The Gold Saucer is home to many minigames in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, but one of the highlights has to be Chocobo racing. The event feels like a playful, bird-themed take on kart racing, and for those looking for glory on the racetrack, a tournament sidequest will become available in Chapter 12.

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Billy, who you met all the way back at the start of the game, is desperate to claim the famed Gold Cup, and makes Chocobo Sam promise to tell him about what happened to his parents if you win. Help Billy take first place and uncover the truth about his family's past.

Chocobo Customization

Before you even set foot on the track, you have the ability to customize the Chocobo you're going to race with. You'll have the option of choosing between every Chocobo you've unlocked in the world (including Selena, since you need to complete Esoteric Secrets of the Elders in order to unlock this quest).

Each Chocobo has its own distinct base stats, sporting different values in speed, acceleration, weight, cornering, strength, and intelligence. These stats can then be increased by equipping different outfits in the Chocoboutique.

Furthermore, each piece of clothing comes with its own unique ability, allowing you another layer of strategy during races. Customize your steed to your liking, and it's off to the races!

While stats like speed and acceleration are obviously incredibly helpful in the context of a race, cornering may be one of the most important. Some of the tougher tracks require you to make multiple hairpin turns in quick succession, and flying off the track can cost you dearly.

How To Unlock The Gold Cup

Before you enter the Gold Cup, you need to raise your rank high enough to compete. You will start at Maiden and must raise yourself up to Gold (go figure) to compete in the cup. Grade III races are available from the beginning, and feature Maiden, Bronze, and Silver difficulty tracks. The rank promotions work as follows:

Rank Promotion

Requisite

Bronze

Achieved after winning two Maiden races for the first time.

Silver

Achieved after winning three Bronze races for the first time.

Gold

Achieved after winning three SIlver races for the first time.

Achieving Silver rank also unlocks Grade II races, which feature longer courses than Grade III and contain the final Silver races needed for you to hit Gold rank.

The races in Grade III and Grade II are a trivial challenge if you have any level of experience with Mario Kart and similar games. Still, you can use them to develop familiarity with mechanics and implement rudimentary strategies such as:

  • Drift, drift, drift: Much like in other kart racers, you will be granted a temporary speed boost for completing a successful drift. There doesn't seem to be any rubber-banding AI in the early races, so if you just drift around every corner, you'll easily defeat most opponents.
  • Collect blue balloons (and avoid obstacles): Every blue balloon you collect will increase your Chocobo's speed, up to the max level of ten. However, bumping into walls, the environment, and even other Chocobos will cause you to lose a balloon and decrease your speed.
  • Use your Chocobo's ability: Each Chocobo has a unique ability they can unleash during races. Experiment with different routes and uses to find potential shortcuts and time-saving measures.

You can also press X when it hits two during the start countdown for a speed boost, just like in Mario Kart!

Racing The Gold Cup

You've finally made it to Grade I, the Gold Cup. Unlike previous challenges, the Cup functions as a circuit, so you'll be placed into three races back-to-back-to-back and receive points based on where you finished in each. At the end of the event, the jockey with the most points wins.

While the challenge is certainly increased from your previous races, you really only need to worry about one opponent: Chocobo Sam's black Chocobo, Hyperion. If you aren't in first, they will be, making every part of the circuit much more competitive than anything you've faced before. Be patient, drift around corners, and use your abilities, and you should emerge from the circuit victorious.

Remember, you don't need to win every race! If you win two of them and place well in the third, you should accrue enough points to beat Hyperion.

Afterwards, you'll receive the Chocoking's Cape and be treated to a cutscene where Billy finally finds out what happened to his parents.

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