The Nintendo Switch is home to somewonderful action RPG games, but, despite the series to which it belongs having once been a Nintendo exclusive of sorts, there’s one notable absence;Final Fantasy VII Remake. While Switch owners can perhaps take some comfort in knowing that they’re not the only ones unable to play the long-awaited title, its continuedPlayStation exclusivitywill no doubt remain a disappointment to fans of the original game. Thankfully though, there are several viable alternatives.
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Very few games can come close to matching the visual fidelity that’s on display in the remake; which is perhaps to be expected given its huge budget and long development cycle. That said, there are plenty that offer equally compelling stories,protagonists who are just as likable, and combat mechanics that are every bit as fun and enjoyable as the ones found inVII Remake.
Updated July 23, 2025, by Tom Bowen:Though Final Fantasy 7 Remake is now available on PC, the chances of the game ever releasing for the Nintendo Switch remain all but zero due to how graphically demanding the title is. That’s okay though, as the ever-expanding library of Nintendo’s hybrid console contains plenty of other great RPG titles that, between them, can more than make up for the remake’s absence on the platform. Granted, they may not look quite as polished, but their gameplay is often every bit as enjoyable and their narratives arguably just as compelling; if not more so.
12Bravely Default 2
Given some of the many similarities between the firstBravely Defaultgame and theFinal Fantasyfranchise, it should come as little surprise to learn that the former actually started life asaFinal Fantasyspin-offof sorts. Many of the team behind the game had worked on numerousFFtitles before development first began, leading to both the general tone and art style of the game feeling incredibly familiar.
Since then, however, the game has received two sequels, with each one pulling the series further and further away from its humble beginnings. That’s not to say that the series' most recent installment,Bravely Default 2, won’t still appeal toFinal Fantasyfans, however, thanks toits excellent job systemand an art style that bears a striking resemblance toFinal Fantasy IV: The After Years.
11Octopath Traveler
Visually, at least,Octopath Traveleris perhaps more reminiscent of earlierFinal Fantasytitles than it isFF7 Remake, but its gameplay and combat still share a lot of similarities with the franchise’s more recent installments. The battle system, for example, will likely feel reassuring familiar toFinal Fantasyfans, though the same cannot be said of the game’s multiple narratives.
As the title might suggest,Octopath Travelerfeatures eight main protagonists;each one with their own unique storyline. In this regard, it’s a lot like thehugely under-rated SNES RPG,Live a Live, though the overall execution is superior in just about every conceivable way. Those looking for a fantastic turn-based RPG to sink their teeth into could, therefore, do a whole lot worse.
10The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel IV
Having long been aPlayStation exclusiveand largely limited to the Japanese market, Nihon Falcom’s excellentLegend of Heroesseries can now be enjoyed on Nintendo consoles. The final game in theTrails of Cold Steelarc,The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel IV, was released fairly recently for the Switch and the rest should soon be available on the system as well.
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Those who take an interest in the rich lore that’s peppered throughout theFinal Fantasyseries will definitely enjoy whatLegend of Heroeshas to offer. It backs this up with some fantastic characters, an incredibly compelling narrative, and some of the best combat to ever feature in the JRPG genre.
9The World Ends With You: Final Remix
Before signing up to directFinal Fantasy VII Remake, Tetsuya Nomura worked on several notable projects. Outside ofFinal Fantasy,Kingdom Heartsis undoubtedly the most notable of these, but theinfluential Japanese developeralso played an integral role in the development of many other lesser-known titles as well.
The World Ends with Youwas originally released for the Nintendo DS, but thanks to an enhanced port, it’s now possible to play the game on Switch. This version improves just about every aspect of the game and even adds in a new storyline that takes place after the main game. A sequel,Neo: The World Ends with You, was also released for the Switch in July of 2021, though wasn’t received quite as well-received as the original.
8Ys VIII: Lacrimosa Of Dana
TheYsseries is one of many that has struggled to find success outside of Japan; until fairly recently, that is. Over the past few years, the popularity of Nihon Falcom’s action RPG franchise has exploded in the west, thanks largely to the excellence ofYs VIII: Lacrimosa Of Dana.
The game may not come close to measuring up toFinal Fantasy VII Remakein the graphical department and could perhaps have done with a little more polish here and there. That said, its combat system is excellent, its characters are enchanting, and, witha sequel also available on the console, players won’t have to wait to continue the story once they’ve completed the game.
7Secret Of Mana
The nineties brought with ita golden age for the JRPG genre, with some of the best and most beloved examples all released over a magical ten-year period. The vast majority were on the SNES and one ofthe strongest of thesewasSecret of Mana. Fast forward almost three decades and it’s now possible to play this classic title on Switch.
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It’s not just a port though, nor is it just the single game.Collection of Manaincludes the originalManatrilogy and sees each of them lovingly recreated with a bright and colorful art style. Sure, it’s moreFinal Fantasy IXthan it isVII Remake, but they’re still good-looking games and have the story and characters to back up their newfound visual fidelity.
6The Witcher 3
Although the Nintendo Switch port ofThe Witcher 3is a littleweaker than those found on PC and other consoles, it’s still a fantastic game that’s definitely worth checking out at some point. The characters are great, the story is wild and the combat system is every bit as intuitive as the one found inFinal Fantasy VII Remake.
While it may not tick all of the same boxes as a JRPG, it offers a lot of the same thrills and takes place ina world that is every bit as magicalas those found in theFinal Fantasygames. Likewise, it’s crammed full of things to do and the Switch version even comes bundled with both DLC packs. This means that players should get just as much out of the game as they wouldFinal Fantasy VII Remake;if not more.
5Xenoblade Chronicles
The firstXenoblade Chroniclesgame is arguably one of the finest JRPG games ever made and the definitive edition for the Switch is just that.It’s infinitely better than the 3DS version of the gamein pretty much every department and is a game that every serious RPG fan should play through once at the very least.
Shulk is a wonderful main protagonistwho offers just as much depth as Cloud without being anywhere near as sullen. The sequel doesn’t quite manage to recapture the brilliance of the original and alsosuffers from a very slow start, but it too is worth playing and has enough to keep players busy for quite some time.
4Grandia HD Collection
Visually, theGrandiagames haven’t aged particularly well and no amount of HD upscaling is going to change that. One area where they have aged pretty gracefully though is in the gameplay department. As a result, they are both every bit as enjoyable today as they were when they werefirst released more than two decades ago.
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The combat system is fairly typical of the ones found in turn of the century JRPGs, but what it lacks in originality, it more than makes up for in near-perfect execution. Everything just works and is incredibly intuitive for first-time players. The games' stories are both great too, althoughGrandia 2is perhaps the better of the twoand will likely be the one that the majority of players spend most of their time with.
3The Last Remnant
The Last Remnantwas fairly controversial when it was first released back in 2008; not because of its narrative content, but rather the radical approach that the game takes towards combat. In hindsight, however, this was simply the beginning ofSquare Enix’s attempts to move away from traditional turn-based combatand now serves as an interesting piece of JRPG history.
Unique combat system aside,The Last Remnantoffers up a solid story while also integrating plenty of unique and challenging side quests into the experience as well. The latter is also something that would become more prominent in Square Enix titles in the years that followed; thus cementingThe Last Remnant’s place as an early ancestor of sorts toFinal Fantasy VII Remake.
