Square Enix has explained why the third and final chapter of the Final Fantasy 7 Remake project will continue to use Unreal Engine 4 rather than upgrading to Unreal Engine 5.

Development staff told Push Square that the team has heavily customised its UE4 build to meet the project’s technical and creative needs, saying: "We've made a lot of modifications." Those alterations, the developer argued, make a wholesale move to UE5 impractical at this stage.

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The studio cited continuity and risk management as key factors. Converting a large, bespoke codebase and asset pipeline to a new engine would require extensive rework of tools and gameplay systems and could introduce instability or delays. Sticking with the tuned UE4 build allows the team to preserve visual and mechanical consistency across the trilogy while focusing on finishing the final instalment.

The developer acknowledged the advancements in UE5—such as Nanite and Lumen—while maintaining that the benefits would not outweigh the cost and complexity of a migration mid-project. The final chapter retains the same underlying technology as its predecessors to ensure parity in look and feel and to safeguard production schedules.

Square Enix has already revealed the title of the third instalment and confirmed it remains in development. The decision to continue with the customised UE4 build emphasises a priority on stability and cohesion for the conclusion of the Remake saga.

Details of the explanation were reported by Push Square.