Several critics compared "We Remain" to Aguilera's previous hit "Beautiful" (2002) and Alicia Keys' "Girl on Fire" (2012) for musical similarities. "We Remain" received critical acclaim from music critics. Ryan Reed from "Rolling Stone" magazine praised the "triumphant sounding" track "sure to be a hit at District 12 radio". An editor from "The Huffington Post" picked "We Remain" as one of the standout tracks from the soundtrack that "encapsulates the spirit and power of "Games"' heroine, Katniss". Sam Lansky for Idolator praised the single's musical departure from Aguilera's ballads for her 2012 album "Lotus". Brett Malec of E! simply called it "a beautiful track", while a staff writer from "Billboard" named it a "triumphant" song. While reviewing the soundtrack for "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire", Alex Young from "Consequence of Sound" selected "We Remain" as one of the highlights from the album, which made Aguilera "the biggest star on display". "Entertainment Weekly" writer Nick Catucci picked it as one of the best tracks, calling it "an awesome reminder of Christina's power" and "one of the most righteous doses of uplift this year, on any platform". Credits adapted from "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire" soundtrack digital inlay cover   "We Remain" peaked at number 58 on the South Korean Gaon International Download Chart with 2,689 copies sold on October 6, 2013. The single also peaked at number 31 on the Belgian Flanders Singles Chart and number 14 on the Belgian Wallonian Singles Chart.