Final Fantasy XIV is in the final stretch of its Dawntrail expansion, with the Switch 2 version live since August 4, 2026, and the next expansion, Silver Wanderer, set for January 2027. The game is also expanding into physical spaces with craft beers and a pop-up shop in Akihabara, while the mobile adaptation has been canceled globally.
Final Fantasy XIV is in a period of heavy activity. The Nintendo Switch 2 version launched on August 4, 2026, with a free service period of about one month and a free trial covering content up to level 80. Early impressions from GVG show frame rates near 60fps in simple scenes, dropping to 40-50fps in crowded areas, with touch and mouse controls praised. The launch was accompanied by a 30% discount on the Complete Pack until August 12.
The Berlin Fan Festival in July unveiled the next expansion, Silver Wanderer, set for January 2027. It introduces the tank job Bastion, a branching main quest structure with automatic enemy scaling, and a new raid collaboration with Final Fantasy VII Remake. The Evangelion alliance raid Ghosts of Desire will feature Mahiro Maeda as a special guest artist. Patch 7.56, arriving October 28, adds a Gold Saucer crossover from FFVII Remake and a new typing mini-game.
Outside the game, Square Enix is extending the brand into physical spaces. Craft beers inspired by FFXIV launched at EXBAR TOKYO plus AKIHABARA on July 31, alongside a 160 cm Aetheryte monument. The Final Fantasy XIV Hikari no Nouryousai 2026 event in Shibuya on August 1-2 featured a public broadcast for the Switch 2 version. Meanwhile, the mobile adaptation Final Fantasy XIV Mobile ended service in China on September 30, with the global version canceled.
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Square Enix e-STORE began accepting reservations on August 13 for two new Final Fantasy XIV food items: Fat Chocobo Curry, a mild retort curry priced at 1,080 yen, and Gummies Energy Drink GG, canned gummies shaped like Giant Beavers with an energy drink flavor, priced at 1,900 yen. Both ship October 16, 2026.
Square Enix announced the official PvP tournament Crystal Conflict Region Championship 2026 Japan Powered by Logicool G will hold its qualifying rounds on August 22, 23, 29, and 30, with all matches streamed live on YouTube. Sixteen teams that advanced through preliminary blocks will compete, with winners moving to the finals at Fan Festival 2026 in Tokyo in October for a 3 million yen prize.
Square Enix will release a sightseeing guidebook for Final Fantasy XIV on October 16, 2026, priced at 1,980 yen including tax. Titled 'Final Fantasy XIV Eorzea Sightseeing Guide: La Noscea / The Black Shroud / Thanalan / Mor Dhona,' the book covers the game's setting of Eorzea across four regions. It introduces basic knowledge for sightseeing in each area, such as the sea, forest, and desert, along with recommended activities and local cuisine. The guide also includes themed tour proposals, including ruins, ghost tours, and scenic spot tours. A special feature titled 'Play to Your Heart's Content! The Complete Gold Saucer Guide' is included. Reservations are now being accepted at the Square Enix e-STORE. The book is part of a broader release of Final Fantasy XIV merchandise on the same date, including five apparel items from the Lit Bāff Apt. brand, such as kung-fu track jackets inspired by Doman mahjong and a Sugar Riot sweatshirt.
Square Enix reported first-quarter results for the fiscal year ending March 2027, with net sales up 32.3% to 78.4 billion yen and operating income up 88.6% to 17 billion yen. HD game sales nearly doubled to 17.7 billion yen, and total game software units rose from 4.01 million to 7.38 million, with downloads accounting for about 90%.
Thirdwave's GALLERIA brand is selling a limited-time Final Fantasy XIV recommended PC lineup, the Crystal Conflict Regional Championship 2026 Japan Tournament Commemorative Model, until November 30. Three models range from 335,980 yen to 564,980 yen, featuring Ryzen 7 and Core Ultra CPUs with GeForce RTX 50-series GPUs. Each PC includes four exclusive wallpapers pre-installed, one of which is pre-set for immediate use.
