At first, I laughed at the bizarre choice to highlight this fact as a selling point for the game. Hell, PlayStation’s official tweet about it starts off with the words “Two. Discs.” And as someone who’s almost entirely converted to buying their games digitally, I already started to do the mental math on how much storage space I’d need to clear up on my PlayStation 5 in order to make room for a game that stretches across a pair of 100GB discs.

Should You Choose Graphics or Performance Mode in Final Fantasy 7 (FF7) Rebirth?

In the gaming community, there are two separate but equally important modes: Graphics and Performance, so which should you choose in Final Fantasy 7 (FF7) Rebirth?

Recommended Videos

Is Graphics or Performance Mode Better in FF7 Rebirth?

While playing FF7 Rebirth, you get the option to choose whether you want to enable Graphics or Performance mode. The choice isn’t a permanent one, and you’ll be able to change your selection by going to the main menu and selecting System, Options, and then Graphics.

Graphics mode prioritizes trying to give FF7 Rebirth the best possible graphics, with the game being 4k where possible. Performance mode, in contrast, prioritizes giving the game a higher frame rate. That means the difference is essentially one between things looking nice and things looking smooth.

I’ve included four images I took in the game below. In each set, the first image is of Graphics mode, and the second is of Performance mode. That’s the only setting that I’ve altered.

An image showing Cloud Strife in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth standing among flowers. The image is part of article comparing performance and graphics mode in FF7 Rebirth.
This image shows Graphics mode.
An image showing Cloud Strife in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth standing among flowers. The image is part of article comparing performance and graphics mode in FF7 Rebirth.
This image shows Performance mode.
An image showing Cloud Strife in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth standing in front of a crowd of people dancing at Gold Saucer. The image is part of article comparing performance and graphics mode in FF7 Rebirth.
This image shows Graphics mode.
An image showing Cloud Strife in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth standing in front of a crowd of people dancing at Gold Saucer. The image is part of article comparing performance and graphics mode in FF7 Rebirth.
This image shows Performance mode.

As you can see from the images above, there’s not a ton of difference practically between Graphics and Performance mode in FF7 Rebirth. Although Graphics mode is a bit crisper and cleaner, especially on the faces of the character models, Performance mode is perfectly serviceable.

From a practical standpoint, I found that Graphics mode was a bit more sluggish in FF7 Rebirth, so I preferred Performance mode and played most of the game that way. If you prefer that the graphics look a bit more crisp, then I recommend you choose Graphics. If you want things smoother, choose Performance.

And that’s whether you should choose Graphics or Performance mode in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth. If you’re looking for more, check out whether FF7 Rebirth is coming to PlayStation 4 or PC in the future. Otherwise, the game is available now.


The Escapist is supported by our audience. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn a small affiliate commission. Learn more
related content
Read Article All One Piece Openings, Ranked From Worst to Best
three scenes from one piece openings
Read Article How To Become an Exorcist in BitLife
A Ghost Emoji on an orange background with the BitLife logo beneath it.
Read Article MLB The Show 24 Roster Update Brings Classic Cards Back to Diamond Dynasty
Four new classic cards added to MLB The Show 24
Related Content
Read Article All One Piece Openings, Ranked From Worst to Best
three scenes from one piece openings
Read Article How To Become an Exorcist in BitLife
A Ghost Emoji on an orange background with the BitLife logo beneath it.
Read Article MLB The Show 24 Roster Update Brings Classic Cards Back to Diamond Dynasty
Four new classic cards added to MLB The Show 24
Author
Liam Nolan
Liam Nolan has been the Managing Editor at The Escapist since August 2023, during which time he's covered Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, Starfield, and several other major releases. After getting his Master of Arts in English in 2016, he began writing about comics, television, movies, and video games, with his work appearing at such outlets as Marvel.com, CBR, and The Mary Sue. When he's not writing on pop culture, you can find Liam working on his creative projects or traveling. You can follow him on Twitter @LD_Nolan or on Bluesky @ldnolan.bsky.social.