It’s good news and bad news for potential customers Final fantasy 14 players Xbox Series|S. The open beta of the beloved multiplayer online role-playing game finally has a confirmed start date, but at the same time it has been confirmed that players will have a Xbox Game Pass subscription to play the full release later.
First things first: the beta start date. New players can delve into the free trial version of Final fantasy 14 (which allows you to experience A reborn realm, heavenward And Stormblood expansions up to level 70, with no playtime restrictions), starting Wednesday, February 21 at 3am ET / 12pm PT / 8am GMT / 7pm AEDT. This corresponds to the estimated start date given by director and producer Naoki Yoshida (aka Yoshi-P) during the Final fantasy 14 personal Fan Fest event last month, so it’s not that big of a surprise.
However, the emphasis here is on ‘new players’. In a news item on the Final fantasy 14 website announcing the launch date, it was confirmed that those who have previously used the free trial on another platform, or a Final fantasy 14 license registered to their Square Enix account are already unable to participate. Instead, they’ve been asked to wait for the full release, which will come “immediately” after the open beta ends (although no indication has been given as to when this will be).
Anyone who wants to play Final fantasy 14‘s free trial on Xbox, “including the open beta test,” can play whether or not they have an active Xbox Game Pass Core or Ultimate subscription. However, the full release shall requires an active Game Pass subscription. This is quite surprising considering that PlayStation 4 And PlayStation 5players do not need to have an active one PlayStation Plus subscription of any kind to play, and no additional fees are required on PC either.
All things considered, it looks like Xbox Series X|S will be the most expensive platform to play Final fantasy 14 enabled if you include the additional cost for the Xbox Game Pass subscription. Definitely keep this in mind before deciding whether to dive in yourself.
For more games like Final Fantasy 14, be sure to check out our recommendations for the best MMORPGsjust like the best MMOs.