Get unlimited access to everything VICE has to offer.

Turn off all ads on VICE.com

Exclusive New VICE Documentaries

Member Exclusive Features & Columns

Turn off all ads on VICE.com

Exclusive New VICE Documentaries

Member Exclusive Features & Columns

Turn off all ads on VICE.com

Exclusive New VICE Documentaries

Member Exclusive Features & Columns

4 Magazines Delivered to Your Door

Xbox Game Pass Adds A Classic 16-Bit Era RPG Today

“Xbox Game Pass adds a 16-bit RPG classic today. See how this remaster helped update the original with some quality of life improvements.

Share on X (Opens in new window)X

Share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Facebook

Share using Native toolsShareCopied to clipboard

The Xbox Game Pass library continues to grow today with the addition of another installment in one of the most iconic RPG franchises of all time.

Final Fantasy IV Joins Game Pass

A surprising and exciting trend in 2026 has been Xbox’s decision to add one installment in the Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster lineup to Xbox Game Pass each month. The first Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster arrived on Game Pass in early January and now, in April, it’s time for Final Fantasy IV to arrive.

Final Fantasy IV arrives on Xbox Game Pass today, April 7. This remodeled 2D take on the fourth game in the Final Fantasy franchise is a fan-favorite and offers an authentic version of the SNES era classic with updated graphics and some much-needed quality of life improvements.

Improved Gameplay Features:

Including modernized UI, auto-battle options, and more.

Switch the soundtrack between the rearranged version, created for the pixel remaster, or the original version, capturing the sound of the original game.

Now possible to switch between different fonts, including the default font and a pixel-based font based on the atmosphere of the original game.

Additional boost features to expand gameplay options, including switching off random encounters and adjusting experience gained multipliers between 0 and 4.

Dive into the world of the game with supplemental extras like the bestiary, illustration gallery, and music player.

Updated graphics and sound design:

Beautifully revived with new graphics and sound.

Universally updated 2D pixel graphics, including the iconic FINAL FANTASY character pixel designs created by Kazuko Shibuya, the original artist and current collaborator.

Beautifully rearranged soundtrack in a faithful FINAL FANTASY style, overseen by original composer Nobuo Uematsu.

Final Fantasy IV may not usually reach the S-tier when ranking the full Final Fantasy franchise, but it’s definitely one of the stronger installments. The Pixel Remaster of Final Fantasy IV currently sits at a Very Positive average on Steam based on close to 2,000 user reviews.

Final Fantasy IV is most well-known for being the first installment in the franchise to introduce the Active Time Battle (ATB) system. This shift in the traditional turn-based combat system adds more urgency and excitement to each encounter.

The full Pixel Remaster collection goes up to Final Fantasy VI, so it seems highly likely that Xbox Game Pass subscribers may have two more months of Final Fantasy drops coming this year. Fans should check back closer to the end of April to see if Final Fantasy V is included in next month’s scheduled additions to the Game Pass library.

Final Fantasy IV is available on Xbox Game Pass now.

Share on X (Opens in new window)X

Share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Facebook

Share using Native toolsShareCopied to clipboard

Xbox Game Pass Adds A Classic 16-Bit Era RPG Today 3 minutes ago By Denny Connolly

Xbox Game Pass Adds A Classic 16-Bit Era RPG Today

Illustration by Reesa. Daily Horoscope: April 7, 2026 6 hours ago By Ashley Fike

Daily Horoscope: April 7, 2026

Screenshot: Netflix WATCH: CM Punk Just Roasted Pat McAfee, TKO, and Roman Reigns on WWE Raw 9 hours ago By Haley Miller

WATCH: CM Punk Just Roasted Pat McAfee, TKO, and Roman Reigns on WWE Raw

Windsurfer Gets Wrecked by Whale in San Francisco Bay in Crazy Video 13 hours ago By Luis Prada

Windsurfer Gets Wrecked by Whale in San Francisco Bay in Crazy Video

ZXvisual/Getty Images A Passenger Gave Birth Just Before Landing at JFK, and the Audio Fully Delivers 13 hours ago By Ashley Fike

A Passenger Gave Birth Just Before Landing at JFK, and the Audio Fully Delivers

(Photo: Ronaldo Bolaños / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images) Foo Fighters Drummer Ilan Rubin Says His Move from Nine Inch Nails ‘Was Certainly Not a Swap’ 14 hours ago By Stephen Andrew Galiher

Foo Fighters Drummer Ilan Rubin Says His Move from Nine Inch Nails ‘Was Certainly Not a Swap’

By Stephen Andrew Galiher

Dr. Michael Eisenberg, University of Haifa The ‘Sarcastic’ Message Archaeologists Found Carved Into This 2,100-Year-Old Bullet Is Pretty Hilarious 14 hours ago By Ashley Fike

The ‘Sarcastic’ Message Archaeologists Found Carved Into This 2,100-Year-Old Bullet Is Pretty Hilarious

Screenshot: Star Wars Long-Delayed Star Wars Game Resurfaces With More Bad News 14 hours ago By Denny Connolly

Long-Delayed Star Wars Game Resurfaces With More Bad News

Vera C. Rubin Observatory How Scientists Found Thousands of Asteroids Hiding in Plain Sight 14 hours ago By Luis Prada

How Scientists Found Thousands of Asteroids Hiding in Plain Sight

New RPG From Xenogears and Chrono Trigger Writer Gets Switch 2 Release Date 15 hours ago By John Bonelli

New RPG From Xenogears and Chrono Trigger Writer Gets Switch 2 Release Date

Kill the ads for just $2 a month

VICE membership also gives you access to our very best writing and exclusive new documentaries.

Add your account details

© Vice