An overseas YouTube channel, GVG, evaluated the Nintendo Switch 2 version of Final Fantasy XIV. Frame rates approach 60fps in simple scenes but drop to 40-50fps in crowded areas, with an option to force a fixed 30fps. Touch screen and Joy-Con 2 mouse controls were highly praised for improving access to cumbersome gamepad functions.
Square Enix released Final Fantasy XIV for Nintendo Switch 2 on August 4. The launch includes three package tiers and a free trial covering most of four expansions. GAME Watch took the game to Tottori Sand Dunes to test it in a real desert setting, covering setup, account linking, and cloud-based UI transfer.
Wizardry Variants Daphne will start a collaboration with Final Fantasy XI on July 30, its first with another company's IP. Drecom's Keisuke Kanayama and Square Enix's Yoji Fujito discussed the collaboration's origins in an interview, with a full article planned soon.
Two new craft beers inspired by Final Fantasy XIV are now available at EXBAR TOKYO plus AKIHABARA, a bar located in the free passage connecting the east and west sides of Akihabara Station, a one-minute walk from the ticket gates. The Fruit Ale "Guiding Light" features a vivid blue color inspired by the Mothercrystal, with a pear aroma and low bitterness. The White Ale "Healer of the Forest" evokes the Black Shroud of Gridania and its clear streams, with a mellow wheat flavor and slightly more bitterness. Both are served through the "Shall We Tap?" beer server, developed by Taito, which lets patrons check characteristics like aroma and sweetness on a touch panel. Prepaid cards can be charged from 1,000 yen, and pour amounts are adjustable. The attached goods store, FINAL FANTASY XIV GOODS SHOP AKIHABARA, offers about 370 types of goods, including plushies, keychains, soundtracks, DVDs, and books, in a space designed to evoke the Gridania market. Since July 31, a 160 cm illuminated Aetheryte monument has greeted visitors at the storefront. A medal tapper lets customers engrave up to 32 characters on medals themed after Ul'dah, Gridania, and Limsa Lominsa. Purchases of 3,000 yen or more earn an original illustration postcard, limited to one per person per day while supplies last.
Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail Patch 7.56, arriving October 28, adds the Gold Saucer from Final Fantasy VII Remake and introduces Keybound Brawler, a four-player typing mini-game set in the FFVII world. Rewards include Barret and Tifa costumes, with Barret's gatling gun as a fashion accessory. Naoki Hamaguchi appeared as a guest at the Berlin Fan Festival keynote.
Square Enix announced at FINAL FANTASY XIV Fan Festival 2026 in Berlin that Mahiro Maeda will join the collaboration alliance raid Ghost of Desire, planned for Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail. Maeda, an animator affiliated with Khara, will handle numerous designs for the Neon Genesis Evangelion crossover.
Drecom has begun running transportation advertisements for the collaboration between Wizardry Variants Daphne and Final Fantasy XI, with displays appearing on the JR Yamanote Line, at 38 stations in the Greater Tokyo area, and inside taxis. The ads, which feature the collaboration's key visual, started appearing on August 1 and August 3, 2026. Static images are shown at stations and on trains, while video ads run on rear-seat monitors inside Tokyo taxis. Display periods vary by medium: station platform bench ads run through August 15, Yamanote Line hanging ads through August 16, and Akihabara Station's large digital signage and taxi in-car ads through August 9. The collaboration itself is a limited-time event, with the interview between the two directors revealing that quests, characters, voices, weapons, battle systems, and dedicated jobs were all built as one-off content. Square Enix's FFXI producer and director, Yoji Fujito, said the volume of content surprised even the supervising team, and Drecom's Daphne director, Keisuke Kanayama, noted the initial plan was cut to about half its original size.
