For the clearest cause-and-effect, read Ever Crisis in this order: The First SOLDIER and young-Sephiroth chapters, Before Crisis, Crisis Core, the original Final Fantasy VII storyline, then the later Advent Children and Dirge of Cerberus material. Ever Crisis is a chapter hub rather than a single chronological campaign, and its mobile service ended on October 6, 2026, so access to individual arcs now depends on any officially supported archive or successor.
The timeline in one view
Ever Crisis reimagines key parts of the Final Fantasy VII timeline inside one chapter-based mobile RPG. Its menu is organized for selecting story arcs, not necessarily for presenting every event in historical order. The table below is the safest chronological reading order supported by Square Enix’s published descriptions.
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| Order | Ever Crisis material | Place in the wider timeline | What to know |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The First SOLDIER / young Sephiroth | Earliest major Ever Crisis-era storyline | Explores Sephiroth before the main FFVII events. Official material does not provide a complete year-by-year dating for every episode. |
| 2 | Before Crisis –FINAL FANTASY VII– | Before Crisis Core and the original FFVII campaign | Turks-focused prequel. Producer Shoichi Ichikawa said the previously missing story was planned for release in three parts during July and August 2026. |
| 3 | Crisis Core –FINAL FANTASY VII– | Seven years before FFVII | Follows Zack Fair. Square Enix says Zack’s actions trigger the events that lead to FFVII. |
| 4 | FINAL FANTASY VII | Main original-game campaign | Ever Crisis presents a condensed chapter adaptation of the original game’s key events. |
| 5 | Advent Children and Dirge of Cerberus material | After the original FFVII story | Later Compilation-era stories. Their place is post-FFVII, but availability inside Ever Crisis was tied to the live service. |
1. Start with The First SOLDIER and young Sephiroth
If you want the earliest major story currently associated with Ever Crisis, begin with The First SOLDIER material and its young-Sephiroth chapters. These episodes examine Sephiroth before he becomes the figure encountered in the original game, giving context to his career and the SOLDIER system.
This placement is relative rather than fully calendar-dated. The official descriptions establish that the material is about a younger Sephiroth, but they do not state an exact number of years for every episode. Do not force an invented date onto the arc or assume that every flashback is presented in one uninterrupted sequence.
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Why this arc comes first
- It supplies the earliest major viewpoint in Ever Crisis’s own story scope.
- It introduces background that later prequels can treat as established history.
- It avoids learning about Sephiroth only through the perspective of the original FFVII cast.
Spoiler consideration
Starting here is best for a reader who wants chronology above all else. It is not automatically the best route for preserving every mystery designed for the original FFVII. The younger-Sephiroth material can reframe how you interpret his later role, so players who want the original game’s reveals to land as originally designed may prefer to begin with FFVII instead; that alternative is explained below.
2. Continue with Before Crisis
Before Crisis –FINAL FANTASY VII– is the next chronological stop. It centers on the Turks and takes place before the original FFVII campaign, making it a bridge between the earliest SOLDIER-era material and the events that eventually put Zack and Cloud at the center of the story.
For years, Before Crisis was the major Compilation story absent from an official modern release in many regions. In a July 8, 2026 producer letter, Shoichi Ichikawa wrote that the team had “yet to tell the story of BEFORE CRISIS -FINAL FANTASY VII-” and announced a three-part release plan for July and August 2026. Treat that as the announced Ever Crisis rollout, not as proof that every episode remains obtainable after the mobile service closure.
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- A Turks-led view of Shinra’s operations before FFVII.
- Political and organizational context that the main game only references.
- Events that help explain how the world reaches the starting conditions of Crisis Core and FFVII.
Because it is a prequel, Before Crisis can reveal information that the original game deliberately withholds. If spoiler control matters more than strict chronology, postpone it until after FFVII.
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3. Play Crisis Core next: the firmest dated placement
Crisis Core is the easiest chapter to place precisely. Square Enix’s Crisis Core Reunion product page states: “The story begins seven years before the events of FINAL FANTASY VII and follows Zack Fair, a young and ambitious Shinra SOLDIER operative.” It also says Zack’s actions “trigger the events that lead up to FINAL FANTASY VII.”
