Final Fantasy IX Remake Releasing In Late 2025 Or Early 2026

There has been talk about the Final Fantasy IX remake ever since the famous Nvidia GeForce Now database leak in 2021. This document showed several unannounced games from different companies, including a few from Square Enix. Many of the games on the list, like Kingdom Hearts IV, have since been officially announced. However, the Final Fantasy Tactics Remaster and the Final Fantasy IX Remake are still not confirmed.

Even though Square Enix hasn't said anything official, the Nvidia leak has remained accurate. There is a good chance that Final Fantasy IX Remake is real and being developed because almost every other game on the list has been released at some point.

Over the years, many people who work in the industry have kept dropping hints that the remake is not only real but also being worked on right now. Jeff Grubb is one of them. In 2023, he said again that the Final Fantasy IX Remake is "real and happening". A backend leak from the Epic Games Store also showed a codename called "Momo", which many people think is related to Final Fantasy IX.

To make things even worse, insider Nate the Hate said earlier this year that the game is "still in development" and won't come out until after 2025. He said that the launch could happen in 2026, which is about the same amount of time that the project might have been in the works, starting around 2020.

In September 2023, Naoki Yoshida (Yoshi-P), the director of Final Fantasy XIV, talked about how FFXIV and Final Fantasy IX worked together. When asked if it had anything to do with a remake, he said it didn't and joked that anyone working on one should have "good luck". Some people saw this as a sign that the remake won't happen, but it's important to remember that Yoshi-P might not be involved in such a project. It's more likely that his comments were about splitting up teams and priorities than denying that the remake even exists. 

Square Enix just recently announced a 25th Anniversary campaign for Final Fantasy IX. Fans were surprised because they thought the same thing would happen for Final Fantasy VIII, which didn't get much attention for its anniversary. Even though VIII has sold more copies in the past, FFIX seems to be more talked about by fans, especially in recent years, probably because of the ongoing remake rumors.

The campaign includes new official merchandise, collector's vinyl, and plushies, as well as a number of collaborations and "special projects" that have yet to be revealed. It's worth noting that the 25th anniversary doesn't happen until July 7, 2025, but the campaign began in April. With all of this early buildup, it looks like Square Enix might be planning something big to celebrate the anniversary.

Javaru on Twitter found an interesting thing on the official website for the 25th anniversary: a "Game" category that is currently hidden within the site's structure. This category isn't visible to the public yet, but it would be easy to turn it on if and when a Final Fantasy IX Remake is announced. This adds to the evidence that Square Enix is working on something big.

Square Enix isn't putting out any games right now. The publisher doesn't have many big games planned besides Kingdom Hearts IV and Dragon Quest XII, whose release dates haven't been confirmed yet. A remake of Final Fantasy IX could be the perfect mid-generation tentpole. It might come out in late 2025 or early 2026, before Kingdom Hearts 4 or DQXII.

Most fans don't think that the Final Fantasy IX Remake will be as big as the Final Fantasy VII Remake, which changed the story and added real-time combat. Fans and people who work on the project expect it to be somewhere in between; they faithfully remastered Crisis Core and gave FFVII Remake a modern makeover. This most likely means keeping the turn-based battle system and adding new features for a better quality of life, like better cutscenes, character models, and environments. It's possible to add some real-time features to evolution without breaking the rules.

Some people think that a combat system like the one in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33—mostly turn-based but with some real-time strategic elements—might work well. The art style in Final Fantasy IX is different from anything else in the main series. It looks like it came from a storybook. This makes for a unique challenge and a chance for a remake.

A fan-made remake of FFIX in Unreal Engine called Project Memorial showed how beautiful such a remake could be. Even though it wasn't a playable game, it got over 1.7 million views, which got the attention of fans and probably even Square Enix. The huge number of responses shows how much people want a remake that looks like the original but is updated.

Many people thought that the remake would be shown off during the Nintendo Switch 2 Direct, but that time has now passed. Now, the attention is on Summer Games Fest in June, which is usually a big place for announcements and reveals. Square Enix has a history of announcing big projects around anniversary dates. FFVII Rebirth was shown off at the party for Final Fantasy VII's 25th anniversary. Fans have every reason to think that a similar reveal is coming soon since FFIX is getting a similar logo and a longer campaign.

At this point, there's a good chance that Final Fantasy IX Remake is real. Reliable insider reports, backend leaks, anniversary campaigns, and Square Enix's current need for big releases suggest that the strategic reveal will happen between June and July 2025.

If done right, the Final Fantasy IX Remake could bring one of the most charming Final Fantasy games to a new generation of gamers and give Square Enix the turn-based return that fans have been waiting for a long time. As soon as late 2025 or early 2026 comes around, Zidane, Garnet, Vivi, and Steiner may be back in Alexandria and on an adventure.