Square Enix began service for the Nintendo Switch 2 version of Final Fantasy XIV on August 4, 2026, starting around 7:00 PM JST. To stabilize servers, the service usage fee is free for approximately one month from launch. After that, the 30-day free period included with the product begins, followed by standard service fees. Players who already play on other platforms must pay a separate service fee for the Switch 2 version, but if they have remaining playable days on another platform, the fee is half price. The game can be played without a Nintendo Switch Online subscription, but a Nintendo account and a Square Enix account are required. A free trial version is also available on the Nintendo Store, letting players experience content up to level 80, covering A Realm Reborn, Heavensward, Stormblood, and Shadowbringers. Character data from the trial carries over to the full version. To celebrate the launch, the Complete Pack is 30% off until August 12 at 23:59, dropping from 6,380 yen to 4,466 yen. The Collector's Edition is also discounted to 10,472 yen from 14,960 yen.
Square Enix held the FINAL FANTASY XIV Fan Festival 2026 in Berlin on July 25 and 26, where the keynote speech delivered a wave of new information for the MMORPG. The new tank job Bastion was unveiled, a main tank that fights with a weapon called Magakou, which combines a shield, melee weapon, and ranged weapon on both arms. Bastion will be implemented in the latest expansion Hakkin no Wanderer, scheduled for release in January 2027. The keynote also announced a new 8-person raid collaboration with the FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE series, titled BEYOND THE LIFESTREAM, with scenario by Motomu Toriyama, supervision by Kazushige Nojima, and design supervision by Tetsuya Nomura. The Nintendo Switch 2 version of FFXIV will release on August 4, with free service for about one month after release. Other details included a new battle difficulty between Normal and Savage, a rebuilt buddy chocobo system, and the Character Action Skins system. The Evangelion collaboration alliance raid Ghosts of Desire will feature Mahiro Maeda as a special guest artist and designer.
This week's gaming roundup covers a wide range of announcements and updates. Final Fantasy XIV's Evercold expansion received new details from the EU Fanfest in Belgium, including two crossover raids with Neon Genesis Evangelion and Final Fantasy VII, a new ranged tank class called the Bastion, and a non-linear story structure with automatic enemy scaling. The expansion is slated for January 2027. Meanwhile, Monolith Soft released an update for Xenoblade Chronicles 2 on Switch 2, adding 60 FPS and 4K resolution in handheld mode, a new Merc Assault mode, new outfits for Pyra and Mythra, and a new Blade from Xenosaga, M.O.M.O., whose inclusion has sparked speculation about Nintendo acquiring the Xenosaga rights. Other stories include Cyber Connect 2's mobile port of Fuga: Melodies of Steel, a first look at Chronoscript: The Endless End, and several smaller releases and announcements.
The week of August 3 to 9, 2026 brings a dense slate of new game releases across Japan and North America, headlined by two major titles. Game Freak's Beast of Reincarnation launches on August 4 for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S. The completely new 3D action RPG is set in Japan in the year 4026, following Emma, a girl shunned as impure, and her partner, the rotting dog Kuu, on a journey to uncover the mystery of the world's collapse. It features a one person and one beast battle system combining Emma's real-time sword action with command instructions given to Kuu. MARVEL Tōkon: Fighting Souls arrives on August 7 for PC and PlayStation 5 at 7,980 yen. The 4-on-4 tag-team fighting game has teams of one main fighter and three supports, with HP shared among the four. A simple input method allows anyone to pull off combos. Final Fantasy XIV also appears on Nintendo Switch 2 this week, alongside Lies of P: Complete Edition and Cotton Rock with You.
