Final Fantasy 7 Remake's Official 2026 Return Isn't At All What We Expected

We’re eagerly awaiting the reveal of the third and final installment in the Final Fantasy 7 Remake trilogy, but the series will make an unexpected outing in the new year. Part 3‘s title remains mysterious, and though we know what to expect generally from its gameplay, developer and publisher Square Enix is keeping a tight lid on details ahead of the official unveiling. FF7 is a juggernaut, though, even within the Final Fantasy franchise at large, and a fun collaboration is coming to potentially get fans ready for Part 3‘s reveal.

Final Fantasy 7 is partnering with Japanese railway company JR Central to bring a new experience to passengers on the Tokaido Shinkansen line and visitors to Nagoya City. The collaboration features an exclusive and original FF7 voice drama that can be listened to while riding, focusing on “Cloud and his friends [embarking] on a new journey,” according to travel agency JapanTravel.

Final Fantasy 7 Is Back… With A Twist

If you listen to the whole voice drama and complete a survey, you may be able to receive a limited-edition keychain. The acrylic keychains feature collections of Final Fantasy 7 characters: Cid, Red XIII, Vincent, Barret (with a bullet train coming out of his cannon), and a Moogle; Sephiroth (with a bullet train wrapped around him), Cloud, and Zack; and Aerith, Tifa, Yuffie, and Cait Sith.

The keychains can be collected from anime and game store Animate Nagoya, which is located near the Nagoya Station on the Tokaido Shinkansen line. The store will also be selling merchandise themed after the collaboration.

Animate Nagoya also has a special prize for those who manage to collect digital stamps around Nagoya City. Participants can travel to three destinations around the city, collect a digital stamp and “listen to additional voice content” at each, then return with all three stamps and earn a collectible postcard featuring all the aforementioned characters and N700S Series trains.

This New Collab Sounds Awesome

FF7 Remake postcard with numerous characters from the games in front of bullet trains.

Being in Japan and riding this specific train line is clearly a requirement to hear the new audio drama—you likely need to understand Japanese as well—but participating also “requires free account registration and a smartphone.” It’s a lot of hoops to jump through for Final Fantasy 7 fans not located in Japan, but it’s a neat collaboration regardless. It even extends into the Nagoya and Tokyo stations, where “digital signage featuring Final Fantasy 7 visuals will appear.”

This could simply be a fun, general marketing gimmick cooked up by Square Enix and JR Central, but the timing is suspiciously close to FF7 Remake Part 3‘s upcoming release. The promotion appears to be running for three months, from January 15 to April 15, 2026. Fans have been expecting a trailer for the new game any day now, with high hopes for The Game Awards last month not coming to fruition. A major, three-month collaboration for Final Fantasy 7 Remake is notable, though, and could be a good sign.