Do you have to pay to play Final Fantasy?

Final Fantasy 14 Online is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game that uses a subscription model, so once your sub runs out, you’ll need to buy more time to play the MMMORPG.

If you’re playing the free trial, you have as much time as you want to complete the content included with it. Even if you finish the trial’s story and max out all your job levels, you’ll still be able to log in and play for free.

You only need to pay for a subscription if you’re playing a purchased version of FFXIV. You can purchase 60-day codes for around $30 from most video game retailers, like Amazon, GameStop, or the Square Enix website directly.

If you want to buy a shorter subscription or set up recurring payments, you need the Mog Station website. Mog Station is the site that handles almost all of the paid services for Final Fantasy 14, whether it’s buying an outfit or upgrading your games from the standard versions to the collector’s editions.

Once you log in with your Square Enix account, click “Manage Service Options.” Under the banner that says “Subscription Renewal,” you can choose to either add game time using a card you bought from a retailer or pay with a credit card.

When you pay for your subscription directly through Mog Station, you also have two subscription options.

The Standard subscription costs $14.99 per month and offers discounts if you buy months in bulk. It allows you to make up to eight characters per world and up to 40 total. This is useful if you want to make a lot of different characters or if you want to play with different people across different data centers.

The Entry subscription costs $12.99 per month and offers no discounts for bulk purchases. It allows you to make one character per world and up to eight total. Most people will only need this subscription, unless you need lots of characters or plan on buying many months at once for a cheaper price.

The rise in the popularity of multiplayer games has dramatically influenced the MMORPG genre. There are a ton of free-to-play games out there, but Final Fantasy 14isn't one of them. To play the MMO in its complete form, you have to not only buy the game but also pay a subscription fee every month.

Thankfully, Final Fantasy 14 offers a free trial version of the game that allows you to play the most current version of the popular MMO without having to purchase the software or commit to any kind of ongoing subscription. It's an excellent way to start the game, but this trial does have some major restrictions that could cause frustration. For those looking to enter the world of Final Fantasy 14 for the first time, we've created a complete guide for everything you can and cannot do in the free trial.

Updated February 23, 2022, by Adam Arter: Final Fantasy 14's free trial has recently returned after a brief hiatus to prevent server congestion after the launch of the latest expansion, Endwalker. The free trial version returned on February 22, 2022, allowing new players to experience the entirety of the base game A Realm Reborn and the first expansion, Heavensward, for free.

At the time of writing, the free trial version offers an excellent way into the game for new players, but is still subject to minor restrictions to certain game functions, which we've explained below.

How To Get The Final Fantasy 14 Free Trial

Final Fantasy 14 Free Trial Website

To get the free trial on PC, all you need to do is head to the free trial website and then associate the free trial with a new or existing Square Enix account. After you’re signed up, you’ll be able to download the game’s installer, which will download and install all available game files. After the installation is complete, you’ll be able to log in, select a server and begin playing.

On PS4 or PS5, the process is similar, but you can download the free trial version by finding the ‘try free demo’ button on the game’s PSN store page. You’ll still need to create a Square Enix account for the free trial.

Keep in mind that you can only play the free trial on a Square Enix account that isn’t already associated with a paid Final Fantasy 14 account.

What Are The Differences Between The Final Fantasy 14 Free Trial And The Full Game?

Final Fantasy 14 Free Trial Goobue

If you activate an account for the free trial of Final Fantasy 14, you’ll be able to play the entire initial main scenario quest up to the end of the Heavensward expansion at no cost.

You’ll experience the game world the same as other players, but some features associated with the expansions or certain social mechanics will be unavailable to you. Here’s a quick comparison of the differences between the free and full versions of the game.

Feature

Free Trial

Full Game (With Expansions)

Main Scenario Quest

Contains all the story content up to the end of the first expansion, Heavensward.

Contains all story content.

Leveling

Level all classes up to 60.

Level all classes up to 90.

Playable Classes/Jobs

All base classes and jobs available except the jobs added in later expansions: Red Mage, Samurai, Dancer, Gunbreaker, Sage, Reaper cannot be played in the free trial.

All classes and jobs available including the jobs added in expansions.

Playable Races

Only the races from A Realm Reborn are available to select in character creation.

All races playable, including the added Au Ra, Viera, and Hrothgar from the expansion packs.

Chat Features

Certain types of communication are restricted — you can't /yell, /shout, or /tell

All types of communication are available.

Trading & Economy

You can’t trade with other players. You can’t hire retainers to store gil or items. The Market Board is unavailable.

All trading and economy features are available.

Social Features

You cannot add friends to a friend list or join a ‘Free Company’ (guild) on the free trial. You can’t send or receive mail from other players. You cannot create parties, but you can accept invites to parties from other people.

You can add friends to a friends list, create and join ‘Free Companies’ and send and receive mail from other players. You can create and join parties.

Gil Restrictions

Your wallet will also be limited to 300,000 gil.

Your wallet is limited to 999,999,999 gil.

Why You Should Try The Final Fantasy 14 Free Trial

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If you’re looking for an introduction to Final Fantasy 14 to see if you like the game, the free trial is a good way to test it out.

If you intend to play Final Fantasy 14 from the beginning without skipping any story content, you can easily do a couple of hundred hours (or more) of this in the free trial. You’ll be able to experience the story of the A Realm Reborn base game in addition to the first expansion, Heavensward.

In addition, you can take most of the optional content associated with these two games including dungeons, raids, crafting, and even developing a unique fashion for your character.

If you’re finding yourself enjoying the game during the trial, you can upgrade to a starter edition, which includes the same story content as the free trial (A Realm Reborn and Heavensward), but without any of the restrictions of the free trial. You can also upgrade to the complete version at a higher price point, which includes the other expansions Stormblood, Shadowbringers, and Endwalker.

Because Square Enix has eased restrictions on various features in the free trial before, such as level cap and purchasing items with real currency in the MogStation, players can retain hope that the developer will also ease some of these social restrictions on the game eventually.

Final Fantasy 14 has exploded in popularity over the past year, so much so that they were forced to halt sales in addition to cancelling the free trial. Now that congestion has eased up a bit, the free trial is back and more accessible than ever before. For this reason, it could only be a matter of time before Square Enix allows free trial players even more freedom in defending the world of Eorzea.

NEXT: Final Fantasy 14: How To Change Your Grand Company

Can you play Final Fantasy for free?

While the Final Fantasy XIV trial lets you play the game for free, it does come with some limitations. You can only create eight characters in the game, with only one playable character per world. Furthermore, the trial limits all of your characters to level 60—you can't level up any higher than that.

How much does it cost to play Final Fantasy?

SERVICE FEES.

Is Final Fantasy a monthly fee?

After shelling out for a digital copy of the game, it doesn't stop there. FFXIV also has a monthly subscription fee of $12.99 — per device. But don't worry. When you buy the game, you have a generous 30-day free trial to get started.