Drecom opened the collaboration event between its 3D dungeon RPG Wizardry Variants Daphne and Square Enix's MMORPG Final Fantasy XI on July 30, 2026. The event, titled "Castle of the Deep Dark Fantasy," runs until September 10 at 12:59. It adds a collaboration-exclusive dungeon and story where a suspicious castle appears in Northern Hollow, the lord's sons go missing, and players must track the ghost castle to bring them back. Three Final Fantasy XI characters join as new adventurers: Prishe, the Cursed Child of Tavnazia, voiced by Aya Hirano; Iroha, the Singer of the Star's Song, voiced by Inori Minase; and Zeid, the Black Iron Whirlwind, voiced by Shin-ichiro Kamio. Players can obtain one of six recruitment items during the event, choosing among these three collaboration adventurers or three legendary adventurers: Red Beard, the Rebel Against God; Arboris, King of the Sea of Trees; and Avenius, the Flash. The collaboration also introduces Relic Weapons, special equipment obtainable with Gil and upgradeable through reforging, plus a Trade Broker in Northern Hollow Village for trading reforge materials. Special supplies and limited-time missions offer additional scrolls and Gil. A dedicated website includes a Collaboration Rank Test quiz and a promotional video.
TAITO announced on July 27 that two original craft beers inspired by the world of Final Fantasy XIV will be available at the craft beer and game bar EXBAR TOKYO plus AKIHABARA starting July 31. The two varieties are a fruit ale called Guiding Light, themed after the Mothercrystal, and a white ale called Healer of the Forest, themed after the forest city of Gridania. Alongside the beer launch, an Aetheryte monument approximately 160 cm tall will be installed at the adjacent FINAL FANTASY XIV GOODS SHOP AKIHABARA. The monument reproduces the teleportation device players use to travel between regions in the game. To commemorate the release, TAITO will sell acrylic keychains featuring Alpha and a Moogle holding beer mugs. Customers who purchase Final Fantasy XIV merchandise totaling 3,000 yen or more will receive a postcard, while supplies last. An original commemorative stamp with Alpha and Moogle will also be available at the store. EXBAR TOKYO plus AKIHABARA is located in the Akihabara East-West Free Passage and is open daily from 10:00 to 23:00.
Drecom announced on July 24, 2026, that the 3D dungeon RPG "Wizardry Variants Daphne" (iOS, Android, PC) will begin a collaboration event with Square Enix's MMORPG "Final Fantasy XI" on July 30. The collaboration includes an item distribution within Final Fantasy XI: the equipment item "Mask of the Abyss," based on the player character "Masked Adventurer" from Wizardry Variants Daphne, will be given away during a distribution period scheduled for August. Further details of the event are to be announced in subsequent reports. To mark the collaboration, 4Gamer.net published a special conversation between Wizardry creator Robert Woodhead and former Square Enix developer Hiromichi Tanaka, who worked on the first three Final Fantasy titles. In the discussion, Tanaka noted that the ninja job in the original Final Fantasy was directly influenced by Wizardry, and that the medieval fantasy world brought to computers by Wizardry became a driving force for his work. Woodhead and Tanaka also reflected on the early days of computer game development, including packaging innovations and the experimental nature of titles like Wizardry IV.
Square Enix announced during the Final Fantasy XIV Fan Festival 2026 in Berlin on July 25 that the Nintendo Switch 2 version of the MMORPG will launch on August 4, 2026. Pre-orders began on the same day via the My Nintendo Store. As a stabilization period, service fees will be waived for approximately one month after launch. A free trial is also scheduled to begin at the same time. Existing players on other platforms will receive a 50% discount on service fees for the Switch 2 version. A Nintendo Switch Online subscription is not required to play. Various packages are available, including a Complete Pack at 30% off (4,466 yen) until August 12. The announcement was part of a broader keynote that also revealed details for the upcoming expansion Final Fantasy XIV: Silver Wanderer, scheduled for January 2027, including a new setting, two new jobs (with the tank role Bastion confirmed), and an eight-player raid series crossing over with Final Fantasy VII Remake.
