Chrono Trigger anniversary announcement stokes hopes for a remake

Today marks 30 years since Chrono Trigger released, and Square Enix is celebrating by making announcements about the future of the franchise and hosting several different events over the days ahead. The first is a 33-hour long live performance that will be streamed on YouTube from March 13 starting at 7 PM PT until March 15 around 4 AM PT.

Square Enix announced the celebration through a post on X. “Today marks the 30th anniversary of Chrono Trigger‘s release in 1995…To mark the 30th anniversary, we will be launching various projects that go beyond the world of games over the next year as a token of our gratitude to everyone who has played Chrono Trigger so far.”

To no one’s surprise, the “various projects” line has fanned the flames of hope for a remake. For years, fans have wanted to see Chrono Trigger brought back in a new form, perhaps in the same HD-2D style as Octopath Traveler.

There is a lot of potential for a remake, or even just a re-release. While you can play Chrono Trigger on Steam or mobile, it’s not currently available on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, or Nintendo Switch. Its sequel Chrono Cross was released as the The Radical Dreamers Edition in 2022 with modern improvements like upscaled graphics, a fast-forward mode, and several other improvements.

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That said, there are a lot of games that capture the same feel as Chrono Trigger. Sabotage Studio’s Sea of Stars is heavily influenced by the game, and it has a new DLC on the way soon.

Square Enix says its projects will go “beyond the world of games” over the next year, and that could indicate anything from an anime adaptation to something like a board game or trading card game.

There’s no guarantee of a remake, but the 30 anniversary of a game is an excellent time to release one. Chrono Trigger has had a lasting influence on the RPG genre as a whole, and it would be