Trails in the Sky Chapter 1 may have flown under some players' radars upon release, but it was actually one of the most acclaimed games of 2025. This modern remake of the JRPG classic brought 3D visuals, new voice acting, and a hybrid real-time/turn-based combat system to the series, and can be played by anyone with a Japanese Nintendo Switch Online subscription. Trails in the Sky Chapter 1 free from July 6 to July 12.
Trails in the Sky Chapter 1It has 87 stellar reviews on Metacritic, with reviewers and players alike celebrating the title's many improvements over the original. It may not be flawless – some players have cited a lack of late-game variety that leads to lackluster battles – but it's abundantly clear that this niche franchise is finally starting to pick up steam. To help reach an even larger audience, Nintendo and developer Nihon Falcom will be holding an Issei trial between the above dates, which is described as unlimited access to the game.
Nintendo Switch Exclusive Dropped Without Warning
The Switch exclusive game is being removed from the eShop and fans have not received any advance warning about it from Nintendo or the developers.
Players can play The Entity of Trails in the Sky Chapter 1 for free if they pledge
Unlike demos that offer short snippets of the game to entice potential buyers, or something similar to limited PlayStation Plus trials where players get a certain amount of time with the title before having to pay, Issei's wording for this trial suggests that players can experience as much of the game as they want between July 6th and July 12th. There are two requirements to access this game first, players must be N, second must be full. have a Japanese Nintendo Account.
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While this may seem disappointing to those in the United States or Europe, it is important to note access to the Japanese Nintendo Store is simple. Interested players simply need to:
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Create a free Nintendo account and set the region to Japan.
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Activate your Nintendo Switch Online subscription on this account with a free trial or monthly subscription.
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Add this alternate Japanese account as a user to their existing Nintendo Switch.
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Download Trails in the Sky Chapter 1 on their Nintendo Switch console via the Japanese store.
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On July 12th, when access to the game ends, be sure to unsubscribe from NSO on a new account to avoid being charged.
It is important to realize this Trails in the Sky Chapter 1 is a very long game as it was significantly longer than the original due to the introduction of voice acting, new quests and expanded areas. This version took approximately 40 hours to complete Trails in the Sky Chapter 1 has 70 hours of gameplay. To get through the game between July 6th and July 12th, players will need to go all out because like most JRPGs, there's plenty of content to pick up. Fortunately, as with other NSO free trials, save data will carry over from the free version to the purchased version if players cannot complete the game before the trial ends.
WITH Trails in the Sky Chapter 1 also half off between July 6th and July 19th, there could be a lot of new players coming into this once niche JRPG franchise soon. And given that the next chapter Trails due out later this year, now really is the perfect time to get into the series.
- Released
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September 19, 2025
- ESRB
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T for Teens // Blood, fantasy violence, language, subtextual themes, alcohol and tobacco use
- Developers
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Nihon Falcom
- PC release date
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September 19, 2025
Source: gonintendo