Square Enix held the Final Fantasy XIV Fan Festival 2026 in Berlin on July 25, unveiling a wave of new details for the upcoming expansion pack Silver Wanderer, scheduled for release in January 2027. The keynote, led by producer and director Naoki Yoshida, introduced the new tank job Bastion, which wields a weapon called Magic Armor that functions as both a shield and a cannon, capable of switching between melee and ranged attacks. Bastion is an ancient martial art inherited by the royal family ruling Elsrend Island and starts at level 90, with its job quest beginning in Limsa Lominsa. The expansion is set in the Fourth World, an ice-bound realm where humanity lives on five giant airships called Continent Ships. Walkthrough videos showcased two of these ships: the Water Continent Ship Naglfar and the Fire Continent Ship Flinghorni. A new main quest system allows players to tackle branching areas in any order, with a Balance Adjust system automatically scaling monster levels in dungeons and FATEs to accommodate level differences. The main quest Part 2 arrives as Patch 7.56 on September 8, leading into the expansion. Post-launch, Patch 8.0 will introduce customizable teleport and job action animations, with further customization and expanded race-specific options like nose darkness for Lalafell and Viera and horn changes for Au Ra arriving in Patch 8.1.
Square Enix and Tencent announced that Final Fantasy XIV Mobile will end service in mainland China on September 30, 2026. New user registrations and in-game purchases were suspended immediately. The companies also apologized for canceling the planned global version, citing business adjustments and market changes. The mobile game launched in China in June 2025 and was developed by Lightspeed Studios.
Square Enix and Tencent announced on July 17 that the Chinese version of Final Fantasy XIV Mobile will end service on September 30, about a year after its launch. The license agreement between the two companies is being terminated, and the planned global expansion is now uncertain.
Square Enix will implement Patch 7.55 for FINAL FANTASY XIV: Dawntrail on July 28. The update adds the Northern Expedition area for Mirage Island Crescent Isle, the final stage of the Phantom Weapon enhancement, a sequel to the Hildibrand Gold Chapter, and an Allied Tribe Extra Story. The patch wraps up several side storylines from the expansion.
Square Enix announced on July 15, 2026, that the Final Fantasy XIV Hikari no Nouryousai 2026 in Shibuya Sakura Stage will be held on August 1 and 2. The event at the Shibuya Sakura Stage complex in Tokyo includes a traveling Eorzea Cafe offering takeout-only menu items, with laminated cards given as a novelty to early customers. A Final Fantasy XIV Pop-Up Shop will sell collaboration products from various brands and creators, previously available at a pop-up inside JR Kyoto Station in March. Customers who spend 3,000 yen or more at the shop receive an original clear card. On August 1, a public live broadcast commemorating the release of the Nintendo Switch 2 version of Final Fantasy XIV will take place. Participants include production manager Shoichi Matsuzawa, lead item designer Yosuke Hayashi, and community manager Kazuyoshi Mochizuki. The broadcast will feature product information and live gameplay on actual hardware. Additional activities include the cooperative game Ancient Allagan Control Panel, the Dance with Dancing Green beta test, and the real puzzle game Bridge Between Two Worlds encore. The official goods shop Square Enix Garden on the 3rd floor will sell new FFXIV merchandise in advance, and Square Enix Capsule Garden will offer new capsule toys. Participating restaurants in Shibuya Sakura Stage will distribute special stickers during the event period.
Several Final Fantasy games are at their lowest prices ever on Nintendo eShop and PlayStation Store. The Final Fantasy VII Rebirth Digital Deluxe Edition is 60% off at 3,256 yen, Final Fantasy XII The Zodiac Age is 1,914 yen on Switch, and the Final Fantasy I-VI Bundle is 5,503 yen. Most deals end July 15.
Thirdwave's GALLERIA brand announced three limited-edition gaming PCs for the Final Fantasy XIV Crystal Conflict Region Championship 2026 Japan tournament. The commemorative models, on sale from July 10 to November 30, 2026, have the same specifications as GALLERIA's recommended FFXIV PCs and come with four pre-installed original wallpapers. Prices range from 335,980 yen to 564,980 yen.
