New players are able to sign up for free trials for the first time in two months.
Square Enix
When Final Fantasy XIV released its Endwalker expansion in December, the massively multiplayer online game suffered massive congestion as players flocked to the game to experience the new content. In an attempt to ease the situation, the game stopped all new sales and the creation of new free trial accounts just a week after it launched Endwalker. And for more than a month, there was no way to get into the game if you were a brand-new player.
Fortunately, things are changing. FFXIV resumed sales on Jan. 25, and new free trials resumed on Feb. 22. If you’ve been wanting to check out an MMO, Final Fantasy is a great place to start — I picked it up late last year and found myself quickly drawn into the vast, inviting world.
The announcement suggests that some of the initial congestion has died down, meaning players can sign into the game without waiting several hours in a login queue. Players with active subscriptions are prioritized over free trial players in login queues, which meant that players with free trials were virtually relegated to very late night and early morning hours when Endwalker launched and servers struggled to handle the influx of players.
Final Fantasy XIV offers a meaty free trial for new players. The entire base game and first expansion are available to play for free, with some restrictions: Free trial players are capped at level 60 (vs. level 90 in Endwalker), can only create one character per world (server) and have restrictions on in-game trading and commerce. Additionally, you can’t form a party with other free trial players unless someone on a paid subscription invites you all. Still, we’re talking about more than 100 hours of story quests for free — more than that if you want to level into multiple classes or if you’re a fan of side quests.
Now, anyone with a PC, PS4 or PS5 can once again experience the base game and Heavensward expansion for free.
