Enix apologizing for the performance issues in the PC version of Intergrade. Either way, it's good news for people who claimed FF7 Remake on PlayStation Plus and managed to snag a new PS5 system throughout the year.
The PS5 version of Final Fantasy VII Remake can be claimed on PlayStation Plus on December 22, as long as the PS4 version has already been claimed in the past.
Source: FinalFantasyVII/Twitter