That seven-year statement is the key fixed interval in this order. Crisis Core is therefore later than the young-Sephiroth and Before Crisis material, but it still takes place before the opening of the original game.
Why Crisis Core matters to the order
- Zack is the central viewpoint, so the story explains his relationship to Shinra, SOLDIER and the people around him.
- Its ending directly hands narrative momentum to FFVII rather than functioning as an unrelated side story.
- It establishes emotional and historical details that the original game reveals only gradually.
If you want a separately playable version of this prequel, Crisis Core –Final Fantasy VII– Reunion is the clearest option named by Square Enix. It is a full prequel experience rather than a menu entry that depends on Ever Crisis remaining online.
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After the prequels, move to Ever Crisis’s adaptation of the original Final Fantasy VII campaign. The mobile game condenses the original game’s key events into chapters, so it should be understood as a selected retelling rather than a replacement for every scene, encounter and optional sequence in the 1997 game.
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What “condensed” means here
- The major plot path is represented in chapter form.
- Optional exploration, side quests and pacing from the original are not guaranteed to appear in full.
- Chapter breaks can make cause and effect feel more segmented than in a continuous console RPG.
For a first-time player, this is the point at which the separate prequel threads converge: Shinra’s history, Zack’s role and Sephiroth’s earlier life all become relevant to the central journey. For a returning fan, Ever Crisis is best treated as a compact retelling with its own presentation choices.
5. Finish with Advent Children and Dirge of Cerberus material
Advent Children and Dirge of Cerberus belong after the original FFVII story. They are later Compilation-era chapters, not alternate openings to the main campaign.
Advent Children
Advent Children follows the consequences of the original game’s ending and therefore works best once you know the central FFVII cast and outcome. Enter it after completing the FFVII storyline represented in Ever Crisis, even if the chapter interface allows you to select it earlier.
Dirge of Cerberus
Dirge of Cerberus is also post-FFVII material, with a later focus and a different playable emphasis. Place it after FFVII rather than between the prequels and the original campaign.
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- An Expansive World: As the party searches for Sephiroth, explore the beautiful, expansive regions of the world and open up new areas to discover through unique forms of transportation
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- Beyond the Walls of Fate: In this standalone adventure for fans and newcomers, Cloud and his comrades venture across the planet, their fates unwritten, making each step outside the dystopian city of Midgar fresh and mysterious
The chronological placement of both stories is clear, but their practical availability inside Ever Crisis is not permanent. Do not assume that a chapter listed in historical order remains downloadable after the service ended.
Chronological order versus the order you should actually play
The chapter menu lets players jump between arcs. That flexibility is useful for returning players, but it can produce abrupt shifts in era, protagonist and spoiler context. Choose an approach based on what you value most.
| Priority | Recommended approach | Advantage | Trade-off |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chronological clarity | The First SOLDIER → Before Crisis → Crisis Core → FFVII → Advent Children/Dirge of Cerberus | Events build from earlier history toward later consequences. | Some original-game mysteries may be explained earlier than intended. |
| Original spoiler control | FFVII first, then Crisis Core and the other prequels, followed by later Compilation stories | Preserves more of the original game’s reveal structure. | Flashbacks and prequel context arrive out of historical order. |
| Completionist play | Finish each arc in its own displayed chapter sequence; handle seasonal and crossover content separately | Reduces the chance of skipping an episode within an arc. | Release or menu order can still jump across eras. |
| Availability first | Play whatever officially supported chapters are accessible, using the table as a reference | Works when archived content is incomplete or access changes. | You may not be able to reconstruct the full chronology. |
How to use Ever Crisis’s chapter menu without losing the timeline
- Identify the arc label. Select the story category before choosing an individual chapter. The label tells you whether you are in The First SOLDIER, Before Crisis, Crisis Core, FFVII or later Compilation material.
- Complete one arc’s displayed sequence. Within an arc, follow the chapter numbers or the game’s listed progression rather than jumping to a scene because its title sounds earlier.
- Pause before switching eras. A seasonal event or crossover can use familiar characters without belonging to the main chronological line.
