Which Is the Best Version of the Final Fantasy Pixel Remasters in 2025? Steam, Console, and Mobile Compared
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Which Is the Best Version of the Final Fantasy Pixel Remasters in 2025? Steam, Console, and Mobile Compared

by Mikhail Madnani on 29 March, 2025

Square Enix's Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster Series series debuted on PC and mobile back in 2021. Since its debut, we've seen multiple fixes and updates with the games making their way to consoles including Xbox Series X|S as the most recent platform to get the games. Nearly four years since debuting on PC and mobile, we saw another major update for the games in the Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster series arrive this month for all platforms. Given the staggered release across platforms even for updates, things are a lot better now. I'm going to help you decide which version of the Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster series is the best for you with the games compared across consoles, PC, and mobile covering visuals, performance, load times, and features.

I've played the Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster games since they hit iOS and Switch across all platforms including the most-recent Xbox and Apple Arcade releases. For the purpose of this feature, I've retested the Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster games on Nintendo Switch OLED, Steam Deck OLED, ROG Ally (Z1 Extreme), PS5, PS4 Pro, Xbox Series X, iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 12, iPhone 14 Plus, and iPad Pro (2020).

Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster series explained

If you've somehow not kept up with what this is, Square Enix aimed to offer the definitive remastered version of the first six Final Fantasy games with the Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster series. By updating Final Fantasy I, II, III, IV, V and VI to modern standards and making them playable on modern platforms, this package was a huge step up over the lacking versions of FF5 and FF6 from 2013 and 2014 that aren't worth even thinking of right now. 

This series did a lot more though with redrawn sprites, backgrounds, color changes, a background music arrangement, quality of life features, cheats, and much more. The end result is great albeit with some technical differences across platforms. Before getting to those, the Pixel Remasters sadly aren't the definitive versions since some content from prior ports is missing.

Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster features by platform – PC, mobile, Switch, Xbox, and PlayStation

When I started working on this article back in November last year, I had to put it on hold because of the many games releasing that I was covering around that time. This series had quite a few differences across platforms back then, but things are very different now.  When Square Enix updated the Steam versions of the Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster series with the 1.2.0 updates (1.2.1 on mobile as of March 28, 2025), I resumed working on this article with the assumption that we'd be waiting a long time for the new updates to hit other platforms. Square Enix surprised me by then updating the mobile releases with previously missing features and the new ones. They then updated all console versions as well. Before getting to what feature or platform differences are left, I'm going to recap how the games have been patched since launch:

Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster release timeline

  • July 2021: Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster series debuts on PC and mobile with FF1, FF2, and FF3.
  • September 2021: FF4 launches for PC and mobile.
  • November 2021: FF5 launches for PC and mobile.
  • February 2022: FF6 launches for PC and mobile.
  • April 2023: Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster with FF1, FF2, FF3, FF4, FF5, and FF6 launches on PS4 and Nintendo Switch bringing new BGM,font, and game boost/assist options.
  • January 2024: Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster series on PC and mobile gets updated with the new console port features, but the BGM and font options are left out of the mobile releases.
  • September 2024: Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster series launches for Xbox Series X|S and Windows via the Microsoft Store as a Play Anywhere title.
  • January 2025: Final Fantasy 1 Pixel Remaster launches on Apple Arcade.
  • March 2025: Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster series gets updated on Steam with new features and fixes, the mobile versions are updated soon after with those fixes in addition to the missing options, and the console versions are also updated with 1.2.0 a few days later.

So with all platforms now at 1.2.0, are there any major differences in features and content between the platforms? 

