Final Fantasy VIII Remastered

This page is for the 2019 remaster. For the original 2000 release, see Final Fantasy VIII. For the 2013 re-release, see Final Fantasy VIII (2013).


⤏ Go to series page
Final Fantasy VII	1998
Final Fantasy VIII	2000
Final Fantasy XI	2003
Final Fantasy XIV	2010
Final Fantasy VII (2012)	2012
Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn	2013
Final Fantasy VIII (2013)	2013
Final Fantasy III	2014
Final Fantasy IV	2014
Final Fantasy XIII	2014
Final Fantasy XIII-2	2014
Final Fantasy IV: The After Years	2015
Final Fantasy Type-0 HD‎	2015
Final Fantasy V	2015
Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII	2015
Final Fantasy VI	2015
Final Fantasy IX	2016
Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster	2016
Mobius Final Fantasy	2017
World of Final Fantasy	2017
SaGa (series)
Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age	2018
Mana (series)
Final Fantasy XV	2018
Final Fantasy XV Pocket Edition	2018
Dissidia Final Fantasy NT	2019
Final Fantasy VIII Remastered	2019
Final Fantasy Awakening	TBA

Key points

Remaster of Final Fantasy VIII featuring updated character models and additional graphics settings, compared to the 2013 release.

Chocobo World is not included. Its previously exclusive items can be obtained with Rinoa's Angelo Search ability.^[1]

Includes the original PlayStation version's music, which was not included with the 2013 release.^[2]

Includes 7 "Cheats" and 3 "Boosts" for customizing the gameplay experience and difficulty.^[3]^[4]

Graphics are 4:3 pillarboxed with slight windowboxing, and gameplay runs at 15-30 FPS.^[5] Background graphics have been heavily blurred (although an HD background mod is available for Patreon backers and will be released publicly later), and the 2013 version's Original Graphic Mode is not available.^[6]

General information

Digital Foundry analysis

Steam Community Discussions

Qhimm Final Fantasy Mod Forums

Availability[edit]

Source	DRM	Notes	Keys	OS
Publisher website
Amazon.com
Green Man Gaming
Humble Store
Microsoft Store		Xbox Game Pass for PC
Steam

Essential improvements[edit]

Graphical enhancements[edit]

Note: McindusMods, author of several of these mods, is creating an installer. If you wait, it will be released, making installing all of these mods more convenient.

Squall and Rinoa texture mod - Updates Squall's and Rinoa's models so they resemble their original appearances more.
SeeDRemastered UI - Remastered UI.
Tripod: Remastered - Remastered Triple Triad.
LunarCry: Remastered - Remastered enemies.
BattlefieldPack: Remastered - Remastered battle fields.
ProjectAngelwingGP: Remastered - Remastered fields using gigapixel. (Requires Patreon)
HorizonPack: Remastered - Remastered world map. (Requires Patreon)
FMVs Upscaled + Color-adjusted (& EQed Audio) by KLITLIKA - FMVs upgrade.
Bad UV mapping patch

Game data[edit]

Configuration file(s) location[edit]

System	Location
Microsoft Store
Steam	%USERPROFILE%\Documents\My Games\FINAL FANTASY VIII Remastered\Steam\<user-id>\
Steam Play (Linux)	<Steam-folder>/steamapps/compatdata/1026680/pfx/^{[Note 1]}

Save game data location[edit]

System	Location
Microsoft Store
Steam	%USERPROFILE%\Documents\My Games\FINAL FANTASY VIII Remastered\Steam\<user-id>\game_data\user\saves\
Steam Play (Linux)	<Steam-folder>/steamapps/compatdata/1026680/pfx/^{[Note 1]}

60 save slots available (30 save slots divided between two folders).

Save game cloud syncing[edit]

System	Native	Notes
Steam Cloud
Xbox Cloud

Video[edit]

In-game display and camera settings.

In-game game settings.

Native in-game Config menu settings. These settings are also available in the System Menu.

