FFXIV Free Trial in 2026: what’s free up to level 80, the limits and how to start

Last updated: October 20, 2026.

The FINAL FANTASY XIV Free Trial is not a short demo. You can play up to level 80 with no time limit, and your character carries over if you ever buy the game. Since Patch 7.5 on April 28, 2026 it also includes Shadowbringers, so any guide that still says level 70 is out of date. This guide covers what’s included, what’s locked, how to install it on each platform, which data center to pick and how to upgrade, using only Square Enix’s official pages.

What the Free Trial includes

Square Enix sells the trial as four full FINAL FANTASY stories: A Realm Reborn, Heavensward, Stormblood and Shadowbringers, including their updates through Patch 5.58. That’s hundreds of hours before you hit the cap.

• Level cap 80. You stop earning EXP there, but every piece of content up to level 80 stays open.
• 18 jobs: Paladin, Warrior, Dark Knight, Gunbreaker, White Mage, Scholar, Astrologian, Monk, Dragoon, Ninja, Bard, Machinist, Black Mage, Summoner, Samurai, Red Mage, Dancer and Blue Mage (a limited job with its own rules).
• Life skills: crafting, gathering, fishing, glamour and the Gold Saucer mini-games such as Triple Triad, chocobo racing and Doman mahjong.
• Solo or group: the Duty Finder matches you into dungeons, and Duty Support lets you clear Main Scenario dungeons with NPC allies.
• Up to 8 characters per physical data center.

Free Trial restrictions

If you’re here for the story you’ll barely notice these limits. If you want to play the economy or join a guild, you will.

Feature	On the Free Trial
Gil	Capped at 300,000
Chat	No /shout, /yell or /tell (party chat and /say work)
Market Board and trading	Locked, along with retainers and sending items by Moogle Delivery
Free Companies	Can’t join or create one
Linkshells	Can’t create them, but you can join linkshells and cross-world linkshells
Party Finder	Can’t recruit, but you can join a party when invited and use the Duty Finder
PvP	Not available
Lodestone, forums, Companion app	No access
Store	No optional services, some optional items or gift codes; Mog Station and Online Store deliveries still arrive

Since /tell is off, sort out a party or a shared linkshell with friends before you start.

How to download it and set up your account

You need a Square Enix account that has never held an FFXIV license: no earlier Free Trial, no A Realm Reborn beta, no full game registered. The trial license covers one platform per account. To try a different platform, Square Enix says you need a new account with a different email address.

• Windows and Mac: grab the installer from the official Free Trial site and create the trial account when the launcher opens. Run the official benchmark first to see how your PC handles it.
• Steam: search for “FINAL FANTASY XIV Online Free Trial” (Steam page) and use Install Demo. A Steam trial can only be upgraded with a Steam registration code.
• PS5 and PS4: open the FINAL FANTASY XIV page on the PlayStation Store and pick the Free Trial. Your Square Enix account gets permanently linked to that PSN account, so sign in with the right ones first.
• Xbox Series X|S: on the Microsoft Store page, use the “…” menu to download the Free Trial. The trial doesn’t need Game Pass; the full Xbox version needs Game Pass Core or Ultimate plus an FFXIV subscription.
• Nintendo Switch 2: search the eShop for “FINAL FANTASY XIV Online”, choose the Switch 2 version and the Free Trial option. The Switch 2 profile is linked to your Square Enix account for good.

On PC, Steam lists the minimum as 64-bit Windows 10 or 11, an Intel Core i7-7700, 8 GB of RAM, a GeForce GTX 970 or Radeon RX 480 and 140 GB of free space. The client is English, French, German or Japanese.

Which data center should you pick?

Pick the region closest to you: North America (Aether, Crystal, Dynamis, Primal), Europe (Chaos, Light), Oceania (Materia) or Japan (Elemental, Gaia, Mana, Meteor). The four North American logical data centers are all part of Square Enix’s North American data center, so latency is similar across them.

• Playing with friends? Join their data center, ideally their World. That matters more than anything else.
• Going solo? Look for a Preferred World on the server status page. Square Enix gives beginner bonuses there, such as double EXP. On October 20, 2026 the North American Preferred Worlds were all on Dynamis: Cuchulainn, Maduin, Marilith, Rafflesia and Seraph. The list changes, so check on the day.
• World locked? Busy Worlds can close character creation. Free Trial Worlds are the same as in the full game, and the locks show on the same status page.

First steps that make it easier

• Hall of the Novice: hands-on tutorials for combat and for each role (tank, healer, DPS). Do it before your first group dungeon.
• Mentors: veterans with the mentor icon answer questions and help with content, and grouping with them gives an EXP boost.
• Duty Support: run the story dungeons with NPCs at your own pace. The list keeps growing; Patch 7.5 added The Dusk Vigil and Shisui of the Violet Tides.
• Follow the story: the Main Scenario Quest unlocks almost everything, from dungeons to mounts. When in doubt, follow its icon.

When to upgrade, and how to keep your character

Upgrade when you reach level 80, when you want the Market Board, a Free Company or PvP, or when the gil cap starts to hurt. Characters, levels and items stay on the same account.

• Windows, Mac and Steam: buy a full-game registration code, log in to the Mog Station with your trial account and click “Transfer to Full Game”.
• Consoles: buy the game on the console store, then register it to the same Square Enix account when you launch.
• Match the platform: Windows codes don’t work on Steam accounts and vice versa. Windows and Mac trials can move to the PS5 or PS4 version; Steam trials need a Steam code.
• Bonus: there’s no reward for coming from the trial, but registering the full game includes 30 days of game time. After that you need a subscription.
• No reinstall: the trial uses the same client as the full game.

Video: Shadowbringers, now part of the Free Trial

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FAQ

Is the FFXIV Free Trial really free forever?

Yes. There’s no limit on days or hours. The limits are the level 80 cap and the feature restrictions above.

Can I play with friends who subscribe?

Yes. You can join their party when invited, use the Duty Finder and join linkshells. You can’t send tells, join their Free Company or trade items.

I had an FFXIV account years ago. Can I use the Free Trial?

Not on that Square Enix account. It must never have held an A Realm Reborn license, a beta or an earlier Free Trial.

Can I play the trial on PC and PS5 with one character?

Not during the trial, which covers one platform per account. Once you own the full game you can register more platforms to the same account.

Does the Free Trial include PvP?

No. PvP is unavailable on trial accounts.

Sources

• Play FINAL FANTASY XIV’s Free Trial, official site (content, jobs, beginner support, rules and restrictions).
• Free trial now to include FINAL FANTASY XIV: Shadowbringers!, The Lodestone (April 2026).
• FINAL FANTASY XIV Patch 7.5 Trail to the Heavens, Square Enix (Duty Support additions, trial through Patch 5.58).
• Square Enix Support Center: joining the Free Trial, one platform per account, Xbox and Game Pass, upgrading to the full game, 30 days of game time and Free Trial Worlds.
• Server Status and Regarding the Replacement of North American Data Center Hardware, The Lodestone.
• FINAL FANTASY XIV Online Free Trial, Steam (requirements and languages).

Already in? Our All Saints’ Wake 2026 guide covers the Halloween event running until November 2, and the Tokyo Fan Festival keynote time is when Square Enix should show more of Evercold. Everything else is on our Final Fantasy XIV page.