- Keep the five-part order as your external checklist. Use it to decide which arc to begin next, not to override the game’s internal ordering of chapters within that arc.
- Record unavailable chapters separately. If a story is locked or no longer served, note the gap instead of treating a later arc as a substitute for it.
Does Ever Crisis cover the whole Compilation?
No. Ever Crisis is an anthology-like hub that covers key elements of several FFVII stories and adds new material, including the young-Sephiroth storyline written by Kazushige Nojima. Square Enix’s launch announcement described it as covering key elements of the timeline, including the original game; the franchise hub calls it a reimagining of the FFVII timeline.
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“Key elements” is important. It does not mean every scene, side story, optional mission or historical gap from the entire Compilation appears in one complete, permanently accessible package. Seasonal events and crossover content may sit outside the main timeline, and a chapter’s presence in the interface does not make it a definitive replacement for its original release.
What the game does provide
- A single interface connecting multiple FFVII eras.
- A condensed version of the original game’s central storyline.
- Ever Crisis’s own young-Sephiroth material.
- Planned or released access to Before Crisis content that had previously been difficult to find in modern form.
- Later Compilation-related material when the relevant chapters are available.
What it does not guarantee
- A complete chronological list in the order shown by the menu.
- Every original scene or optional sequence.
- Permanent access to seasonal, crossover or service-dependent chapters.
- A full substitute for every separate Compilation game or film.
Availability after the mobile service ended
Ever Crisis launched globally on September 7, 2023. In a July 8, 2026 message, producer Shoichi Ichikawa announced that service for both the Japanese and Global versions would end on October 6, 2026, at 11:00 p.m. PDT. With the current date after that deadline, the live mobile service should be treated as ended.
That changes how to interpret any “play order” guide. The chronology remains useful for understanding the stories, but access is a separate question. Verify any officially supported archive, offline mode or successor before relying on a chapter list, because a former live-service menu is not evidence that its content can still be downloaded.
Ichikawa’s message also described a planned final FFVII saga chapter for September 6, 2026, PDT. The announcement establishes the intended schedule; it does not by itself establish ongoing access after closure.
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Three practical routes for different readers
New to Final Fantasy VII
Use the strict chronology if you are comfortable with prequel information arriving early. Start with The First SOLDIER, then Before Crisis, Crisis Core, FFVII and the later Compilation chapters. If you want the original game’s mystery structure, reverse the first four steps by beginning with FFVII, then work backward through Crisis Core and Before Crisis before returning to the post-FFVII stories.
Already familiar with the original game
Start with The First SOLDIER to see the new Sephiroth perspective, then read Before Crisis and Crisis Core as historical context. Finish with the Ever Crisis FFVII adaptation to compare its condensed presentation with the original, and follow with Advent Children and Dirge of Cerberus material.
Completionist or lore-focused player
Clear every chapter within one arc before changing eras, keep seasonal and crossover entries in a separate list, and mark chapters that became unavailable when service ended. This prevents a limited-time event from being mistaken for a missing chronological link.
Common ordering mistakes
- Following the menu from top to bottom: the selectable interface is not promised to be chronological.
- Putting Crisis Core after Advent Children: Crisis Core is seven years before FFVII, so it belongs before the main campaign and all post-FFVII stories.
- Treating Before Crisis as optional background with no timeline position: it is a prequel about the Turks and belongs before Crisis Core and FFVII.
- Assuming every chapter is still playable: the October 6, 2026 service end makes availability a separate issue from chronology.
- Calling Ever Crisis the complete Compilation: it adapts key elements and adds new material; it is not a guarantee that every original scene or release is represented.
Final order to keep beside you
- The First SOLDIER and young-Sephiroth material
- Before Crisis –FINAL FANTASY VII–
- Crisis Core –FINAL FANTASY VII–
- FINAL FANTASY VII original-game storyline
- Advent Children and Dirge of Cerberus material
Use that list for historical sequence, then use each arc’s own in-game chapter order for the details. The most certain fixed point is Crisis Core’s placement seven years before FFVII; the earliest young-Sephiroth episodes are best described as the first major Ever Crisis-era material without assigning unsupported calendar dates.
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