Drecom announced on July 3, 2026, that a collaboration event between the 3D dungeon RPG Wizardry Variants Daphne and Square Enix's MMORPG Final Fantasy XI will take place in the summer of 2026. Specific content and timing details are to be announced later. Final Fantasy XI began service in Japan in May 2002 and will celebrate its 25th anniversary in 2027. The game has released five expansion packs, including Chains of Promathia and Seekers of Adoulin, and its latest scenario, The Embryo of the Eclipsed World, has been distributed since 2020. Wizardry Variants Daphne is the latest entry in the Wizardry series, which marks its 45th anniversary in 2026. The collaboration will bring together the world of Vana'diel from Final Fantasy XI with the harsh dungeon exploration of Wizardry Variants Daphne. The announcement comes as Final Fantasy XI approaches its 24th anniversary in 2026.
Square Enix Manga & Books announced eight new manga licenses and two Final Fantasy books during its Anime Expo panel on Thursday. The manga slate includes titles like Not Quite Love, My Classmate James, Inuta: My Canine Classmate, Daughter of the Dragon God, and Supervillain Boy, with releases starting January 2027.
Square Enix Manga & Books will release Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail - The Art of Succession -Relics of Eternity- on December 15. The 304-page artbook is the second volume of a two-volume set for the Dawntrail expansion and includes a code for the in-game Lolly Cat minion.
Square Enix announced the official art book "FINAL FANTASY XIV: DAWNTRAIL | The Art of Succession - Relics of Eternity -" will release on December 15 for 3,630 yen. The 304-page A4 book compiles roughly 1,000 pieces of artwork from patches 7.1 through 7.5, including character art, dungeon and trial settings, and designs for equipment, minions, and mounts. A purchase bonus grants the in-game minion "Sweet Cat."
Square Enix began offering Final Fantasy XIV in-game items as furusato nozei return gifts for Shibuya Ward on June 16. Donations of 17,000 yen receive a five-pack of Fantasia, while 9,000 yen gets the Great Hound mount. Other items include dance emotes and costume sets.
Good Smile Company streamed its 'Nendoroid FUNS Good Smile Fest 2026' on June 4, 2026, unveiling a wide range of new Nendoroid figures. The event showcased colored samples and prototypes for numerous upcoming releases. Highlights included a 2.0 version of Mio Akiyama from 'K-On!', Saber in casual wear from 'Fate/stay night', and the Blue-Eyes White Dragon from 'Yu-Gi-Oh!'. Vocaloid characters such as Neru Akita and Haku Yowane also received new Nendoroid forms. Newly announced figures span multiple franchises: from 'Final Fantasy XIV', characters Alphinaud, Yotsuyu, and Emet-Selch were confirmed; from 'Goddess of Victory: NIKKE', Velvet; and from 'Danganronpa 1·2 Reload', Celestia Ludenberg. The 'Super Kaguya-hime!' series added Kaguya, Sakayori Iroha, and Tsukimi Yachiyo. Other reveals included Femto from 'Berserk', Godzilla (2023) from 'Godzilla Minus One', and Magolor from 'Kirby of the Stars'. The 'Nendoroid Surprise' blind-box line will feature sets for 'Blue Archive', 'The Apothecary Diaries', and 'Natsume's Book of Friends'. Pre-orders opened for several items immediately after the stream.
A player named Rath Games has soloed the Warrior of Light Trial in Final Fantasy XIV, a boss fight designed for eight players that includes an instant-kill mechanic requiring a full party's limit break to survive. Rath Games controlled two characters simultaneously, using a Blue Mage and a Sage, and exploited post-revival invulnerability to bypass the fatal attack.
Square Enix will release Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail patch 7.51, subtitled The Path to the Beyond, on June 2. The update introduces the seventh ultimate raid, The Minstrel's Ballad: The Final Day, which focuses on the boss Kefka. It also adds a new custom delivery target, Chisoya, and a new star, Plant Civilization Star Auxesia, for Cosmo Explorer.