Graphics feature	State	Notes
Widescreen resolution		4:3 pillarboxed and slightly letterboxed (windowboxed).^[7]
Multi-monitor
Ultra-widescreen
4K Ultra HD
Field of view (FOV)
Windowed
Borderless fullscreen windowed
Anisotropic filtering (AF)		See the glossary page for potential workarounds.
Anti-aliasing (AA)		FXAA, SMAA, or off.
Vertical sync (Vsync)		See the glossary page for potential workarounds.
60 FPS and 120+ FPS		Combat and FMVs are capped at 15 FPS, other gameplay is capped at 30 FPS, and menu screens are capped at 60 FPS.^[8]
High dynamic range display (HDR)

Launcher settings.

Input[edit]

In-game keyboard remapping.

In-game controller remapping (Xbox icons).

In-game controller remapping (DualShock 4 icons).

Keyboard and mouse	State	Notes
Remapping		System Menu (`Esc`), Control Mapping (`F9`), and Boosts (`F1`, `F2`, `F3`) cannot be remapped.
Mouse acceleration		Mouse is not supported.
Mouse sensitivity
Mouse input in menus		Launcher only.
Mouse Y-axis inversion
Controller
Controller support
Full controller support
Controller remapping		System Menu, Control Mapping, and Boosts cannot be remapped.
Controller sensitivity
Controller Y-axis inversion

Controller types

XInput-compatible controllers
Xbox button prompts
Impulse Trigger vibration

DualShock 4 controllers
DualShock button prompts
Light bar support
Connection modes	USB

Generic/other controllers

Additional information
Controller hotplugging
Haptic feedback		^[9]
Simultaneous controller+KB/M

In-game control mapping (Keyboard).
Access with F9.
In-game control mapping (Xbox Controller).
Access with LT+RS.
In-game control mapping (DualShock 4).
Access with L2+R3.

Audio[edit]

In-game audio settings.

Audio feature	State	Notes
Separate volume controls		Master, Music, Sound
Surround sound		Stereo^[10]
Subtitles
Closed captions
Mute on focus lost

Localizations

Language	UI	Audio	Sub	Notes
English
French
German
Italian
Japanese
Spanish

Issues fixed[edit]

System.InvalidOperationExceptions error message on launch[edit]

Update the video card's drivers^[11]
For laptop, mobile, and all-in-one systems check the manufacturer's site first for customized drivers (if applicable). Otherwise, download and install the latest drivers from the appropriate site: AMD Nvidia Intel

Disable integrated or unused video cards^[11]
Press `⊞ Win`+`R` to open the Run dialog box. Type `devmgmt.msc` and press `↵ Enter` or click OK to open the Device Manager. Double-click Display adapters to expand the list of video cards. Right-click on each video card not to be used and select Disable device. Choose Yes to confirm.

Create the `config.txt` file^[12]
Go to the Configuration file location. If a file named `config.txt` does not exist in this location, right-click inside the folder, then select New > Text Document. Name the new file `config.txt`.

22 FPS Fix[edit]

Use Special K Download Special K Extract `SpecialK32.dll and Specialk32.pdb` to FF8 install directory Rename `SpecialK32.dll to opengl32.dll` - its an L not a one Play the game normally, no need to mess with any settings Go to this Steam Guide or the fix's creator's site for more info

Other information[edit]

API[edit]

Technical specs	Supported	Notes
OpenGL

Executable	32-bit	64-bit	Notes
Windows

Middleware[edit]

	Middleware	Notes
Audio	vgmstream

System requirements[edit]

Windows
	Minimum	Recommended
Operating system (OS)	7 SP1, 8.1, 10
Processor (CPU)	Intel Core i3 2.2 GHz AMD A series 2.2 GHz	Intel Core i5 2.8 GHz AMD A8 series 3.1 GHz
System memory (RAM)	2 GB	4 GB
Hard disk drive (HDD)	5 GB
Video card (GPU)	Nvidia GeForce GT 730 AMD Radeon R7 240 OpenGL 3.3 compatible DirectX 11 compatible	Nvidia GeForce GTX 960 AMD Radeon RX 470
Sound (audio device)	DirectX compatible

Notes

↑ ^1.0 ^1.1 File/folder structure within this directory reflects the path(s) listed for Windows and/or Steam game data (use Wine regedit to access Windows registry paths). Games with Steam Cloud support may store data in ~/.steam/steam/userdata/<user-id>/1026680/ in addition to or instead of this directory. The app ID (1026680) may differ in some cases. Treat backslashes as forward slashes. See the glossary page for details.

