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Final Fantasy VII Ever Crisis (FF7 Ever Crisis) shut down at 15:00 on October 7, 2026. That’s about three years and one month after the mobile version launched on September 7, 2023. Refunds for unused paid Red Crystals are being accepted from 00:00 on October 8, 2026 until 23:59 on March 15, 2027.
You apply for the refund from the game’s title screen. Which means you must not delete the app. If you’re switching phones, hold off on reinstalling until your refund has gone through as well.
This article covers the refund process and its deadline, what not to do, the final chapters that shipped before the shutdown, and the three-year run that led here. Square Enix’s official notices and the support center announcement are the primary sources.
That original story about Sephiroth’s younger days can’t be played anymore. But the part about your money isn’t over yet.
- Service ended at 15:00 on October 7, and the refund deadline is 23:59 on March 15, 2027
- The refund is four steps from the title screen, paid out through CASH POST
- Do not delete or reinstall the app until the process is complete
- About three years from the September 2023 launch, and what shipped before the end
Let’s lock in the deadline first.
When did FF7 Ever Crisis shut down, and when is the refund deadline?
Service ended at 15:00 on Wednesday, October 7, 2026, and refund applications for unused paid Red Crystals are accepted from 00:00 on October 8, 2026 until 23:59 on March 15, 2027. The shutdown was announced at 11:00 on July 8, 2026, and Red Crystal sales stopped at that same moment. That’s exactly three months from announcement to shutdown, and about five months from shutdown to the refund cutoff.
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| September 7, 2023 | Mobile version launches |
| July 8, 2026, 11:00 | Shutdown announced, Red Crystal sales halted |
| October 7, 2026, 15:00 | Service ends |
| October 8, 2026, 00:00 | Refund applications open |
| March 15, 2027, 23:59 | Refund application deadline |
Here’s how the official notice explains the reason for the shutdown.
We regret to inform you that service will end as of 15:00 on Wednesday, October 7, 2026. We have reached the conclusion that it will be difficult to continue providing a service that satisfies our customers going forward.
Source:FINAL FANTASY VII EVER CRISIS Official Site
“Difficult to continue providing a service that satisfies our customers” is boilerplate you see constantly in mobile game shutdown notices. Still, I think it carries different weight when it appears under the FF7 brand. With the remake trilogy heading toward its conclusion, the mobile side of the story is the part that dropped its curtain first.
How does the refund work? Use the refund button on the title screen and collect through CASH POST
To get your refund, launch the game, tap the title screen, hit the “refund application button” on the service termination screen, and submit your email address and date of birth. This covers unused Red Crystals that were issued as paid currency, and the refund is made under Article 20, Paragraph 1 of Japan’s Payment Services Act. Red Crystals handed out for free are not eligible.
- Launch the FF7 Ever Crisis app and tap the title screen
- Tap the “refund application button” on the “Notice of Service Termination” screen that appears
- Enter a contact email address and your date of birth, and submit the application
- Expect an email within roughly one month of applying, explaining how to collect your refund via CASH POST
- Collect through CASH POST by choosing bank transfer, in-store pickup at Lawson, d Payment, or ATM pickup at Seven Bank
Square Enix covers the fees. CASH POST is the same payout service used for Mario Kart Tour and other shutdowns, and if you’d rather not register a bank account, you can take the cash at Lawson or a Seven Bank ATM. Since there’s a one-month wait for the instructions, don’t leave your application until right before the March 2027 cutoff.
According to the support center announcement, inquiries go to a dedicated email address (ffviiec_support@applibot.co.jp). That’s the contact point for Applibot, which handled development.
What should you avoid before your refund? Deleting the app and reinstalling after a phone switch
Until your refund application is complete, hold off on deleting the app and on reinstalling it after switching phones. The official notice is explicit about this. The reason is that processing a refund requires checking your user data, and deleting the app makes that check impossible.
| Action | Verdict | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| Deleting the app | Off limits until the process is done | Your data can no longer be verified |
| Reinstalling after a phone switch | Wait until the process is done | Same as above |
| If you have zero paid crystals | No action needed | There’s nothing to refund |
| Applying right before the deadline | Better avoided | The instructions take a month to arrive |
Keeping a dead app on your phone feels wrong, but grit your teeth on this one. You can still launch it and reach the title screen after the shutdown, so apply from there and don’t delete anything until the instruction email arrives and the money is in hand. Follow that and you’re fine.
What did FF7 Ever Crisis ship in about three years? The final chapters and the road to the end
FF7 Ever Crisis launched on mobile on September 7, 2023, an RPG that let you replay the main FF7 story plus Crisis Core, the First Soldier prequel, and a brand-new original story about Sephiroth’s younger days, all in one app. In its final three months, the Before Crisis FF7 arc began rolling out from July 2026, and the final chapter of the FF7 arc arrived in September — the shutdown came after the story had been brought to a close.
Applibot handled development and Square Enix handled operations. It was built around replaying each chapter of the original FF7 in bite-sized pieces, with a distinctive switch between pixel-art-style fields and 3D battles. To mark the end, the official team released a final movie thanking the players who stuck with it for about three years.
What bothers me is that there’s no way to read the story back now that it’s over. Some titles move to offline versions, the way Helios Rising Heroes and SYNDUALITY did, but as of October 8, 2026 there’s no such announcement for FF7 Ever Crisis. That original story about the young Sephiroth could only be read in this app. Which is exactly why I think anyone who finished it while the game was live made the right call.
| Title | Shutdown date | Offline version |
|---|---|---|
| FF7 Ever Crisis | October 7, 2026, 15:00 | No announcement (as of October 8) |
| Tasokare Hotel -Tsubomi- | November 30, 2026 | Story moves to a separate title |
| Helios Rising Heroes | December 28, 2026, 14:59 (online version) | Yes |
| SYNDUALITY Echo of Ada | See separate article | Yes |
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Summary: refunds run through March 15, 2027 — don’t delete the app, apply from the title screen
FF7 Ever Crisis shut down at 15:00 on October 7, 2026. Unused paid Red Crystals can be claimed from 00:00 on October 8, 2026 until 23:59 on March 15, 2027, via the “refund application button” on the title screen. Within one month of applying you’ll get instructions for collecting through CASH POST, with a choice of bank transfer, in-store pickup at Lawson, d Payment, or a Seven Bank ATM. Don’t delete the app and don’t reinstall it until the process is finished. Follow that and the money comes back.
If you’ve got paid crystals sitting there, please get the application in from the title screen today. When the instructions alone take a month, moving in March is too late. Losing any way to read the story back is a genuine shame, but I think shipping the final chapter before pulling the plug was an honest call by the operators.
Don’t delete the app. Apply first, then delete.
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