The third entry in the Final Fantasy XIII trilogy, Lightning Returns reunites gamers with the heroine Lightning as she awakes from a  500-year slumber just 13 days before the end of the world. Gamers are tasked with saving the citizens of the planet Nova Chrysalia and are free to explore its four zones, but an in-game clock is always ticking down the seconds before the apocalypse, and some locations,characters, and missions are only available at specific times. Completing missions boosts Lightning's stats and provides her with Eradia, which can be used to extend the clock.

Lightning Returns features a modified version of the battle system from its two predecessors, with players assigning four commands to their controller's face buttons and performing real-time blocks, counters,and dodges. Gamers can wield a variety of weapons for close-quarters combat or unleash an assortment of magical attacks from range, but an Active Time Battle (ATB) gauge depletes with each action. Players can overcome their dwindling ATB bar by switching into new Schemata, which are essentially customizable outfits with their own ATB gauges. Success in combat boosts skills and gives Lightning money for use on weapons, outfits, and potions or food to replenish her healthpoints.

This Collector's Edition comes in special commemorative packaging and includes the full game as well as an 80-page hardcover art book, a silver embossed pocket watch, and a DLC code for the Aerith Gainsborough "Midgar's Flower Girl" outfit.