Fresh off its win for "Most Anticipated Game" at The Game Awards, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth lands on the cover of Game Informer. The second part of the Final Fantasy VII Remake series breaks Cloud, Tifa, Aerith, Barret, and Red XIII out of the confines of Midgar and into a vast, open map where players can explore to their hearts' content. We spent two days at Square Enix's headquarters in Tokyo, Japan, seeing new sections of Final Fantasy VII Rebirth and speaking to the legends of the team that made it. This cover story, along with our exclusive coverage spread out over the next few weeks, should give you a good idea of what to expect when the game launches in February. On top of that, this issue dives into our favorite games of 2023, giving you a full rundown of the best that the year had to offer.

Our cover art this month was designed in part by Tetsuya Nomura, one of the aforementioned legends we spoke to. It features a fiery image of the series' antagonist, Sephiroth, on the front, while the flames extend to the back side of the cover art, barely reaching a determined profile of our hero, Cloud Strife. So much of Final Fantasy VII Rebirth focuses on the relationships between characters, and this art emphasizes the strained relationship between these two former allies. You'll learn more about the making of the Final Fantasy VII Remake series, how Rebirth is expanding the series in several ways, how the team is approaching certain scenes, and much more in our 12-page cover story!

But this issue is so much more than the cover story! 2023 ends next week, so that means it's time for Game Informer to highlight the best games that came out of the year with our annual Top 10 Games of the Year feature, as well as our Best and Brightest roundup to highlight our favorite games that didn't make our Top 10. We also have extended game features, including Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown, the Riven remake, and Penny's Big Breakaway. We also have a unique look at what went into making the end credits for Marvel's Spider-Man 2, plus a rundown of the highs and lows of the games industry's 2023.

That's on top of our standard preview suite. In this issue, you can expect previews for Grand Theft Auto VI, Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney Trilogy, Tekken 8, The Last of Us Part II Remastered, and more!

Here's a closer look at this month's cover:

You can also try to nab a Game Informer Gold version of the issue. Limited to a numbered print run per issue, this premium version of Game Informer isn't available for sale. To learn about places where you might be able to get a copy, check out our official Twitter, Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, BlueSky, and Threads accounts and stay tuned for more details in the coming weeks. Click here to read more about Game Informer Gold.

Print subscribers can expect their issues to arrive in the coming weeks. The digital edition launches later today for PC/Mac, iOS, and Google Play. Print copies will be available for purchase in the coming weeks at GameStop.