Well, right now there are no feature differences aside from some platform-specific differences. All versions now have the boost options, background soundtrack toggle option, and classic font option in addition to all other game-specific changes and additions. The major feature differences are: 

  • Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster on Switch: The hybrid nature of the platform lets you play it on the go or docked at home. Being able to put a game like this in sleep mode is also a great feature for resuming later.
  • Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster on Xbox: This being a Play Anywhere title means you can play it on your Xbox Series console at home and also access your save back on Windows PC to play on your computer or on a portable PC like the ROG Ally. The Xbox version also supports Quick Resume which is great to have in games like this like the sleep feature on Switch.
  • Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster on PlayStation: This version offers Trophy support and is playable on both PS4 and PS5 via backward compatibility. You can also play it on the PlayStation Portal if you own one.
  • Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster on iOS/Android: The mobile versions are the most portable options available with both touch and controller support. They also have cloud saving between devices to play on say an iPhone and then continue on iPad and back.
  • Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster on Steam: This version remains the best since it lets you mod out some of the quirks and technical issues still present in addition to being playable across PC handhelds and fantastic on Steam Deck.

Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster font options – classic, modern, and mods

As of this writing, all versions of the Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster series include the classic and modern font options. The modern option remains ugly, but the classic option is still not perfect. If you are happy with the Classic font option, stick to it. If you aren't, check out our guide on modding in some more font options to the Steam version here.

Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster – scrolling issues explained

The major issue that is present in every version of the Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster regardless of platform is the scrolling issue. This is a persistent feel of judder or what makes the game not feel smooth when the camera moves. The reason this happens is because the characters move at 80 px/sec which is faster than the game’s own frame rate. The fix for this would be Square Enix patching the games to have movement at 60 px/sec or 120 px/sec to be double the target. One option would be uncapping the frame rate using mods on PC to 80, but I didn't test that.

The easiest way to notice this is to see how the camera movement is horizontally versus diagonally. The movement speed lines up better when moving diagonally. One example is when you play FF5 and are on the Chocobo early on. This specific situation is a good way to spot the other performance issue that is present in some platforms when playing the Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster. 

The movement on the Chocobo in FF5 feels perfectly smooth on PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X, and PC. On older mobile devices and on Nintendo Switch, there are some additional stutter issues here. The video linked below from AustinSV on YouTube from about 0:58 into it does an excellent job of showcasing the technical issues in the Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster that are present even today:

Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster visuals and performance differences across PC, console, and mobile

In addition to scrolling issues detailed above which affect every single version of the Pixel Remaster games on every platform, a few platforms have an additional performance-related issue. This is very visible in the opening of FF5 when you get on the Chocobo. Compare how the movement feels then and when you aren't riding the Chocobo. This is a good test case even for the scrolling issue as I cover above, but when riding the Chocobo, the PlayStation (PS4 Pro and PS5) and PC versions scroll perfectly with no judder or random hitching issues every few seconds. 

There is minor hitching on the Switch, mobile, and Xbox Series X (and Microsoft Store on Windows) versions. I'm surprised it hasn't been addressed at all on the mobile versions given how old they are now, and that there has been no hint of an update to fix it. I'm also disappointed that even multiple ports later, the Xbox version shipped with this issue still present. I initially thought this was just a performance issue we see in some Unity games on Switch or older mobile devices, but after it happened even on iPhone 15 Pro and then Xbox Series X, I imagine this has to do with something other than just horsepower. I'm not sure if it is related to the same issue we saw in the newest Super Monkey Ball game as detailed by Digital Foundry before it was patched. 

On paper, the Xbox version would be my favorite since I can play it on my Xbox Series X and then pickup my progress to play handheld on my ROG Ally. I was surprised to see the Microsoft Store or Play Anywhere version on my ROG Ally have the same hitching issue while the Steam version does not. Again, this isn't something that is a dealbreaker for many and while some might not notice it, I'm disappointed to see yet another situation where the same game has issues when running off the Microsoft Store version versus it being fine on Steam. To recheck this specific hitching and verify it is not present in all versions, I used my phone's slow motion camera and captured movement across the PS5, Switch, Xbox Series X, ROG Ally, and Steam versions at 120fps.

