Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth‘s map isn’t truly open-world; it’s divided into regions, and further areas are unlocked as the player progresses through the story. The regions themselves are pretty wide open, though. Each one comprises a significant bit of real estate on FF7 Rebirth’s larger Gaia map, and they’re all interconnected, even if players can only travel between them after reaching certain milestones in the story.
FF7 Rebirth‘s regions are (almost) all of roughly equal size, so determining how many regions there are can help players understand the scope of the game. They can also help players track their Intel completion, or be prepared when they’re nearing the end. Here’s everything to know about the game’s various regions, and when they’re unlocked relative to chapters in the story.
Every Region In FF7 Rebirth
How Many Regions FF7 Rebirth Has
There are seven regions in FF7 Rebirth, unlocked sequentially as a player progresses through the game. Each region has its own individual map, which corresponds to a piece of the larger world map. All of these regions have their own Intel quests and sections of the main story. Most of them are focused on a single, contiguous landmass, and centered on (or named after) a single capital city. The one exception is the Meridian Ocean region, which is composed of various islands. In the order they’re unlocked, the seven regions of FF7 Rebirth are:
- Grasslands
- Junon Region
- Corel Region
- Gongaga Region
- Cosmo Canyon Region
- Nibel Region
- The Meridian Ocean
When Each Region Is Unlocked In FF7 Rebirth
Each Unlocks As The Player Progresses Through The Story
The seven regions listed above are unlocked sequentially and naturally, with each organically appearing as part of the story. There’s a pretty clear prerequisite for unlocking each region: most of them appear at the beginning or end of a particular story chapter.
The party may spend anywhere from one to three chapters in each region. The longest (in terms of chapters) is Corel, since it contains the Gold Saucer and most of FF7 Rebirth’s mini-games. Here’s when players can expect to unlock each of FF7 Rebirth’s seven map regions.
|
Region |
Chapter Unlocked |
|---|---|
|
Grasslands |
Chapter 2 |
|
Junon Region |
Chapter 4 |
|
Corel Region |
Chapter 6 |
|
Gongaga Region |
Chapter 9 |
|
Cosmo Canyon Region |
Chapter 10 |
|
Nibel Region |
Chapter 11 |
|
The Meridian Ocean |
Chapter 13 |
Chapter One isn’t included in the table above because, although it takes place in a small section of Nibel, it’s set entirely in flashback and doesn’t unlock the Nibel Region of the map.
It’s also important to note that, while each region is closely linked to a certain chapter, no region ever becomes locked off permanently. Certain quests may temporarily restrict fast travel between them, but players can eventually return to previous regions and clear up any tasks they left unfinished. They can also travel freely between all seven regions after beating FF7 Rebirth.
Can You Return To Regions In FF7 Rebirth After Leaving Them?
Regions Remain Accessible After They’re Completed
As mentioned above, players can freely come and go between regions in FF7 Rebirth. The ability to traverse the world was an important aspect of the game, according to Tetsuya Nomura, the game’s creative director, in an interview shared on the official Square Enix YouTube channel.
There are several ways to travel between regions in the game. The first and most readily accessible way to travel is by Chocobo. Players can hop on their trusty Chocobo mount at any ranch and make their way back to the location of their choice. If physically traveling to old locations is too tedious, players can also hop on a Chocobo carriage for a fee and ride to another ranch.
Another travel option is by Ferryboat, but these are limited to a few ferry locations, like Junon and Corel. The best way to travel to regions in FF7 Rebirth after leaving them, though, is with Cid’s help. Once the player unlocks Cid’s Tiny Bronco, it can be summoned from any airstrip to fast travel to certain locations. After it breaks down, it can still be used as an additional vehicle, transporting the player from place to place along the water.
In Chapter 12, the game unlocks the ability to travel anywhere in the world. At this point, the world opens up completely to the player, and any location on the map. This will allow the player to return to any previous FF7 Rebirth locations.
And that’s all there is to know about the regions of Gaia. The third part of the remake trilogy is expected to add further areas to the map, but these seven regions and Midgar include everything it’s covered so far. Until then, knowing what the regions are and when to unlock them can help players know what to expect in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth.
Source: Square Enix/YouTube
