Breath of Fire IV is back, and it’s finally playable on modern PCs thanks to GOG and Capcom, who just dropped the classic JRPG with a bunch of fresh upgrades. It’s available right now for £7.99 (around $9.99), and honestly, it feels like time-travelling straight back to 2000, but with smoother controls and sharper visuals.
Breath of Fire IV intro trailer
If you never got around to it back in the day, Breath of Fire IV originally launched for the PlayStation on April 27, 2000, and later on PC in 2003. This new GOG release celebrates its 25th anniversary with a hefty dose of care, modern features, and importantly, none of the usual tech headaches you’d expect from an old-school port.
We’re talking full Windows 10/11 compatibility, new graphics rendering options like anti-aliasing and vertical sync, and support for just about every modern controller out there, from DualSense to Xbox to Switch. The minigames have been tightened up, the battle system’s crash-free, and even the audio has had a proper tune-up. It’s the best way to play the game today, without needing to wrestle with emulators or old hardware.
And the heart of it? That’s still pure Breath of Fire. Two continents, separated by a cursed swamp. A world recovering from war. A missing princess. And a quiet boy named Ryu, who just happens to carry the soul of a dragon. You’ll follow his journey alongside Princess Nina, Cray of the Woren tribe, the mysterious Ershin in cursed armour, and even cross paths with Fou-Lu—an ancient emperor who might just be your other half. It’s two parallel stories slowly winding toward one explosive meeting.
There are over 200 spells, combo mechanics in battle, and a mix of hand-drawn character sprites with 3D environments that still hold up in a stylised kind of way. The game feels personal, melancholic, and sometimes just weird in that perfect PS1-era JRPG way.
If you’re into classic turn-based adventures with memorable characters, mysterious dragons, and soundtracks that hit you right in the nostalgia, Breath of Fire IV deserves your attention. Especially now that it finally runs without a hitch.
You can grab Breath of Fire IV now on GOG and relive one of the most beloved entries in the Breath of Fire series, just with fewer bugs and more pixels.
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