Can You Remove Cloud from Your Party in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth?

Many players are curious about removing Cloud from their party in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth. While Cloud is a mandatory party member for most of the game, you do have the option to swap him out later on.

However, there are some important things to keep in mind. Firstly, you cannot remove Cloud for exploration. Even if you swap him out of the party, you will still control him outside of combat with no option to change characters for exploration. Secondly, you can only remove Cloud from your party once you have completed the main storyline of Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth.

How to Swap Out Cloud in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth

After completing Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth and unlocking the Chapter Select feature, simply replay any chapter of the main game to remove Cloud from your party like any other character.

Simply navigate to the Combat Settings menu and edit your party to remove Cloud and replace him with characters like Yuffie, Cait Sith, or Red XIII. While you will still control Cloud during exploration, he will be moved to the backline and swapped out for your chosen character once a battle starts.

Related: FF7 Rebirth Quality vs Performance mode differences explained

Cloud may be one of the top characters in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, but there are plenty of interesting team combinations you can create without him. In the postgame and Hard mode, where strategic planning is crucial, having the flexibility to switch out Cloud is highly beneficial.

If you want to explore the open world without Cloud, it is recommended to save most of the side content in Rebirth until after completing the main story. By utilizing Chapter Select, you can tackle all side quests, gather world intel from Chadley, and take on optional bosses with a customized party composition by loading an earlier chapter after finishing the game.