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Chocobo Races have been completely revamped in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth — instead of giving you almost no control over your chocobo, you’re now directly in the driver’s seat. Chocobo Racing has more in common with Mario Kart 8 than the original game. There are three levels of race tracks you’ll unlock, and the final stage is a grueling series you’ll need to finish in one sitting. The reigning champion won’t go down without a fight, and we’ve got a few tips to help you crush this ridiculously challenging quest. Leveling up won’t help you here. All you can do is get good at Chocobo Racing.
How To Unlock Grade 1 Races
Grade 3 races are the first Chocobo Races you can join — they’ll unlock on your first visit to the Gold Saucer. Later, you’ll return to the Gold Saucer in Chapter 12. If you finish Grade 3 races, you’ll unlock Grade 2 races. But completing Grade 2 races doesn’t seem to unlock Grade 1. There’s a reason for that.
- To unlock Grade 1 races — also called the Gold Cup — you need to talk to Billy at Chocobo Square. He’ll appear in the Gold Saucer on Chapter 12 if you’ve finished his other quests.
- Billy also appears in Nibelheim. Complete his quest at the Chocobo Sage’s Manor for a test race.
Talking to Billy begins the ‘Gold Cup or Bust‘ quest in the Corel Region. In this quest, Billy wants you to win the Gold Cup. That means you need to defeat the Champion in the Grade 1 race circuit.
- What Is Gold Cup?: The Gold Cup is a circuit of three races you must complete in a row. For getting 1st in all three races, you’ll earn a flawless victory.
- Whoever has the most points wins after three races. You don’t need to win all three races to get 1st place.
For the purposes of the quest, you will need to get 1st place in two out of three races. The Champion almost always wins the first race, so you’ll need to place 2nd, then 1st and 1st again to walk away with the Gold Cup.
Beating The Gold Cup
The Gold Cup can be repeated for big rewards — getting first place will always net you x200 GP, even for repeated runs. The full race takes 15 minutes or more to complete. Luckily, you don’t have to be totally perfect to win. Here’s a quick overview of the rewards.
- Rewards:
- First Win: Chocoking’s Cape
- 1st: x200 GP
- 2nd: x150 GP
- 3rd: x125 GP
The Gold Saucer’s biggest competition requires you to do well three times in a row — complete all the Grade 2 races and unlock all three pieces of the Hyperion Set. The Hyperion Set is especially good when used with the Yellow (Normal) Chocobo. The Chocobo’s boost ability is enhanced by the Hyperion Set. You’ll boost longer.
For these races, focus on collecting x10 blue balloons to reach max speed. After that, go for yellow and red balloons to build your boost. I recommend using the yellow Chocobo for the speed boost. There isn’t much water and the standard Chocobo can fly long enough to give you an edge.
- IMPORTANT: Don’t forget to press [X] during the countdown at the start of the race — press [X] on 2. This will give you an immediate speed boost at the start of the race that is very, very helpful to get out of the initial pack.
Race 1: This is a tough race. The opening-closing doors are incredibly annoying. Don’t worry too much if the Champion is far ahead of you. You only need to get 2nd place in this race. The Champion is really tough to beat here. As long as you earn 2nd place, continue the race. If you get third or fourth, reset and try again.
Race 2: For this race, we need to reach 1st place. The Champion is fast but much easier to catch up to. Build up speed, score that boost at the start of the race, and don’t play too recklessly. You can avoid most of the traps on this race. Save up speed boosts. If you screw up or crash into a trap, use speed boost to gain more speed. And absolutely avoid falling off ledges. That slows you down so much, you may need to reset the entire cup.
Race 3: The lead racer is very fast but slows down at the very end of the race. If you’re using the Hyperion Set, you’re much more likely to be able to catch up and overtake him at the very end of the third race. Keep at it and you’ll win, even if you’re far behind. This seems like the hardest race in the set but it’s actually the easier. The Champion slows down considerably before the end.
Get first place to earn the Chocoking’s Cape and x200 GP. You’ll also earn the ‘Hall of Famer’ trophy for your first completion.
- Chocoking’s Cape: Accessory – Fills on ATB charge at the start of battle.
And that’s it. Get the Hyperion Set to give yourself a much, much better chance at winning. The trick isn’t that you need to master the tracks, you just need to build up speed, keep your momentum, and save your speed boosts.
