Final Fantasy XIII Mods Make 2009 Game Look Brand New

It’s been a very long time since I’ve checked in on Final Fantasy XIII—like, over a decade—but the game had a PC version released back in 2014, which means modders have had some time to work with it in the meantime. And do incredible things.

While the game was originally released in 2009, the 2014 PC port was not great, suffering from a range of issues like low resolution visuals and a dearth of graphics options (something major Japanese publishers are still struggling with when bringing console games to PC).

Now, though, it’s looking like it came out in 2021, thanks to a collection of mods made by GreenThumb2. One improves practically every environmental texture in the game, allowing players to enjoy FFXIII at the higher resolutions PC gamers are often used to. One swaps out the PC version’s terrible 720p cutscenes for smoother, 1080p ones (though at a huge cost to your HDD space).

But the most noticeable takes FFXIII’s in-game character models—at least for the main cast—and replaces them with their cutscene models, which are much more detailed (with higher polygon counts and higher resolution textures) and more visually impressive as a result.

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Final Fantasy XIII’s place in our collective consciousness has been overshadowed of late, not only by the greater success of Final Fantasy XV but also the continued popularity of the MMO Final Fantasy XIV and the insatiable appetite for ports, re-releases and remakes of classics like Final Fantasy VII.

Yet as Heather wrote a couple of years back, there’s a lot to love about the game over a decade later, so if these mods have you considering taking a refresher, you might find yourself pleasantly surprised. Especially now that it’ll look so much better.

If you’ve got FFXIII on PC, you can find all the files needed to try this out at GreenThumb2's Nexus page.

Thanks Samiya!