There's one more issue that affects the PC version if you play the Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster games at a refresh rate that isn't 60hz or 120hz and basically not a multiple of 60. On the Steam Deck LCD, it plays perfectly, but the OLED model with its 90hz display has the same issue I ran into with the Suikoden remaster as an example. The fix for this is capping your OLED screen using the quick access menu to 60hz. This limits the issue to just the scrolling one I cover below.

Some might wonder if these issues are even worth bringing up and detailing, but after so many ports, remasters, and re-releases over the years, Square Enix should do better with its premier franchise. The whole point of this bundle was to be the best versions of the classic Final Fantasy games. To see such basic technical issues remain not only in the original release, but also after multiple platform ports and updates is very disappointing. 

Which version of the Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster series is the best? 

As of the 1.2.0 update that is now available on every platform, there is no major feature difference between the platforms. The best version of the Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster series is the Steam version specifically since you can mod it and fix the few remaining technical issues and also get different font options or other mods based on your preferences. 

When taking the performance issues into account, the PC and PlayStation versions of the games suffer mainly from the scrolling issues while the mobile, Switch, and to a lesser degree even Xbox Series X versions also have additional performance issues. This is present on modern mobile devices like the iPhone 15 Pro as well unfortunately. 

Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster problems still present in 2025

As for what I hope to see Square Enix fix since they are still updating the games on all platforms, the priority is still the scrolling issue plaguing every single version on every platform. Beyond that, I'd hope the additional performance issues present on mobile, Switch, and Xbox Series X can be resolved. Given the importance of Final Fantasy to Square Enix, it is good to see patches this many years later, but again, we really shouldn't have had to wait so long for basic fixes in the case of some platforms given the premium price. 

Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster physical release editions

For those who like owning physical versions of games, especially for Final Fantasy releases like I do, there are a few things to keep in mind about the Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster bundle. The Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster bundle has a physical release only on PS4 and Nintendo Switch. It got one around launch through the Square Enix Store bundles. Since then, it had an Asia Switch release (pictured below) and also a regular retail release in North America and Europe. The latter is the newest SKU for it, and unfortunately none of the physical releases have all updates on disc/cartridge. The Asia Switch release has reversible art but no stickers. The latest North American / European release has a sticker sheet but no reversible art. While I don't see it happening, this bundle deserves an Xbox physical release as well. 

Which version of the Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster should you buy?

Everyone has their own priorities for what they want, so I'm going to list the advantages and disadvantages of every single version below:

  • Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster on PlayStation: If you care about trophy support or don't care about portable play (unless you stream to a PlayStation Portal or phone), this is the best console version to get.
  • Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster on Xbox: If you have access to a PC handheld or play on both Xbox Series consoles and PC, the Play Anywhere feature is a big selling point in addition to the Quick Resume feature, but the hitching issue holds this back a bit.
  • Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster on Nintendo Switch: The hybrid nature of the Switch is the biggest selling point for the Pixel Remasters on the platform, but this is also held back by the hitching issue right now.
  • Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster on Steam: Being able to mod the games and fix some of the lingering issues is the main draw of this release in addition to them playing amazing on Steam Deck.
  • Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster on iOS: As of the latest update, the iOS (or Android) version of the games is at feature parity with other platforms, but the hitching issue is still here. This version is worth getting if you play a lot on your phone or have Apple Arcade in the case of the first game.

Hopefully this helped you decide where you should get the Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster series of games and if you already own it, got you to update or redownload and revisit this set of games. I'm looking forward to hopefully revisiting these games when we potentially get another big update. It would be great if some of the lingering issues can be fixed so there are less caveats to recommending these classic RPGs for modern platforms.

The Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster series of games is now available on Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, iOS, Android, and PC (Steam, Microsoft Store). We have full walkthroughs of Final Fantasy I, Final Fantasy II, Final Fantasy III, Final Fantasy IV, Final Fantasy V, and Final Fantasy VI. Check out all our other guides covering the complete Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster Series here.