References

↑ Final Fantasy VIII Director Yoshinori Kitase Talks About The Remaster And Original Development - last accessed on 2019-09-05
"Chocobo World will not be included. The items you could only get from it will be available through Rinoa’s special ability."
↑ Final Fantasy 8 Remastered is the best version yet, but it's far from perfect - last accessed on 2019-09-05
"The Remastered version, on the other hand, has better default controls you can remap on the fly, the music is the exquisite gosh-darned original..."
↑ Verified by User:Baronsmoki on 2019-09-04
↑ FINAL FANTASY VIII - REMASTERED on Steam - last accessed on 2019-09-04
"...featuring multiple enhancements including additional options to customise your gameplay experience and difficulty..."
↑ Verified by User:Baronsmoki on 2019-09-05
↑ Final Fantasy 8 Remastered is the best version yet, but it's far from perfect - last accessed on 2019-09-05
↑ Verified by User:Baronsmoki on 2019-09-03
Tested at 2560x1600 resolution.
↑ Verified by User:Baronsmoki on 2019-09-03
Tested on 60 Hz display.
↑ Verified by User:Baronsmoki on 2019-09-03
Tested with wired Xbox 360 Controller.
↑ Verified by User:Baronsmoki on 2019-09-03
Tested with Special K.
↑ ^11.0 ^11.1 (FIXED) Error when launching - System.InvalidOperationExceptions :: FINAL FANTASY VIII - REMASTERED General Discussions - last accessed on 2019-09-04
↑ Crash Before Launcher :: FINAL FANTASY VIII - REMASTERED General Discussions - last accessed on 2019-09-06

[Proton_path_note-7] 1.0 ^1.1 File/folder structure within this directory reflects the path(s) listed for Windows and/or Steam game data (use Wine regedit to access Windows registry paths). Games with Steam Cloud support may store data in ~/.steam/steam/userdata/<user-id>/1026680/ in addition to or instead of this directory. The app ID (1026680) may differ in some cases. Treat backslashes as forward slashes. See the glossary page for details.

[1] Final Fantasy VIII Director Yoshinori Kitase Talks About The Remaster And Original Development - last accessed on 2019-09-05
"Chocobo World will not be included. The items you could only get from it will be available through Rinoa’s special ability."

[2] Final Fantasy 8 Remastered is the best version yet, but it's far from perfect - last accessed on 2019-09-05
"The Remastered version, on the other hand, has better default controls you can remap on the fly, the music is the exquisite gosh-darned original..."

[3] Verified by User:Baronsmoki on 2019-09-04

[4] FINAL FANTASY VIII - REMASTERED on Steam - last accessed on 2019-09-04
"...featuring multiple enhancements including additional options to customise your gameplay experience and difficulty..."

[5] Verified by User:Baronsmoki on 2019-09-05

[6] Final Fantasy 8 Remastered is the best version yet, but it's far from perfect - last accessed on 2019-09-05

[8] Verified by User:Baronsmoki on 2019-09-03
Tested at 2560x1600 resolution.

[9] Verified by User:Baronsmoki on 2019-09-03
Tested on 60 Hz display.

[10] Verified by User:Baronsmoki on 2019-09-03
Tested with wired Xbox 360 Controller.

[11] Verified by User:Baronsmoki on 2019-09-03
Tested with Special K.

[invalid_operation_exceptions-12] 11.0 ^11.1 (FIXED) Error when launching - System.InvalidOperationExceptions :: FINAL FANTASY VIII - REMASTERED General Discussions - last accessed on 2019-09-04

[13] Crash Before Launcher :: FINAL FANTASY VIII - REMASTERED General Discussions - last accessed on 2019-09-06

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[Note 1]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]

[12]

Developers

Original game	Square Enix
Remastered	DotEmu
Remastered	Access Games
Publishers
	Square Enix
Release dates
Windows	September 3, 2019
Reception
Metacritic	73
OpenCritic	81
IGDB	79
Taxonomy
Microtransactions	None
Modes	Singleplayer
Pacing	Continuous turn-based
Perspectives	Cinematic camera, Third-person, Top-down view
Controls	Direct control, Menu-based
Genres	JRPG, RPG
Vehicles	Flight
Art styles	Pre-rendered graphics
Themes	Fantasy, Sci-fi
Series	Final Fantasy